Personal Bankruptcy Do I owe my wife's ex's bills?

[joesradio]

I got married last November to a lady that has been divorced for over 15 years. After her divorce, she tried to get her name off a credit account with her ex, but they would not remove her name unless there was a zero balance. Through the years, she forgot about it and has never received any notices, phone calls, or bills. She did not know that this account was still open. He is now filing for backruptcy and there is $17,000 owed on this account with six months of no payments. The credit company, USAA, is demanding that she pay for this account since her name is on it. Is there any way to get my wife's name off this account? Do we owe on this? Will the fact that he made no payments for six months affect my credit score now that we are married? We live in California.

 

[Theresagail]

Yes, she will have to pay it, I am not sure about california law and marriage. However since your name is not on the contract I dont think they will go after you or hurt your credit. However if you two are banking togethor and they sue her and get a judgement they can and will garnish that account, no matter who put the $$ in there