| Am I legally responsible to pay on debt accrued by ex on joint account after divorce?
I have been divorced for about 6 years. During my marriage my ex and I spent a few years living in Alaska and while there we had opened a joint line of credit through a local Credit Union. We never actually used that line of credit and, after leaving Alaska and moving back to the east coast, I actually forgot we even had it. Several years after leaving Alaska my husband and I divorced. At the time we split all of our moneys/debts etc... except that I forgot all about that line of credit in Alaska. My ex had managed our finances and he never mentioned it during the divorce (stupid me trusted he was being honest!). Several years after our divorce he ran into some big financial trouble and accessed that line of credit without contacting me or getting my approval. The credit union states that neither he nor they needed to contact me to access the credit line... it was there to be used by either of us since the account hadn't been closed. Apparently my signature wasn't even needed in order for my ex to get at that money... amazing. Anyway, he rang up $23,000 of debt on that credit line and now has defaulted on the loan. The credit union has contacted me and tells me that I am responsible for payment on that loan - since my ex now refuses to pay them back. Is that the case??? At the time that my ex husband accessed that loan I didn't even have the same name as I did when the account was opened.. and it is clear from the dates of the loan that we were already divorced and I had nothing to do with accessing that money. I understand form the Credit Union's perspective that I opened the credit line with him - but am I really legally responsilbe to pay the debt accrued by my ex after our divorce?
Help!! any insight into this situation would be much appreciated! | 
09-22-2009, 08:46 AM
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