An important aspect of settling the financial issues in a divorce involves the gathering of financial information to facilitate division of property and debts as well as the determination of whether some level of alimony is appropriate. While the parties are required to provide mandatory disclosures regarding assets and debts so that the community property can be divided by the parties, these disclosures typically will not provide all of the financial information necessary to resolve the financial issues in a divorce. The process used to obtain supplemental information that will permit settlement and/or litigation of these issues is referred to as the discovery process.
The discovery process can be time consuming and potentially expensive if the other party does not cooperate in providing the information and financial documents requested. If you can furnish your own attorney with financial records, title documents, tax returns, W-2s, business records, retirement account statements, banking records and similar financial information, this can make the discovery process more efficient. Because these documents have a way of mysteriously vanishing when divorce litigation is initiated, many spouses will begin gathering and copying such documents before a divorce has been filed. This can reduce the time and cost of the discovery process once the marital dissolution has been commenced.
Although the courts recognize discovery tools like interrogatories (questions), document requests, depositions, requests for admission (asking the other party to confirm or deny a fact) and other discovery tools as legitimate, some parties and their attorney will refuse to comply. Sometimes this refusal will be based on what the other party believes is a lawful basis for not providing the information or documents while in other situations this may simply constitute a tactic of harassment or delay.
When the other party refuses to provide financial information necessary to ensure that the resolution of financial issues is fair and complete, our experienced New Mexico Divorce Lawyers typically attempt to resolve the matter amicably with a letter requesting compliance with the discovery request. If the other party has raised specific objections, we present our client’s position with respect to the legal or factual basis for the objection. If the matter cannot be resolved through negotiation, we may file a Motion to Compel the other party to provide the requested discovery responses. If the judge agrees that the discovery request is appropriate, the judge may order that the other party respond fully and even award attorney fees as a sanction for non-compliance.
Social Media and Your New Mexico Divorce
The above information is provided to illustrate general principles of law and should not be interpreted as a specific legal opinion on an individual case. You should contact experienced legal counsel to get specific legal advice that is based upon your specific circumstances.
If you are involved in a New Mexico divorce, our New Mexico Divorce Lawyers invite you to contact us so that we can discuss your options. The Jay Goodman & Associates offers a free consultation in our centrally located offices in Santa Fe and Albuquerque so that we can discuss your alternatives. Call us today to schedule your free consultation at (505) 989-8117 to learn about your rights and options.
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