Representative Cases

At the Law Offices of Barry Fischer, we guide our clients through many complicated family law and divorce issues that may seem overwhelming before we intervene.  We have the resolve needed to fight for the rights of our clients, no matter what the case entails, from simple mediated divorces to high-asset cases involving hidden property or substantial fraud by a spouse.  The following selected cases provide a sampling of our work in complex divorce cases:

Barry Fischer Wins Battle Against Conniving Spouse

In this marital dissolution case, the husband perceived that a divorce was forthcoming, and began quietly draining all of the family's bank accounts and other liquid assets, removing hundreds of thousands of dollars.  In addition, the husband laundered money by writing checks to friends and relatives to prevent his wife from accessing any of the funds.

To cover his plan, the husband tried to convince family members and friends that his wife was insane.  He manipulated our client into staying at two mental hospitals.  Meanwhile, he removed his wife as a signatory from all their bank accounts and credit cards.  Because of the husband's scheming the wife was left homeless, wandering the streets and staying at motels for a year.

In order to help her, attorney Barry Fischer conducted a thorough discovery to find all the hidden assets that should have been distributed equally between the spouses in the divorce settlement.  Mr. Fischer battled through three court hearings for a trial that spanned over a year.  In the end, the Law Offices of Barry Fischer successfully recovered a $478,000 property settlement plus attorneys' fees for this once-destitute client.  For additional information on financial issues in divorce, please see our pages on breach of fiduciary duty and omitted assets. 

Husband Defrauds Wife

Our client, the wife, worked as an escrow officer during the real estate boom that occurred between the years 2005 and 2006.  For a year and a half, she was married to a man who worked as a mortgage broker.

After the couple separated, the husband breached his marital fiduciary duties by refinancing their residence (which was community property) without the knowledge or consent of his wife.  The value of the refinancing was $1 million.  The Court found that escrow documents which were used by the husband to obtain the refinancing, including deeds of trust and a promissory note, contained the husband's forgeries of his wife's signatures.  In addition, the Court found that the husband failed to disclose to his wife that he had stopped paying the mortgage on their primary residence.  The husband was ordered to pay our client for the value of the loss to their community residence, as well as the wife's attorney's fees.  The Court further ordered any derogatory credit remarks to be deleted from our client's credit report.

Be Careful Who You Marry

Our client married a man who claimed he had divorced his previous wife of 20 years.  In reality, he had filed for divorce from his wife but had never completed the process, making his marriage to our client void or voidable under the law.  Because of this man's failure to act, our client suffered through numerous personal hardships in addition to a vicious legal battle for divorce, or, her husband claims, annulment. 

California law offers protection to spouses who, like our client, have a good faith belief in the validity of their marriage.  Putative spouses are entitled to the same rights as spouses in a legally valid marriage, including 50 percent of community property (called "quasi-community property" in this case), spousal support, and recovery of attorney's fees.  In addition, our client was entitled to sue her putative husband for fraud.  For additional information on your options as a putative spouse, please see our information on divorce and annulments.

We Will Work With You to Reach Resolution

Our firm is dedicated to helping clients find a new future for themselves and their family.  Although divorce and other family law issues may now seem insurmountable, we can help guide you through the process and transition you into your new life to reach your full potential.  If you would like to schedule a free consultation with the Law Offices of Barry Fischer, contact us today.  We serve clients in the Los Angeles area and throughout Southern California.