Attorney Jeffrey Knipmeyer's Legal Cases

Divorce and separation

Marriage of Steverson

Dec 23, 2013

OUTCOME: Judgment after trial in favor of husband (my client).

The parties were divorced three years ago. The Judgment ordered unallocated support for three years, and then provided that maintenance would be set at 19% of income, with income defined as "base sala ... ry and bonuses." Ex-wife contended that any compensation received by my client in excess of his base salary was a "bonus." We contended on behalf of husband that bonus was a specific form of additional compensation that was denoted as "bonus" by his employer and that had historically been received by our client.

Divorce and separation

Marriage of Elissa and Chambers

Sep 13, 2013

OUTCOME: I prevailed on behalf of my client, Elissa.

The parties were married in Massachusetts in 2005 when that State legalized gay marriage. At the time, the parties signed a required State affidavit stating that they lived in Massachusetts or intended ... to live there. In 2011, Elissa filed for divorce in the State of Illinois. Illinois treated the marriage as a civil union under its civil union law. Chambers filed a Motion to Dismiss Elissa's Petition for Dissolution of Civil Union on the basis that the marriage was never valid because the parties never lived in Massachusetts and never intended to live there. I represented Elissa and prevailed with the Circuit Court of Cook County, Domestic Relations Division. The Court found that there was a subsequent validation of the marriage when Massachusetts repealed the residency requirement in 2008. Moreover, the Court found that Chambers did not have "clean hands." The Court did not believe that Chambers should be permitted to seek the assistance of the Court in the perpetuation of a fraud against the Massachusetts court for having filed a false affidavit. Finally, the Court was moved by the fact that a similarly situated heterosexual litigant would not be subject to a motion to dismiss on these grounds.

Divorce and separation

Levin v. Stein

Feb 17, 2010

OUTCOME: Favorable property distribution and support award.

I took this case to trial and obtained a favorable judgment, following the break-down and failure of collaborative law by my client's prior counsel. I successfully obtained a monthly support order tha ... t required my client to pay substantially less than the temporary support order that was in place for 2 years prior to my representation of my client. I also successfully obtained a property division for my client that surpassed any offer that had previously been made to my client by his spouse during the collaborative process and subsequent settlement discussions. I was also able to successfully negotiate a favorable Joint Parenting Agreement for my client in my first 2 months of representation of him -- something that had not been accomplished in 2 years of the collaborative and settlement process prior to my involvement in the case.

Jeffrey Knipmeyer's Legal Cases (3)

Marriage of Steverson

Marriage of Elissa and Chambers

Levin v. Stein