The Old Problem of Stealing Form the Spouse
All to often I hear the complaint that one spouse has been secretly taking money from the other. During the marriage, and before a case is opened, this actually is legal. However, that is definitely not to say it is advisable. Moving money into a separate account in an attempt to secret away funds will come back to bite the hiding spouse. The law in California, in a nutshell, says that any such attempts to hide money are punishable, by not only giving the innocent spouse half of the hidden money, but the half that would have belonged to the perpetrator as well.
In cases where a case has been opened, such actions violate the automatic temporary restraining orders that are seen on page 2 of the summons. These actions are punishable by contempt - a quasi-criminal action that could put the perpetrator in jail for five days and a $10,000 fine.
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Kathy Griffin Says Ex-Husband Stole From Her
(07-11) 10:07 PDT NEW YORK, (AP) --
Kathy Griffin says her 4 1/2-year marriage ended in divorce after she discovered her now ex-husband was taking money from her bank accounts.
In an interview on CNN's "Larry King Live" that aired Monday night, the comedian accused Matt Moline of taking $72,000 over a period of time.
"My ex-husband, without my knowledge, was sneaking into my wallet when I was asleep in the mornings and taking my ATM cards of my own private accounts and withdrawing money," Griffin alleged. "That money totaled $72,000. ... over about a year and a half."
He "admitted it and apologized," she said. They went to couples therapy, but couldn't "get beyond the trust issue."
In a statement released to CNN, Moline said he was upset about Griffin's comments.
"Since our divorce, I have not made any public comments about my ex-wife or our marriage," he said. "It saddens me that she would choose to make such accusations at this time. I have no intention of engaging in a public debate over private matters."
Griffin and Moline were married in February 2001. She filed for divorce last September, citing irreconcilable differences. They have no children.
"Eventually, I end up putting everything into the act," Griffin, the star of Bravo's "My Life on the D-List," said. "I kind of turn tragedy into comedy and I find that that's a great way for me to kind of deal with it."
