Woodland Park Legal Issues Blog

Most people hope that they will have the financial security not to worry about how they will pay their rent or mortgage or generally make ends meet each month. Unfortunately, numerous New Jersey residents and people across the country have money problems that leave them feeling as if they will never achieve that sense of security.

You may be among that group, and due to significant debt, you may worry about your financial affairs on a daily basis. You may have considered taking various actions over the years in efforts to get back on track, but so far, nothing has seemed to help in a substantial way. If so, bankruptcy may be able to help.

The internet has changed the way people do a variety of different things -- from conducting business to meeting someone with whom they might enter into a romantic relationship. For example, many people in the United States turn to dating websites. Unfortunately, a man in New Jersey is now accused of fraud after he was accused of posing as a soldier and asking women for money on such sites.

The case involves a 35-year-old man. Prosecutors claim that the man and his conspirators, who allegedly live outside of the country, met women on online dating sites and began romantic relationships. They allegedly created profiles using stolen or fictitious identities, claiming they were military personnel from the United States who were stationed internationally.

There are many couples in New Jersey who spend decades together, building a reputation in their community, working on a successful business and/or raising a family together. However, as they age, the children move away and they retire, many couples, regardless of how long they have been married, discover that they are no longer compatible. In fact, the incidence of gray divorce -- divorces among couples who are 50 or older -- has increased over the last few decades.

While some reports indicate that the rate of divorce among younger people has decreased, the rate of those 50 and older has doubled over the last three decades. Some couples who seek a divorce when older may be in a second or subsequent marriage, but most are couples who have been in a long-term marriage. For some, the marriage may have been unhappy for years but they chose to remain together for the children or other reasons. Other couples, however, may realize that they are no longer compatible due to a change, such as one person's illness or infidelity.

There are many people in New Jersey and across the country who are choosing to wait until later in life to get married. As such, some people are coming into a marriage with a house purchased by only one of the people. While a premarital asset is typically exempt from equitable distribution during a divorce, there are some circumstances in which a spouse may have a claim.

In some cases, one spouse may own the marital home. However, in certain situations a home may be considered a quasi-marital or marital asset. For example, if the home was purchased in anticipation of the marriage, the non-owning party may still have an equitable interest.