Divorce cases are one of the hotly contested cases in family law courts. The level of competitiveness and the will to win in each of the spouse means there is no love lost between the two of them and neither of them is willing to let the other have the upper hand in proceedings. Sometimes though, this will to win can consume either of the spouses to such a level that they start to make use of deceit to try and come out on top.
One of the most common types of deceits in a number of Orange County divorce cases is to lie on income and expense declaration forms by spouses. Income and expense declaration forms are an important tool used by the judges to try and do justice to the family law case at hand. Here are some reasons why spouses lie about their income and the tips to prove it once such a lie has been told.
Is The Income Declaration Form Important?
An income and declaration form is a mandatory form in family law courts which is often used in divorce cases to bring the financial resources of each of the spouse to the fore. The importance of an income declaration form can be gauged from the fact that it is considered the foundation of the financial side of things in a family law case. More often than not, this form is the in initial impression of the spouse on the Judge, all the more reason its importance cannot be emphasized enough.
Reason Why Spouses Lie On Income Declaration Forms
Spouses lie on their income and declaration form due to many misguided assumptions. When a spouse starts to believe either of the assumptions given here, he/she will start lying. One of the leading reasons for all this is the bitterness, sense of betrayal, and an unending will to win and destroy the other party. The primary reasons spouses lie are:
- They assume that the other spouse has little time or financial capability to try and dig into the real truth of the matter.
- They assume that the volume of cases that come before judge and the large amount of people lying in their income statement means the judge won’t care about it.
- The lack of fear with regards to the punishment that can be and would be inflicted upon them in case their lie is found out.
- The risk of lying is less than the benefits that can be reaped form it overall.
Tips To Prove It
- Use your lawyer to conduct discovery in your case. Discovery are formal requests for information and documentation and it is likely to have your spouse provide the financial documents of his/her finances and assets in addition to having to fill out complex and detailed forms.
Gerald A. Maggio is an experienced Orange County divorce and family law attorney and family law attorney located in Irvine, California, serving the Orange County and Riverside areas. Mr. Maggio assists clients with legal issues including divorce, legal separation, divorce mediation, child custody, prenuptial agreements, stepparent adoptions, and other family law issues. Mr. Maggio has practiced law in California since 1999, and founded The Maggio Law Firm in 2005, focusing exclusively on divorce and family law matters.
