Attorney Steven Leskin's Legal Cases

Divorce and separation

Cheny and Cheny

N/A

OUTCOME: Court did not award Wife spousal support, and gave the very very very long half of the assets to Husband on the theory that Wife's conduct proved that assets given to her would be misused.

Middle income, middle age couple. Husband worked as a foreman for a large print shop. Wife was stay at home mom. One 17 yo child. Couple owned home, retirement accounts. One Easter, on the suggestion ... of a friend, mother tried methamphtemine to lose weight. She was immediately hooked. She started stealing money, and engaging in other criminal conduct. She incurred thousands of dollars in fines. After years of trying to help mother become sober, husband had had enough. He filed for divorce. Mom wanted spousal support, half assets. We argued that any money going to mom would be wasted.

Divorce and separation

High and High

N/A

OUTCOME: Court held that Wife rebutted the presumption of equal contribution. Court ordered Wife to pay Husband $5,000. (Wife was estatic because that was enough money to get him out of town and set up somewhere else.)

Husband and Wife married later in life. Wife paid off home, bought a second piece of property and had sufficient retirement savings. Husband had almost nothing going into the marriage. Husband filed fo ... r divorce, and wanted half of everything. Wife retained my office. At trial, we showed that wife paid all expenses related to the house, including repairs, utilities, insurance and taxes, that the couple filed separate taxes, and that Husband in fact did not contribute meaningfuly to increase the couple's wealth, including by assisting in home repairs.

Divorce and separation

Baen and Baen

N/A

OUTCOME: Husband given half equity in the home, no credit given for debt to wife.

Long time marriage, two minor children, one house and no savings or retirement. Husband had $80,000 trust fund. The couple had been gifted a portion of the marital home by Wife's family. When the hom ... e was purchased in 2005, the mortgage was about $121,000. At time of trial in 2020, the mortgage was about $430,000. The couple had refinanced multiple times, at husband's urgings, to pay off credit card debt. The credit card charges were demonstrably attibutable to Husband's spending. Husband abandoned the family. The equity in the home was estimated at $150,000 (market value - mortgage). Husband demanded half of the equity in the home. Wife wanted husband to take half the debt on the mortgage. At trial, husband testified that all of the credit card was related to family expenses. We argued that the true cost of the mortgage over time was sigificantly higher with interest, such that there was no actual equity. The court held that Husband was entitled to $75,000 in equity, but did not attribute any additional debt to husband on the theory that the debt was part of the home and not separte credit card debt.

Divorce and separation

Crazynak and Crazynak

N/A

OUTCOME: House equity split, Wife award spousal support for eight years, half the length of the marriage.

Middle income family, two minor children. Couple owned home. Wife did not work. Husband had a landscape company. Husband was an alcoholic. A restraining order was issued against him. Husband violated ... the restraining order by driving the kids while drunk and was arrested in the court room. The asset besides the house was a company truck. The truck was owned by the LLC in which Wife had the majority stake. Wife wanted spousal support. The couple was married in 203.

Steven Leskin's Legal Cases (4)

Cheny and Cheny

High and High

Baen and Baen

Crazynak and Crazynak