If you have questions about divorce, legal separation, alimony pendente lite, or alimony in Connecticut, please feel free to call the experienced divorce attorneys at Maya Murphy, P.C. in Westport today at 203-221-3100 or email Joseph C. Maya, Esq. at JMaya@Mayalaw.com.
A husband was ordered to pay 200,000 to his former wife for her interest in the properties owned by the marital estate. The defendant husband’s appeals of this order failed when the court found the defendant had fraudulently conveyed several properties to his children in anticipation of the divorce.
The court dissolved the parties’ twelve year marriage on November 17, 2009. The parties shared two minor children. Upon dissolution, the court ordered the defendant to pay alimony and child support, medical insurance, and pay the plaintiff $200,000 for her interest in the marital estate’s real property. On appeal, a trial court’s factual finding cannot be disturbed unless they are clearly erroneous and unsupported by the record. In 1999, the plaintiff made her first consultation with attorneys regarding a divorce. The court found that in the interim, the parties’ relationship quickly degraded. In September 2005, the defendant transferred several properties to his children. No persuasive reasons or sufficient consideration for this transfer was submitted by the defendant. Rather, this conveyance deprived the court of the ability to utilize sufficient resources to make a equitable distribution. The Supreme Court agreed, and found the husband’s actions transparent. By August 2005, the defendant had told the plaintiff that he wanted her “out of the house,” and that the marriage “wasn’t working.” It was obvious this transfer was made in anticipation of a dissolution action, and for the clear intention of removing said properties from the plaintiff’s reach.
For a free consultation, please do not hesitate to call the experienced family law and divorce attorneys at Maya Murphy, P.C. in Westport, CT at 203-221-3100. We may also be reached for inquiries by email at JMaya@mayalaw.com.
Source: Cottrell v. Cottrell, 33 A.3d 839, 2012 Conn. App. LEXIS 25 (Conn. App. Ct. 2012)
