Where it gets sticky is I took that $31,000 and put it in our joint checking account (only checking we had, we never did separate accounts) so my lawyer says they could argue my intent was to add that to the community property.
That's correct, it's referred to as "commingling". In Texas if you have separate property going into the marriage, or you receive an inheritance, those are considered your property if you divorce. UNLESS you mix the funds into a marital account ("commingle" it with marital assets). Then it becomes blurry. In my case I had the opposite issue, my wife received an inheritance that she commingled into my checking account and when we divorced she wanted half of it back even though she spent ALL of it on other things. I provided her with concise documentation showing how SHE had spent the entire amount, but one thing I learned in the D process is YOU CANNOT NEGOTIATE WITH CRAZY. Print that in a 100 point font and tape it to your mirror and read it every morning, LOL! You have two choices- let the lawyers duke it out or capitulate and give her more than she deserves. I chose the latter because in my case it was worth the extra money to end the misery and move on with my life.
Quote:
If my W were honest with herself
If she were honest with herself she'd see what a great guy you are and would work on the M. No WAS is completely honest with themselves. They are singularly focused on THEMSELVES. It's all about them.
