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It took nine years to affirm a five-year maintenance award. In an April 24, 2019 decision of the Appellate Division, Second Department, the Court in Rogowski v. Rogowski affirmed a March, 2010 divorce judgment under which the wife was awarded maintenance for five years of $2500 per month plus 60% of the husband’s annual employment bonus in excess of $14,200. The action for divorce had been commenced in 2008.

The Court held that held that Nassau County Supreme Court Justice Arthur Diamond did not improvidently exercise his discretion when determining the amount and duration of maintenance. The Court emphasized the parties agreed that the wife would quit work and care for the children, and the parties’ respective incomes and future employment prospects.Continue Reading Maintenance Award of 60% of Annual Bonus Is Affirmed

In its January 7, 2016 decision in Fermon v. Fermon, the Appellate Division, Third Department, affirmed that part of the order of Rensselaer County Supreme Court Justice Raymond J. Elliott, III, that included in a permanent award of child support that the husband pay 25% of his future bonuses from his employer.

Here, the parties were married in 2000 and had two sons (born in 2002 and 2006). They were divorced in 2012 and, pursuant to a written stipulation of settlement that was incorporated but not merged with the judgment of divorce, they retained joint custody of the children and waived application of the Child Support Standards Act (see Domestic Relations Law § 240 [1-b]) to provide for no payments of basic child support.

Extensive motion practice ensued, with the wife seeking a variety of relief that included modification of the custody and child support provisions of the judgment, an assessment as to whether the husband committed fraud in the negotiations that led to the execution of the stipulation and an award of counsel fees to the wife. Justice Elliott conducted a hearing on the motions, after which he modified the provisions of the judgment to grant the wife sole legal custody of the children and directed the husband to pay the wife basic child support, arrearages and various add-ons> He further directed the husband to pay an additional $11,500 to the wife due to his alleged fraud in misrepresenting the value of his individual retirement account, and awarded the wife $35,000 in counsel fees. Both parties appealed.Continue Reading Child Support Award Includes 25% of Father's Future Bonuses