Now that the divorce was filed in Oct 2021, my wife says that I willfully used my gift money to pay off tesla, so now I have no right over the $40,000 used to pay off the tesla loan .... means, she says half of the current car value is hers, whereas I am saying that half of (current car value minus 40,000) is hers as I used my gift money to relieve myself of the loan.
Can someone please help me out? what share of car is rightfully her and mine? I asked my friends and a corporate lawyer friend (not family lawyer) and an accountant friend, they say she cannot claim stake in 40k used to pay off the car.... please help!
1) The gift you received is your Separate Property.
2) Let's look at the car before and after you paid off the loan, and perhaps that can create an equitable solution.
If you did NOT pay off the $40,000, you would each have ownership of 1/2 the car (as example, we'll say it was worth $60,000) and 1/2 the $40,000 debt.
You: $30k 1/2car - $20k 1/2debt = $10k car equity
Spouse: $30k 1/2car - $20k 1/2debt = $10k car equity
If you are given ownership of the car, you are getting $20k of car equity, and would "owe" her $10k for her half.
I don't think paying off the loan should come into the equation. You could always refinance the car to "pay yourself back" and get to the situation you were both in before you paid off the loan. Your $80k gift is Separate, and should remain so, or be credited to you if any was used for a marital asset.