Solicitor’s duty if client has manipulated a document?

[leopardsandspotss]

Hi- in my divorce case I’ve discovered that my ex had submitted two spreadsheets relating to tax and assets with columns and sheets hidden. This has been pointed this out to his solicitor who just repeatedly denies it. Initially saying ‘nothing was hidden’ or the allegation ‘ isn’t accepted’. But (once you know) the document is easily verified by clicking the hide/ unhide feature. My question is surely his solicitor is misleading the court to keep repeating that it’s not accepted? What do I do in this situation?

Does the hidden information alter the figures? Are you saying your ex is hiding assets?

What stage are you at with the divorce?

Is this historical (as in you are already divorced and this has since come to light) or are you still going through the process?

What does the hidden data show?

OP here. Sorry for delay in responding. I had tech troubles. I'm a very longstanding MNetter but I had name changed for this and then couldn't log back in.

I'm already divorced and had the final financial order but in working out the final staged payments I looked at the spreadsheets in more detail. The hidden data shows a payment for some shares was worth more he said plus a work payment owed to him, which he said was post marital, accrued earlier than he said.

The thing I can't get an answer to is if it is professionally proper for his lawyer to keep saying 'it's not accepted' that data was hidden when it is now really clear that it was?

I can see where you are coming from but the hidding wasn't done very well really if columns/rows where hidden as it's usually fairly obvious - and it sounds like you have it electronically so if it was an attempt to hide then it's a pretty crap one. Having said that if the figures are substantially changed then you should be able to have it recognised I would have thought. His solicitor sounds like they are being somewhat pedantic as the figures weren't missed off completely, but were contained within the document, just not immediately obviously so, so weren't 'hidden' .

A solicitor cannot say anything they know to be untrue, but they don't have to check the truth of things their client tells them. Since the solicitor's comments were made to you and appear to have been after the final order was made, I struggle to see how they are misleading the courts.

If your ex did not make a full disclosure of his financial situation you may be able to get the financial order varied.

Yes the hiding is obvious but only once you know. Unfortunately, I now know my ex, he's a chancer. I guess he couldn't actually edit the documents (as that would show up in the document properties) so he hid some sheets and some columns in the hope that would work-and it did.
I feel his solicitor is being more than pedantic because they're supposed to not mislead the court or another solicitor, and should highlight irregularities- by refusing to admit that the hide function was clearly used they are enabling him to put forward a false position.