It's been an interesting week....

I closed the joint checking account this week.

I'd opened my own checking for direct deposit once I filed, but at the request of my wife, left my name on the joint account.

I've been paying all the bills. My wife kept refusing to pay 1/2. I began reading on this site, where it isn't a good idea to have a joint checking account during divorce. It never occurred to me that if she went on a spending spree, I'd be responsible. I'd simply quit having my check deposited in the account, and not used the account at all. It didn't even occur to me that I'd be responsible if anything happened - dumb on my part.

I closed it day before yesterday - and had all the money in it transferred to her account.

I don't know how much it was, didn't care. It just felt good to take one more step to freedom - if that makes any sense.

She was angry at me for closing the account. Her paycheck was already being deposited into a seperate account though. I'm just glad I read on this site to close out a joint checking. I think I just dodged another bullet.

Plus, she actually paid her 1/2 of the bills today.

Finally.

Enough from me. Have a good weekend, and thanks to the great people who've added me as a friend. I appreciate it!

by HereIgo 336 Posts
Posted on 10/3/2008 8:49 PM

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Answers for "It's been an interesting week...." (2) (You must be logged in to answer)

Ladybug...I don't know the law in GA, but my understanding is that you cannot be forced to testify against your spouse. But nothing is stopping you from doing so of your own volition.

What you say about separate accounts funded by community money is true, I believe. However, that should be part of the settlement agreement. I fail to understand how a court could say it's OK for him to forge your name. That, to me, is forgery under any circumstance.

If the law in GA says he has the right to withdraw money anytime he wants from your separate account while you are married, he should have done so by signing his own name to the check. Of course, I doubt a store would accept it :-). But the bank would have (assuming that's the law).

Also, I believe in CA, once you are legally separated and have a settlement agreement, income you receive is no longer considered community money. Check with a lawyer, but I'm heard-pressed to imagine there is no way to keep a deadbeat spouse from raiding the community funds during a divorce.

I guess stuff like that is why I don't have much confidence in the court system sometimes. Too often it seems bad guys get off, and good guys get prosecuted and oftentimes persecuted. Go figure!

by jhs 531 Posts
Posted on 10/4/2008 11:12 AM

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FYI: It never occured to me that my husband could forge my name to my personal checking account. This was an individual account that I had to close last year. I now do not have a checking account. I get all of my money on a pay card. My husband decided to write almost 2 full books of checks for various amounts of money to buy his crack. We were not living together when he did it, and I tried to press charges for theft and forgery, but he won. We were advised that until we are divorced that he has every right to my checking account, even though it was not a joint account and that he could legally forge my name to documents. I don't get it, but someone is going to have to pay back alot of money. Maybe I can not testify against him and cannot prosecute him, but I hope that all these stores that he wrote bad checks to do. So, my bottom line is this. Your wife is entitled to your individual account, because you are legally married. Be careful.

by Ladybug389 6 Posts
Posted on 10/4/2008 9:57 AM

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