An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order, whereby a party is required to do, or to refrain from doing, certain acts. The party that fails to adhere to the injunction faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions for failing to follow the court's order. In the United States, a temporary restraining order (TRO) may be issued for short term. A temporary restraining order usually lasts while a motion for preliminary injunction is being decided, and the court decides whether to drop the order or to issue a preliminary injunction.
A temporary restraining order may be granted ex parte, that is, without informing in advance the party to whom the temporary restraining order is directed. Usually, a party moves ex parte to prevent an adversary from having notice of one's intentions. The order is granted to prevent the adversary from acting to frustrate the purpose of the action, for example, by wasting or hiding assets (as often occurs in dissolution of marriage).
Dissipation of assets is the unjustified wasting of marital assets through extravagant spending, gifts, or a fraudulent conveyance to a third party and thereby depleting the assets. In the context of divorce, it can include concealment and conveyance of assets as well as wasting assets through reckless and negligent acts. Acts of dishonesty, such as hiding assets or moving assets to undisclosed locations, are also considered dissipation of marital assets. In divorce actions the courts can issue pretrial injunctions to prevent dissipation of assets.
Florida is an equitable distribution state, meaning that during divorce, marital property is divided by what is considered fair rather than an equal 50/50 split. When determining what is fair, the court considers a number of factors, including any dissipation of assets committed by either party. The term "dissipation of assets" in Florida refers to the intentional wasting of marital assets.
