Wasteful Dissipation

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In its April 10th decision in Angello v. Angello, the Third Department upheld the trial determination that a wife’s refusal to approve a mid-action sale of the husband’s insolvent business constituted a wasteful dissipation of the largest marital asset. Such warranted saddling the wife with half of the business’s debts. It also, in part, justified a downward deviation from the maintenance guidelines but did not warrant an award of counsel fees to the financially-superior husband.

The parties were married in 1989 and had one adult child. The husband commenced this divorce action in 2016, and the trial began in 2019. The marital property at issue included a local, organic grocery distribution business primarily operated by the husband, which had incurred significant debt and had ceased operations by the time of trial. Marital property also included a warehouse associated with the business, as well as the marital residence. At the conclusion of the trial, the parties each moved for an award of counsel fees.

Columbia County Supreme Court Justice Margaret Walsh found that the wife had wastefully dissipated marital assets by refusing to agree to the 2018 sale of the business to one of the marital business’ competitors in exchange for the buyer assuming responsibility for $900,000 in business debt. The trial court valued the business as of the date of trial and directed that the wife be responsible for half of its $995,000 in debt. Justice Walsh also directed that the warehouse be sold and that the sales proceeds net of liens be applied against the remaining business debt. Justice Walsh also directed that the marital residence be sold with the net proceeds equally divided between the parties.

The presumptive amount of maintenance to which the wife was entitled was $914 a month, but Justice Walsh determined that a downward deviation was warranted, directing the husband to pay $305 a month for five years.Continue Reading Wife’s Refusal to Consent to Mid-Action Sale of Husband’s Business is Wastefull Dissipation

Focused man paying his bills in the living room

The filing of a divorce summons commences the action and terminates the marital economic partnership. As noted by the Court of Appeals in Mesholam v. Mesholam, 11 N.Y.3d 24, 27, 862 N.Y.S.2d 453 (2008), that partnership is to be considered dissolved when a divorce action is commenced.

Retroactive to the first request for support, often contained in the divorce summons, itself, the trial court has the power to order both spousal and child support. It can also determine the parties’ relative responsibilities for marital residence carrying charges and other expenses.

In light of the trial court’s power to determine the parties’ rights and obligations for the period the divorce action is pending, what should be done if a party’s uses marital assets to pay living expenses accruing after the divorce action is commenced.

In its June 30, 2016 decision in Carvalho v. Carvalho, the Appellate Division, Third Department, held that marital assets may be used while a divorce action is pending to pay for legitimate household and living expenses without needing to later offset the division of those assets. Moreover, the burden is on the non-spending party to prove that the marital assets were not used for such “legitimate” purposes.Continue Reading Charging a Party for Spending Marital Assets During the Divorce Action