My soon-to-be ex brother-in-law just filed his financial disclosure, and it’s honestly wild how much of it feels fictional. For example, he claims he pays $1,200 a month in FICA and $500 above the mortgage in property taxes, but he doesn’t pay any utilities at all (though he says he does). Then there’s $500 per month in groceries, which is also not true since my sister-in-law handles all that. He even voluntarily cut his work hours, which seems so calculated. On top of that, he only disclosed owning two fishing poles, but my sister-in-law has photos of him with at least 16 poles—and let’s not even get started on the boat. He’s clearly hiding money. Is it worth it to hire a forensic accountant to sort this out? Or are there better ways to go about this?
Forensic accountants are super expensive. I’ve been in a similar situation, and our lawyers made both sides provide bank statements and tax returns after filing disclosures. Can’t your sister-in-law include the fishing poles and boat as part of the joint assets?
@Sky
She’s planning to. The fishing poles and the boat are definitely going to be brought up. But what’s frustrating is that he’s only provided one bank statement even though we know there are more accounts. He just refuses to comply.
@Florian
If he won’t comply, your lawyer should file a motion to compel. Courts don’t take non-compliance lightly.
Sky said:
@Florian
If he won’t comply, your lawyer should file a motion to compel. Courts don’t take non-compliance lightly.
Thanks for the advice. What happens if he still refuses to comply even after the motion to compel? He thinks this info is private and keeps saying it’s nobody’s business.
@Florian
Depends on the jurisdiction. Usually, courts impose progressive sanctions. It can start with fines or fees, but it can escalate to restricting his evidence at trial or even striking his requests entirely. Honestly, it would be really dumb for him to let it get to that point.
Honestly, lying to the court is such a bad move. If your sister-in-law has solid evidence, she should organize everything clearly and present it logically. Courts hate messy cases.
Ode said:
Honestly, lying to the court is such a bad move. If your sister-in-law has solid evidence, she should organize everything clearly and present it logically. Courts hate messy cases.
Totally agree. She’s been documenting everything. For example, he’s spent over $40,000 on fishing gear while my sister-in-law is getting groceries from a food pantry. It’s infuriating.
@Florian
Focus more on the amount he’s taken rather than what he’s buying. Courts care about whether it was marital funds, not his inventory. If it was shared money, he might owe her for it.
Have your lawyer request the supporting documents for his financial claims—bank statements, pay stubs, and tax returns. If there’s inconsistency, they can file a motion to compel and possibly recover attorney fees too.
@Jace
That’s what we’re leaning toward. He’s made it clear he doesn’t want to share these details. But how do we prove he’s lying without hiring someone expensive like a forensic accountant?
Florian said:
@Jace
That’s what we’re leaning toward. He’s made it clear he doesn’t want to share these details. But how do we prove he’s lying without hiring someone expensive like a forensic accountant?
If you have enough evidence through documents like bank records, you might not need a forensic accountant. But if there’s significant hidden money, it could be worth the cost. Have you considered mediation first?
Why does it matter how many fishing poles he has? It sounds like you’re spending a lot of time on things the court might not care about.
Cameron said:
Why does it matter how many fishing poles he has? It sounds like you’re spending a lot of time on things the court might not care about.
The fishing poles themselves don’t matter, but it’s proof that he’s hiding assets. If he can lie about something as small as that, what else is he lying about?
@Florian
Fair point. But be careful not to get bogged down in small details. Focus on the bigger picture—hidden money and marital assets.
Does the court already have access to his pay stubs and tax returns? If he’s lying, that should expose some inconsistencies.
Juno said:
Does the court already have access to his pay stubs and tax returns? If he’s lying, that should expose some inconsistencies.
Not yet, unfortunately. We’ve been trying to get those documents, but he keeps dragging his feet. It’s like pulling teeth.
@Florian
Ugh, that’s frustrating. Courts usually don’t tolerate stalling tactics. If your lawyer pushes hard enough, he’ll have to comply sooner or later.