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20 J. Am. Acad. Matrimonial Law. 135 (2006-2007)
Dissipation of Marital Assets and Preliminary Injunctions: A Preventive Approach to Safeguarding Marital Assets

handle is hein.journals/jaaml20 and id is 149 raw text is: Dissipation of Marital Assets

Comment,
DISSIPATION OF MARITAL ASSETS AND
PRELIMINARY INJUNCTIONS: A
PREVENTIVE APPROACH TO
SAFEGUARDING MARITAL ASSETS
I. Introduction
In an ideal world, the phrase as long as we both shall live
means a newlywed couple remains married to the same person
for their entire lives and the term divorce does not exist. In an
ideal world, even if divorce exists, the couple walks away amica-
bly with divorce papers in one hand and the settlement agree-
ment in another.
Unfortunately, this idyllic world does not exist and a dissolu-
tion proceeding is often wrought with contentious litigation in-
cluding custody battles and property disputes involving parties
hiding assets, failing to disclose all marital assets in which one
spouse is unaware of, or selling or conveying marital property
unbeknownst to the other party. In the real world, the law de-
fines such conduct as dissipation of marital assets in which recog-
nition, preliminary preventive orders, and post-dissipation
remedies are awarded when such conduct exists.
In a dissolution of marriage proceeding, a court must take
into consideration wasted assets to provide both parties with a
fair result. Just as a court may consider positive contributions to
the marriage in making an equitable distribution award, it can
also consider 'negative' contributions in the form of squandering
and destroying marital resources. . . . To allow one spouse to
squander marital property is to make an equitable award
impossible.'
This article first focuses on the court-adopted definitions of
dissipation and types of conduct arising to the level of dissipation
of marital assets. Part III of this article then directs attention to
recent measures taken by state legislatures to prevent dissipation
from becoming an issue in dissolutions. Whether a statute autho-
rizes an automatic injunction upon filing or enables a party to file
I Booth v. Booth, 371 S.E. 2d 569, 572 (Va. Ct. App. 1988).

Vol. 20, 2006

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