KW Economics prepares rebuttal analysis for divorce and marital dissolution matters venued in Louisiana: the income, valuation, and tracing questions the matter raises, the records that answer them, and a presentation built to the way Louisiana courts decide them. Either party.
In a divorce the opposing financial analysis is tested on the business valuation, the income determination, and any tracing. The economist checks the valuation date and standard against the framework, the normalizing adjustments for owner compensation and personal expenses against the records, the treatment of personal and enterprise goodwill, whether the income available for support includes the cash flow the business records show beyond reported salary, and whether the tracing follows the funds through each account or assumes a result where the records end. Each finding is ranked by its effect so counsel can concentrate on the assumptions that carry the number.
Critique of an opposing economic damages, valuation, or forensic accounting report for plaintiff or defense counsel. The review tests the assumptions, data sources, discount rates, worklife and life expectancy inputs, growth rates, mitigation treatment, and arithmetic behind the opposing number, identifies the errors that matter, and quantifies how the conclusion changes when they are corrected. The result supports cross-examination, a rebuttal report, or a motion directed at the reliability of the opinion.
The business valuation is usually the largest and most contested figure in the marital estate, and the valuation date, the standard of value, the treatment of personal and enterprise goodwill, and the normalization of owner compensation each move it materially. Income available for support for a self-employed spouse can differ substantially from the reported figure once personal expenses paid by the business and cash flow retained in it are considered, and the owner compensation adjustment has to be carried consistently into the valuation and the income determination, because the same stream of earnings appears in both. Tracing outcomes depend on the completeness of the account records and on how the governing framework, whether equitable distribution or community property, treats commingled funds and the appreciation of separate assets during the marriage.
Louisiana courts ask the trial judge to act as gatekeeper for expert testimony, examining whether the economist is qualified, whether the method is reliable and accepted in the profession, and whether it was applied reliably to the facts of the case. A financial analysis for a divorce meets that inquiry by listing each normalization adjustment, valuation input, and tracing step with the record behind it.
Highest court: Louisiana Supreme Court. Court system: lasc.org.
Federal venues: Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, Western District of Louisiana.
Whether Louisiana divides marital property equitably or as community property, which valuation date applies, how income available for support is defined, and how the goodwill of a professional practice is treated are questions of law that counsel confirms; the report presents each finding so it can be applied under either party's position.
We issue a rebuttal report where one is disclosed and provide deposition and trial testimony, cross-examination outlines, and support for motions directed at the opinion.
In a divorce the opposing financial analysis is tested on the business valuation, the income determination, and any tracing. The economist checks the valuation date and standard against the framework, the normalizing adjustments for owner compensation and personal expenses against the records, the treatment of personal and enterprise goodwill, whether the income available for support includes the cash flow the business records show beyond reported salary, and whether the tracing follows the funds through each account or assumes a result where the records end. Each finding is ranked by its effect so counsel can concentrate on the assumptions that carry the number.
Louisiana courts ask the trial judge to act as gatekeeper for expert testimony, examining whether the economist is qualified, whether the method is reliable and accepted in the profession, and whether it was applied reliably to the facts of the case. A financial analysis for a divorce meets that inquiry by listing each normalization adjustment, valuation input, and tracing step with the record behind it. Divorce and Marital Dissolution cases venued in Louisiana are heard in the Family Court (Domestic relations in parishes with dedicated family courts) and the District Court (General jurisdiction; civil and criminal cases at the parish level), with final appeals to the Louisiana Supreme Court. Matters within federal jurisdiction proceed in the Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, and Western District of Louisiana.
Whether Louisiana divides marital property equitably or as community property, which valuation date applies, how income available for support is defined, and how the goodwill of a professional practice is treated are questions of law that counsel confirms; the report presents each finding so it can be applied under either party's position. The report lists each normalization adjustment, valuation input, and tracing step with its source and shows the result under each spouse's position, so counsel can apply the Louisiana rules to a documented figure.
Request a consultation on Rebuttal or call (201) 343-0700. Plaintiff and defense counsel.