A question in a newspaper’s legal advice column addresses an issue that catches many a spouse by surprise.

Can a spouse subpoena financial information from the other spouse’s new cohabitant?

To the shock and chagrin of the surprised spouse, the answer is, in a word, yes.

For example, under Florida’s rules of court procedure, parties are allowed to seek information that “appears reasonably calculated to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence”.

This is actually a pretty broad license to “go fish”.

And yes, sometimes, the true intent of the “fishing” spouse really is to shock and chagrin the other spouse (or their new cohabitant), even more than to obtain information.

Read more in this Boston Herald column Q & A on: Financial Follow-Up