I live in Wisconsin, and last Dec I got a divorce. In April of 2004 my husband came home and said he was leaving. The next few days after he left I contacted all of his and my credit card companies. All of his accounts were individual and all of my were with each other as users. When I called his I told them that he had quit his job and left town with his girlfriend. I told them that he had no money and no way to pay his bills. They told me that since this was his account they could not talk to me about it, and I could not close it. I told them that was fine but don't come to me for payment! Well he has run up 50K in credit cards and is not paying. I was hoping to wait and see what they were going to do about it, they have charged off most of it but I do not know if they are going to come after me now, and with the new laws coming in soon, I am afraid I will lose everything. I talked with a BR lawyer and he said they could and would come after me,because they know where I am and they know where I work. He said to file. My problem is all my bill are current and now I am going to spoil my credit, because of him! Is there anything I can do? I know this is a community property state but how come when I want to talk to them about the account they cant because it is not mine, but when they want payment it is mine. None of these accounts show up on my credit record now, they did but I wrote to the reports and they removed them. I also wrote to the credit card companies asking for a statement saying that I am not responsible. Has anybody every been in this position. Really need help, I don't know what to do next.
Hi CLG, Welcome. An authorized user is merely a person entitled to use the card. They are NOT responsible for repayment. I assume you are now divorced from this joker, and it happened before the debts were racked up? ???
Hi Butch I am now Divorced but he racked up the 50K in the 6 months it took to get the divorce. So we were still married, but papers had been filed. Does that still mean I am going to have to pay for his Sh** or file BR. I don't want to do either.
CLG please clarify a little...did your hubby charge just on the cards in his name or did some of this $50k go on your cards where he was an authorized user? I don't believe that the OC/CA can collect from you if they were on HIS cards even in a community property state, but they WILL be able to collect from you if the charges are on your card where you permitted him to be an authorized user.
Hi Trade4livn The whole 50K was on his cards I had been a user on them until he left. None of that 50K is on my cards. In the divorce he was to pay his cards and I am to pay mine. I am paying mine, but he is not paying his. I talked to 2 lawyers who said that the credit card companies could come after me, and I could be on the hook for the next 5.5 years, because he charged everything before we got the divorce. What is OC/CA?
Original Creditor: someone who you owed money to. Collection Agency: someone who eithers buys debt second-hand or is paid by original creditors to collect moneys owed to original creditors.
Ummmm.....the difficult thing about boards is that people don't slow down and concisely spell everything out clearly up front...new information here...what does your phrase "I had never been a user on them until he left" mean? IF you had never used them and he did not have you listed as an authorized user, I find it hard to believe that you would retain any liability for his charges. Example, they would not be on your credit report. However, IF you were a party to the charges and used the cards for your own personal purchases before the divorce, that could be a different story...
Hi Trade4livn What I said is "I had been a user on them until he left". 2 of the cards had small balances that were used for our household. In our divorce we added up what he had had on his cards when he left and what I had on mine. They were almost the same so I was to pay mine (which I am doing) and he was to pay his (which he is not doing). Most of the 50K was used when he and his girlfriend were traveling around the country gambling, but since we had not gotten a divorce yet the lawyers say that the credit card companies could come after me since they know were I am and were I work. It's the deep pockets theory. I don't want to file BR but I don't want to pay for is cheating either. I have written the credit card companies a letter asking for a letter stating that they realize that the money due them is his responsibility and not mine. My lawyer said not to hold my breath! I called all of the companies and told them what he was doing when he left, they all said it was his individual account and they could not talk to me about it. Well then why can they hold me responsible for it?
