Source: https://www.mtlawoffice.com/blogs/equitable-division
Timestamp: 2019-12-05 19:26:07
Document Index: 555171922

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 44', '§ 44', '§ 19', '§ 19', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 1']

Equitable Division | Meriwether & Tharp, LLC
Atlanta divorce attorneys are often asked how pension plans are divided upon a divorce in Georgia. In general, pension plans are treated like any other property �" if they accrued during the marriage, they are marital property subject to... Read More
One of the most complicated financial aspects of a divorce can be what happens to the marital home when both parties�™ names are on the mortgage. Since one party will likely move out of the marital home after the divorce, that party will... Read More
The Supreme Court of Georgia recently reversed a decision of the trial court in a divorce case, which made certain directives regarding the parties�™ tax liability. Symms v. Symms, S10F1783(2011). During the final hearing in that divorce case,... Read More
Dividing Personal Property in a Georgia Divorce
Upon a divorce in Georgia, martial assets are subject to equitable division. This means that the assets are divided equitably/fairly under the circumstances, but not necessarily equally. Thoughpeople usually think of bank accounts, retirement... Read More
According to O.C.G.A. �§ 44-1-1, there are two types of property �" real property and personal property. Real property or “realty” is defined by O.C.G.A. �§ 44-1-2 as not only the land, but any buildings attached to it. If the parties own... Read More
Attorneys Fees in a Georgia Divorce under O.C.G.A. �§ 19-6-2
According to O.C.G.A. �§ 19-6-2, you can be awarded attorney�™s fees in a divorce, but the award of attorney�™s fees is ultimately decided by the judge assigned in your case. After the judge hears testimony from both you and your spouse, he... Read More
Georgia Case Law Update �" Visitation, Child Support, Marital Property
In Rumley-Miawama v. Miawama (S08F1541), the Supreme Court of Georgia heard a Wife�™s appeal from the judgment in her divorce case. The Wife was unhappy with the visitation, child support and equitable division of property portions of the... Read More
Adultery�™s effect on a divorce case in Georgia
The Georgia Supreme Court recently heard a case wherein parties were divorced and the wife was awarded half of the husband�™s 401K, which was to be paid to her via a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (“QDRO”). Killingsworth v.... Read More
In this weekly installment of An Atlanta Divorce Attorney�™s Thoughts on Celebrity Divorce, I will discuss the ongoing divorce action of the owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. As you may have read in the New York Times or other news outlets,... Read More
Challenging your Georgia divorce decree? Don�™t retain the benefits of that decree.
The Supreme Court of Georgia recently heard a case regarding whether property owned by a third party can be equitably divided in a divorce. In Armour v. Holcombe, the husband�™s mother purchased a house during the parties�™ marriage and... Read More
The Supreme Court of Georgia recently upheld a monetary judgment against a third party in a divorce action. Huling v. Huling, S10F1591 (2011). In that case, the husband filed for divorce after 23 years of marriage. Husband�™s father, sister,... Read More
The Supreme Court of Georgia recently held a Husband to the exact language in his divorce decree, even though it may cause him hardship. Greenwood v. Greenwood, S11A0611 (2011). In that case, the parties�™ final judgment and decree of divorce... Read More
Georgia divorce attorneys are often asked whether a party will remain responsible for an ex-spouse�™s personal medical debt after the divorce is final. There are two answers to this question.First, if the party signed a document with the... Read More
In Georgia, it often occurs that one party wishes to retain the marital home after a divorce. If the Husband and the Wife�™s name are both on the mortgage loan documents as the borrowers, the question then becomes how to remove the name of the... Read More
The short answer to whether trust assets are subject to equitable division in Georgia is no. Now for the longer answer… The first case worth discussing is Avera v. Avera, 253 Ga. 16(1984). In Avera, the wife sought to subject the corpus... Read More
In its article titled: “Has Student Loan Debt Impeded Your Romantic Relationships?” the American Bar Association discussed a new phenomenon experienced by some graduates of institutions of higher learning. This experience includes... Read More
A Notice of Lis Pendens is a powerful legal tool that may be used in the context of divorce. Although a Lis Pendens may be a very effective legal tool if used correctly, many are not aware of what it is or how it may be used during a divorce... Read More
As described in Debt and Divorce in Georgia, Part 1, many divorcing couples have significant debt issues. These debt issues may be in the form of credit card debt, home mortgages, or multiple home equity lines of credit. Regardless of the type... Read More
Georgia is an equitable division state. This means that, upon a divorce, the property of the parties is divided equitably between them (though not necessarily equally). The exception to equitable division is separate property. In Georgia,... Read More
Georgia is an equitable division state. This means that, upon divorce, the parties’ assets are divided equitably, according to the circumstances of the case, not necessarily equally. So what does this mean for the car(s) that each party... Read More
Celebrity Divorce Chronicles: Michael Moore v. Kathleen Glynn
Michael Moore, a filmmaker who is best known for his movie “Fahrenheit 9/11” is seeking a divorce from his wife of 21 years, Kathleen Glynn. According to recent reports, the filmmaker filed for divorce from his wife in mid-June on the... Read More
In Georgia, there are several aspects of divorce that revolve around income and assets, such as equitable distribution, child support, and alimony. As a result, in order for a divorce to be settled or adjudicate in a fair and equitable manner, it... Read More
I Cheated on My Spouse and I Want a Divorce. Does My Adultery Matter?
