What effect does the conduct of the parties have on property division?
Ordinary misconduct does not have an effect on how marital property is distributed in the courts. If there has been a dissipation of assets, the courts will rule in a manner that compensates for the dissipation. For example, where a party was found to have committed economic fault by secreting assets, the trial court awarded the wife an amount equal to all of the funds that the husband had withdrawn from bank accounts and had concealed in order to avoid their distribution. Other dissipation of assets may include where a party has spent money on drugs, or on gambling, or on a paramour, or where a party has caused the other party to sustain permanent physical injury (a disability).
