When a couple in California is working toward a divorce resolution, they often find themselves arguing over every asset and piece of property that they owned together. Sometimes a property division battle can even wage over items that would seem out of the realm of consideration. This is what happened when one man found out that his wife was allegedly hiding 1,200 pairs of designer shoes.
The man has sued his ex-wife, arguing that he should receive a portion of the shoe collection’s worth. He alleges that his ex-wife hid 1,200 pairs of expensive designer shoes with a value of $1 million in a secret room of the family home that he has only recently discovered. For her part, the ex-wife asserts that he knew of the shoe collection and that he even participated in the purchase of at least some of the footwear.
The petition to the court seeks payment to the ex-husband of 35 percent of the value of the shoe collection. If the court agrees with the ex-husband, the wife could find that she is liable to him for at least a portion of the cost of her shoes. It may, though, be difficult for a court to assess the actual value of the shoes, as they existed at the time of the divorce, three years ago.
In California, as in all states, each spouse is required to disclose all assets to the court. The question in this case is whether the wife failed to disclose a valuable asset in an attempt to gain more than her share of the property division. If that turns out to be the case, she may face penalties in addition to a court award to her husband for a portion of the value of the shoes.
Source: nj.com, “A shoe-in for a lawsuit: Wife’s 1,200 pair designer heel collection focus of divorce suit,” June 25, 2012