As divorce attorneys, we represent individuals from all walks of life �" men, women, individuals who are defending against an unwanted divorce and those who wish to initiate a divorce in Georgia. In our practice, we are presented with a wide... Read More
Attorney�™s fees, expert testimony costs, home appraisal fees, alimony, child support, and property division. These are the costs that commonly come to mind for many when thinking about the potential costs of divorce in Georgia. However, there... Read More
Celebrity Divorce Chronicles: Richard Gere v. Carey Lowell
Unfortunately, it seems as if the marriage of critically acclaimed actor Richard Gere may be going the way of several other celebrity marriages before it �" down the path to divorce. According to new media outlets The Huffington Post, Fox News... Read More
Am I Entitled to Receive a Portion of My Ex-Spouses Social Security Benefits?
The short answer to this question is: It depends on the circumstances and duration of your marriage. However, if you meet the legal requirements, you indeed may be. The law governing Social Security benefits is Federal law, so it will be... Read More
The brief answer to this question is: Not generally. But, as with every other question regarding Georgia�™s domestic relations laws, a complete answer to this question depends largely on the facts of the specific divorce case. According to... Read More
The brief answer to this question is: It is generally not possible to “reopen” or modify the division of property after a Georgia divorce has been finalized. However, like many legal concepts, especially laws concerning divorce and family... Read More
The divorce is final. The issues of child support, alimony and property division have been finalized, and you were awarded 50% of your former spouse�™s retirement account. You commission an attorney to draft the Qualified Domestic Relations... Read More
Unlike some states such as California or Arizona, Georgia is not a community property state. This means that unlike in community property states, upon divorce a couple�™s marital assets are not automatically divided equally among the divorcing... Read More
In Georgia, marital assets are subject to equitable division in a divorce action. The martial home is an asset subject to equitable division, but deciding who will retain the home after the divorce is often not as simple as deciding how to... Read More
Whether couples have been married for 6 months or 60 years a common question upon divorce is: “Can my spouse get half of my retirement in the divorce?” However, in matters where the divorce concerns a short term marriage, the spouse who owns... Read More
One of the mistakes made most often by individuals going through the divorce process in Georgia is failing to determine a date of division for the 401(k) or other retirement account that is being equitably divided in the divorce. It is absolutely... Read More
Divorce is scary, emotional and stressful at any age, especially after a long-term marriage. After years of creating a life together, going through the process of unravelling that life, and creating a new life independent of your spouse can be... Read More
As discussed in our original post entitled “The Four Parts of Georgia Divorce,” Georgia is an equitable distribution state. This means that upon divorce, a couple�™s marital property is not divided equally or 50/50, but marital property is... Read More
Unfortunately, there isn’t a“right” answer to the question of who should keep the marital home upon divorce. In fact, depending on the details of the particular case, it may be more advantageous for neither spouse to retain the... Read More
Georgia is an equitable distribution or equitable division state, not a community property state. This means that upon divorce a couple’s marital property is divided equitable or fairly between the parties. Marital property does not simply... Read More
Georgia law does not provide a formula when it comes to equitably dividing marital property upon divorce. Alternatively, Georgia law gives judges and juries discretion to determine what is a fair or equitable division of a couple’s marital... Read More
Recognizing Rare Types of Divisible Property in Georgia Divorce
There are four main aspects of divorce in Georgia: child support, child custody, alimony and equitable distribution. In many divorce matters, equitable distribution, or the division of marital property upon divorce, is one of the most complex... Read More
Professional Degrees are Not Subject to Division in Georgia Divorce
Obtaining a professional degree, such as a law degree, medical degree or a degree in accounting or business is an investment of both time and money. Like many other investments, professional degrees tend to benefit those who have invested the... Read More
Is Life Insurance Marital or Separate Property?
