Outside Experts

• Because the valuation of marital assets in Ohio can be a complex process, some attorneys, including Randal A. Lowry, call outside experts for help in placing a value on certain marital assets. These experts may include accountants. appraisers, and business valuation specialists. These types of experts may be needed to resolve disputed property in court by creating documented values for crucial, sometimes difficult-to-value marital assets.
  
  

Business Valuations

• When business owners divorce, a business valuation helps determine its value as a marital asset. Many issues may affect the value of a business. These include the changing economy, changes in business inventory, personnel costs of the business, and the real estate value, if applicable. Business appraisers and certified public accountants help divorce attorneys review business assets and debts. After obtaining an accurate evaluation, the court can begin distribution of the marital assets associated with a business.
  
  

Dissipation of Marital Assets

• When one party to a divorce in the state of Ohio who previously enjoyed a lavish lifestyle suddenly appears in divorce proceedings as being poverty-stricken, the dissipation of marital assets may be the reason. If assets a couple enjoyed during marriage are missing from court-ordered financial disclosures, one spouse may have concealed, given away or mismanaged the assets in order to delete them from the financial disclosure, when these assets should have been equitably divided. If the court finds one spouse has concealed or wasted marital assets, it may penalize that spouse and award the other accordingly in the final decree of divorce.
  
  

Forensic Accountants

• The Craig P. Treneff Law Office in Westerville, Ohio, sometimes recommends the use of a forensic accountant. Frank A. Wisehart, a CPA specializing in forensic accounting, explains that the forensic expert helps determine whether assets are marital assets, whether they were under the exclusive control of one of the spouses, whether one spouse attempted to conceal one or more assets, if a spouse destroyed an asset, whether consent of both parties was involved in the disposition of an asset, and whether a spouse transferred an asset at less than market value. Ultimately, the intent of a forensic accountant is to assist the court in determining how best to right any such wrong.