When you and your spouse are breaking up, you have a lot of financial concerns. You may feel nervous about how the property division process will play out. Chances are you are thinking about some of the most obvious assets, such as the family home, vehicles, bank accounts and retirement plans.
While these are important assets to consider, you do not want to leave other ones behind. Here are some pieces of property and sources of income you should not neglect in your divorce settlement.
In order to curb what is perceived to be an issue with young offenders, historically some municipalities have passed ordinances prohibiting young people from being outside past a certain point. In Austin, such curfews were in practice for 27 years until they were ended last August. Texas advocates and lawmakers are now looking at juvenile defense data in the area to find out if this change had an impact on crime rates.
The curfew was taken off the books after activists protested that the laws disproportionately affected minorities in the area. According to their data, over 1,000 people were stopped and 400 were ticketed under the ordinance, primarily in and between Northeast and Southeast Austin. The curfew was a class C misdemeanor violation.
Divorce has decreased in recent years around the country. However, there is one demographic where the divorce rate has actually increased. Reports show that people over the age of 50 are more likely than ever to divorce, according to the Pew Research Center.
There are certain factors to a gray divorce that differ significantly between couples who are in their 20s or 30s. For example, a couple in their 50s may not have to worry as much about child custody because any children they have are now adults. However, spouses in their 50s may feel significantly more concerned about their retirement accounts. There are various tactics to implement to help protect such assets.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the rate of DUIs in the United States is on the decline. Despite this decrease, DUI charges are still a focus for law enforcement across Texas and the country. Here are a few statistics regarding the prevalence of drunk driving and related charges in the United States.
The NHTSA notes that nationwide, 1.58 percent of drivers have had a DUI in the past seven years. Some states have a significantly higher rate; however, Texas is largely at or lower than this average. According to statistics, Dallas is the only city in the state with a higher rate of DUIs than the national average with 1.62 percent of drivers having a DUI in the last seven years.
A new analysis released by ValuePenguin has dug into some of the most pressing questions regarding DUI data in Texas. Specifically, the report revealed the which cities in Texas had the most DUI fatalities per year. This analysis was based on data from the Texas Department of Transportation.
According to the numbers from ValuePenguin, Midland had the highest number of DUIs per capita in 2016 than anywhere else in the state. In fact, Midland had 41 percent more fatalities than either Houston or San Antonio. This is particularly telling as both Houston and San Antonio were on the top 10 list for highest risk locations.
When it comes to divorce, there is an important classification that varies depending on which state you live in: whether the state is a community property state. There are only nine states that have community property jurisdiction, and Texas is one of them.
The basic overall definition of a community property state is that it is one in which any assets a couple acquires during their marriage belong to both spouses. Because Texas is a community property state, this general rule applies to assets in Texas divorces.
Typically when a drunk driving incident occurs, it is only the driver who is charged. However, prosecutors are treating a recent Texas death caused by drunk driving a bit differently. Along with the DUI and manslaughter charges faced by the driver, the shopkeeper who sold the alcohol could be held criminally responsible for the fatal crash.
The shopkeeper is accused of selling alcohol to a minor. This misdemeanor charge carries up to a year in jail as well as a $4,000 fine and temporary license suspension. Such charges could be faced by anyone selling alcohol to someone underage, but is particularly important here due to the fact the 17-year-old buyer allegedly drove a vehicle after consuming the alcohol. According to police, two teenage girls died after the driver hit a tree at a high speed.
When you split from your spouse, you undoubtedly have a lot to work through, from spousal support and custody issues to who is going to walk away with what. Asset division can prove complicated, and this may prove particularly true if your marriage was long-term and you have many shared assets.
If you and your soon-to-be-former spouse share a home, you may have questions about who the equity in that home will belong to, or how you might split it during your divorce. If this describes your situation, one of the first things you need to do is find out exactly how much your home is worth.
Four social advocacy groups recently released a report called, "Collateral Consequences" to draw attention to an increasing number of teenagers being arrested in Texas on charges of making terroristic threats and firearms violations. The report notes that this increase appears to be a result of recent shooting incidents in Santa Fe and Parkland. While some believe this increased vigilance keeps schools in Texas safe, others believe the juvenile defense and incarcerations could worsen the issue.
The report notes that there were no referrals for threatening to exhibit a firearm in 2016 and only five such referrals in 2017. From Jan. through May 2018, however, there have been 170 referrals. When terroristic threat referrals are added to this number, the total referrals skyrockets to 1,400.
Facing drug charges in Texas is no laughing matter. Depending upon the type and quantity of drugs you allegedly possessed at the time law enforcement officers arrested you, you could spend a considerable period of time in prison and/or be required to pay substantial fines if convicted.
It goes without saying that to convict you of any drug crime, the prosecutor must first prove that you possessed the drugs in question. (S)he can do this in two ways, however, by proving that you actually possessed them or by proving that you constructively possessed them.
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