Contested Divorce-Long Term Marriage
N/AOUTCOME: Highly Favorable
Clients' husband vacated the home leaving behind a wife and four young children. The husband was a high wage earner throughout the marriage and the wife had worked part-time before she stayed home with ... the children. The husband moved into the home of a significant other far away from the children. The husband claimed to be "unemployed" for three years. He actually failed to seek employment. At trial, we were able to convince the judge that the husband was willfully remaining unemployed, hiding assets, and using assets for his own purpose. The judge imputed income to the husband consistent with what he was earning during the marriage and the wife was awarded both alimony and child support based on the husband's prior earnings and not what he claimed to be earning at the time of trial. (Shortly after the judge's decision, the husband in fact found employment equal to the earning capacity assigned to him by the judge).