In the case of Frankie Valli v. Randy Valli, the California Supreme Court answered the above stated question: life insurance is marital property (community property according to California law) if purchased with marital funds. This issue was... Read More
One of the primary issues divorcing couples must work out is property division. This includes both assets and debts. In both equitable division states (such as Georgia) and community property states, a final divorce decree will outline... Read More
How to Mitigate Litigation Costs in High Asset Divorce
More money more problems. Although this adage is not commonly used in the context of divorce, it may ring very true in certain situations. In fact, a brief look at media coverage of high profile divorce cases proves this point. Let�™s take... Read More
During divorce, 529 college savings accounts are often neglected because many divorcing parents assume that the asset belongs to their child. In fact, a 529 plan, although intended to benefit the child, is actually a marital asset that must be... Read More
In many divorces, a highly fought over issue is who will get to keep the marital home. In Georgia, the marital home is subject to equitable division. This means that it is included in the split of all marital property/assets. For this reason, if... Read More
Badmouthing Your Ex Can Cost You �" Literally
When going through a divorce, you likely do not have feelings of love, or even like, toward your soon to be ex-spouse. In fact, it can be very tempting to vent to anyone who will listen about all the horrible things he/she has done to you both... Read More
The short answer to the question posed above is: it depends. Depending on why the options were granted and when the options a exercisable by the employee spouse, stock options may indeed be deemed marital property subject to equitable division in... Read More
What is a Forensic Accountant? A forensic accountant is an accountant who analyzes the bank accounts, financial records, assets, liabilities and spending habits of one or both spouses. This analysis may be undertaken for several reasons, like... Read More
Divorce Myth �" All Marital Property Will Be Divided In Half
When considering the most common precursors to divorce, issues such as infidelity, abuse, lack of communicating, and unrealistic expectations often come to mind. However, in a poll conducted by Money.com, there was one marital issue that... Read More
Buying a House Post-Divorce? Seek Child Support and Alimony by Check
Generally, recipients of alimony and child support would be more than glad to receive their payments by direct deposit or cash. However, if you are the recipient of child support or alimony, and you are thinking about buying a house in the near... Read More
Although this is a common question, it is also a very complicated one to answer, because as with many issues concerning divorce, the answer to this question depends on the specific factual circumstances in each individual case. The general rule... Read More
In a previous post included in our Celebrity Divorce Chronicles series, we discussed the divorce of Oklahoma oil tycoon Harold Hamm from his wife of 26 years, Sue Ann Arnall (formally Sue Ann Hamm). Ultimately, an Oklahoma court ruled that Harold... Read More
Divorce and the Standoff Over the Marital Home
Divorce is always a difficult transition. It can be made much more frustrating when one spouse is doing all he/she can to thwart the process and make it more difficult on the other spouse. Such is the case of a recently divorced couple in Texas.... Read More
In Georgia, each spouse is entitled to an equitable share of all marital property acquired during the marriage upon a divorce. Note that marital property is divided equitably, not equally – this means that the property will be divided... Read More
Cohabitation without marriage �" What happens to the house?
Couples often cohabitate before getting married and, many times, they live together in a home that is owned by one of them. It is important to understand what rights each party has to the home should the relationship ultimately end. Consider the... Read More
Divorce in the UK �" Getting More Than Half If You Are A “Genius”
When it comes to dividing marital assets in a divorce, the states in our country do not all do it the same way. Some states follow community property laws while others, like Georgia, use equitable distribution. Under equitable distribution,... Read More
Georgia Case Law Update �" Sutherlin v. Sutherlin (Part 1)
After finalizing a divorce action, some former couples are able to move forward with their lives and not look back. More often, however, one party fails to comply with his/her obligations under the divorce decree and the other party is forced to... Read More
Georgia Case Law Update �" Sutherlin v. Sutherlin (Part 2)
The blog entitled “Georgia Case Law Update – Sutherlin v. Sutherlin (Part 1)” discussed one contempt issue flowing from the case Sutherlin v. Sutherlin. There are several other contempt issues in that case, another of which is... Read More
Equitable Division Why Accurate Value of Marital Assets is Important
In Georgia, marital assets are divided equitably upon a divorce. This means that the assets will be divided fairly according to the specific circumstances of the case. Often, particularly in the cases with “irreconcilable differences”... Read More