Family Law: $10,000 2030 Award To Ex-Wife With A Big Disparity In Income/Assets Affirmed On Appeal As Against Ex-Husband

Appellate Court Implored That Appealing Ex-Husband Get Beyond Past Dissolution Disputes.

            Marriage of Dodson, Case No. E070719 (4^th Dist., Div. 2 Nov. 12, 2019) (unpublished) is an interesting acrimonious dissolution case where husband and wife went back and forth in a marriage where only a finite of assets/income were at issue.  (Sound familiar?)

            In the end, the trial court awarded ex-wife $10,000 in “needs-based” fees against ex-husband, rebuffing multiple requests for Family Code section 271 sanctions by both sides.  Ex-husband appealed this award, even though he moved on and has an apparent new finance.   This was no abuse of discretion in light of the record showing that husband had over 4 times earning taxable income over wife’s disability income. 

            Here is the telling ending observation by the Court of Appeal:  “We are hopeful that [ex-husband/appellant] will find a way to move past this very difficult and stressful period in his life and find a happier and brighter future for himself, his fiancé, and his adult children.”