In Deegan v. Deegan, 254 N.J. Super. 350 (App. Div. 1992), the Appellate Division answered “maybe”, finding that where a former spouse seeks to terminate alimony based upon a voluntary early retirement, closer scrutiny is required. Specifically, the trial court must evaluate the age and health of the retiring spouse, the timing and motive behind…
The question of what to do where a supporting spouse loses his employment and obtains a new position at a significantly lower salary has long troubled our State’s judiciary. In Mills v. Mills, the Chancery Division of Ocean County attempted to provide a more clear-cut analysis for family courts to follow in the wake of…
You just got in a car accident. You have been out of work for three months and you have thousands of dollars in hospital and medical bills. You’ve met with numerous personal injury attorneys that have already informed you that you can expect an award of over $150,000. You also want a divorce from your…
Sure, inheritances during a divorce are exempt from equitable distribution (as long as you follow certain rules such as not commingling said funds with marital monies); however, you probably did not know that they are not entirely exempt when it comes to purposes surrounding your child support and alimony issues. In Penza v. Penza, the…
Our State’s Appellate Division recently held that where divorcing parties regularly saved a portion of their earnings during the marriage, that same should be considered as part of the “marital lifestyle” when determining alimony (support) awards. In Lombardi v. Lombardi, the Court addressed a situation where the parties, despite Husband’s significant income, lived a relatively…
The July 2016 decision of Avelino-Catabran v. Catabran, 445 N.J. Super. 574 (App. Div. 2016) proved to be another precedential decision in the body of New Jersey college contribution cases. Specifically, Avelino-Catabran served to raise the level of consciousness for family law attorneys and clients alike, relative to the clear, plain language of litigant’s matrimonial…
It is well-established that the accumulation of reasonable savings should be included in alimony to protect the supported spouse against the loss of alimony. In short, savings has always been a relevant and appropriate factor to be considered in the establishment of a reasonable alimony award because the amount of support awarded is subject to…
Despite New Jersey’s Parenting Coordination Pilot Program having ceased in 2012, the need (and value) of parent coordinators has by no means diminished. Increasingly flooded judicial calendars make careful case management, particularly of high conflict cases, a near impossibility. However, a lack of understanding in the scope, nature and breadth of a parent coordinators duties…
Janet Jackson and Wissam Al Mana are both control impressive amounts of finances. Janet Jackson is estimated to have about $175 million in assets and Wissam Al Mana’s net worth is set at a staggering $1 billion. Is the couple’s combined net worth the only reason why their divorce announcement is making so many headlines?…
If you are up-to-speed on celebrity couples, you were probably just as surprised as the rest of us when you heard that Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner were filing for divorce a couple years back. You might be able to regain your footing in knowing that the Hollywood power-couple might be calling it quits –…