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Articles Posted in property division

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Timing Your QDRO for Success

Ostanek v. Ostanek, Slip Opinion No. 2021-Ohio-2319 Issues with division of retirement accounts are seemingly springing up all over the place. At heart in most of these cases is a domestic relations order. Those are the orders of court that instruct an entity to, in short, divide the retirement funds.…

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Equitable Distribution in Family Law

Unpublished Opinion – No. COA19-566   Carmen Cousin and Terry Cousin were married for seventeen years.  They separated in May 2016.  Upon separating, Carmen filed a complaint, which included a claim for equitable distribution.  Terry then filed an answer, which included a counterclaim for equitable distribution.  In the final equitable…

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Third Party Property and Equitable Distribution

Dechkovskaia v. Dechkovskaia, 232 N.C. App. 350 (2014) Equitable Distribution is a mechanism by which former spouses separate their personal and real property. Sometimes the spouses may have some marital (or divisible) interest in a third party’s property. One example is when a couple resides at one spouse’s parent’s residence,…

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What Is Marital Debt?

In Equitable Distribution, we often ask clients about the debts that they accrued during the marriage and the value on the date of separation. This is because the judge is required to classify, value, and distribute marital property. But it may not always include debts incurred during marriage. The debts…

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Delay of Entry of Order is Error

Wall v. Wall, 140 N.C. App. 303 (2000). Former spouses in North Carolina can split their property in an action for Equitable Distribution (ED). In order for the Court to make a decision on distributing property, it needs an inventory affidavit of all property owned as a product of the…

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When Stock Options Are Not Stock Options

Ubertaccio v. Ubertaccio, 588 S.E.2d 905 (N.C. App. 2003) (Levinson, J. concurring)   In North Carolina, Equitable Distribution (ED) is one of the common mechanisms by which former spouses divide their personal and real property. Stock options and salary substitutions acquired by a party are typically subject to ED. However,…

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Separation Agreements: Lack of Disclosure Countered by Ratification

Rolls v. Rolls, 706 S.E.2d 842 (2010) (unpublished) In North Carolina, Equitable Distribution can be settled without ever needing to step into the courthouse. Separation Agreements and Property Settlements are common ways to resolve the issues incident to a divorce. They are the will of the parties in a separation,…

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Separate Money, Joint Account – Whose Is It?

In North Carolina, Equitable Distribution (ED) is how property is divided in divorce proceedings. ED can be a complicated process, and much of it relies on timelines and tracing funds. When people get married, a typical occurence is that separate bank accounts are converted to joint accounts. What happens in…

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If You Want Equitable Distribution, Then Separate First

Best v. Staton, (unpublished). Equitable Distribution is one of the mechanisms by which former spouses separate their personal and real property. It requires the right timing and, since not all property can be easily split, the right kind of appraisal. Real property is especially valuable, and sometimes difficult to assess.…

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We Mean Business: Valuation of Businesses for Equitable Distribution

Logue v. Logue, No. COA19-831 (unpublished opinion) One of the most important issues dealt with by experienced family law and divorce attorneys across the country, and especially in the Piedmont Triad, is the division of property (also known as equitable distribution). When there are shared business interests, the valuation of…

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