Let’s face it, 95% of the time fights over personal property are about way more than the item itself. They are about fairness, equity, sentimental value, spite, control, anger, and revenge. Despite this, divorce attorneys are often brokering deals between parties regarding items of small value at a high hourly rate.
At the Hulse Law Firm, we highly recommend trying to negotiate the division of personal property with your soon-to-be ex, without getting your attorney involved. Also, if you believe that the other party may take, hide, or steal important (but essentially valueless) items from you during this process, we recommend that you put these items in a storage unit to safe keep until everything is divided upon finalization of the divorce.
If there are is a significant amount of personal property that cannot be agreed upon, we often put into the agreement that a third-party mediator go to the house to help facilitate the division of personal property. This ultimately saves time and money for the parties that are high conflict.
Below is a list of the 10 craziest items of personal property that I have seen fought over in the last 10 years of practice:
10. Sewing Machine
9. Book shelves
8. Christmas Ornaments
7. Orange ladder
6. Harry Potter books
5. Kimono
4. Woman’s Coach purse (yes, the Husband wanted it too)
3. Sex toys
2. A cat named Peaches
1. A Cat’s ashes (Not Peaches)
