Dissipation
The wasteful spending or destruction of marital assets by one spouse for non-marital purposes, often considered in property division.
Example
The court found dissipation when he spent $50,000 on gambling during the separation.
Canadian Equivalent
In Canada, this is referred to as Marital Waste / Depletion of Family Property.
Jurisdiction Variations
ILLINOIS
Dissipation (strict statutory definition)
Illinois requires the claiming spouse to establish a specific date when the 'irretrievable breakdown' began for dissipation claims
Related Terms
marital-wastehidden-assetsequitable-distribution