How were joint accounts handled?

cemacmil

When you were going through either seperation or divorce, how was the money from joint accounts handled?

One attorney I spoke with said during the limbo time before courts got involved, first to the money wins...was this anyone's experience? Also if your money made it to the point when the courts did get involved, how was the joint account money handled?

TIA.

Meliss227

My ExH went crazy, threatened to kill me, walked out of his job, said people were following him and other strange stuff so I took all of the money out of our account except the money he got for his birthday a couple of weeks before. 

I was working at a hotel at the time and one of the owners was a bankruptcy lawyer and he told me to do it because it was first come, first serve. I was also told by the people at the bank that because both names were on the account either party could clear out the account and nothing could be done by the other one. 

JCGreene85

What PP said. I will NEVER EVER  have another joint acct. such a pain 

achase123

I live in CA., but I used to work at a bank and remember this sort of thing.  It WAS first come first serve.  They could drain a joint account and open a new, individual account and the other spouse would be shiit out of luck.  Sucked to be them! 

blondnearby

I was the one sh!it out of luck when my stbx drained the bank account and opened another one without me.  I was a stay at home mom and was left with nothing.  The only thing that was court ordered was that he had to pay the account balance because we had bills that were set up to pay and when he took the money it "bounced" everything. I didn't receive a penny from him for almost a year.

 

julia0402

We split the money equally and each opened new accounts.

ETA - at least in Connecticut, when one party files for divorce, automatic court orders are put in place that prevent either party from draining joint accounts and/or entering into any joint debt.

cmanmom

Here in 'ol WA state we had to split ALL bank accounts - joint, one with JUST MY NAME ON IT 50/50.  What a p!sser.  Darn WA state.  And yes, it was court ordered.  LAME!

blondnearby

In CA it is the same for the most part but he drained the account before the divorce was filed.  His draining of our account was the "straw that broke the camel's back" and I filed (well my lawyer did) the next day.