Are you the victim of financial abuse?

On behalf of Johnson, Sclafani & Moriarty, Attorneys at Law posted in Domestic Violence on Thursday, October 5, 2017.

Domestic abuse takes many forms. Sometimes it involves physical violence. Other times the abuse is verbal and/or emotional. Financial abuse is also a type of domestic abuse. It’s often part and parcel of a relationship dominated by domestic violence. Some 99 percent of victims of domestic violence also suffer financial abuse.

All types of domestic abuse, including financial, involve one partner exerting control over the other. If a person is dependent on his or her partner for support and knows nothing of what assets they have or is denied access to them, it’s harder to escape the situation.
Most victims of domestic abuse, including financial abuse, are women. Many don’t even realize that they are being victimized. What are some key signs?

• You don’t know exactly what your spouse does for a living or how much he earns.
• You don’t know where your accounts are located, except for perhaps one checking account.
• Your spouse asks you to sign documents, including tax returns, without giving you the opportunity to read them or ask questions.
• Your spouse places you on a budget and monitors your bank account withdrawals and credit card charges.
• Your name is not on the mortgage or any of the utility accounts.

Too many women don’t know that they’re the victims of financial abuse until they decide to file for divorce. Then they realize that they know nothing about what assets or debts their husband has or the two of them have together. If this is the case for you, your Massachusetts family law attorney can help you determine exactly what your financial situation is so that you can get out of the marriage with a fair settlement that will allow you to move forward independently.

Source: Forbes, “Financial Abuse: How To Identify It And What You Can Do To Help,” Maya Kachroo-Levine, Sep. 25, 2017