Did My Spouse Just Burn Our Retirement on Jet Skis?" — Understanding Marital Waste in Ohio Divorce
So, your soon-to-be ex blew $15,000 on a “business opportunity” involving two jet skis, a questionable “wellness retreat,” and a guy named Chad from Facebook Marketplace.
Welcome to the world of marital waste — and yes, Ohio law might care.
What Is Marital Waste?
In divorce, “marital waste” (legally known as financial misconduct) happens when one spouse squanders marital assets. Think:
Draining your joint savings on gambling
Buying a new car for their secret boyfriend
Taking out a loan to fund their midlife crisis
Racking up credit card debt on spa days and golf trips after moving out
In Ohio, if the court finds that your spouse intentionally wasted marital money — especially after the marriage started to fall apart — the judge can give you a bigger slice of what's left to make up for it.
What Doesn’t Count?
Marital waste isn’t:
Just spending more than you’d like
Bad joint decisions you both agreed to
Your spouse being cheap or disorganized
To count, it needs to be something clearly selfish, reckless, or dishonest — and it helps if it happened after the relationship broke down.
What Can You Do?
If you think your spouse wasted marital assets:
Talk to your attorney — the earlier, the better
Gather documentation — bank records, credit card statements, Venmo screenshots
Tell the court — Ohio law allows judges to account for this in property division
You may be awarded a larger portion of what’s left to offset what was blown.
Comments