2 total
Successful father awarded $750,000 in costs; request to characterize costs as support to survive bankruptcy denied.
Following a lengthy family law trial where the applicant father was overwhelmingly successful, he sought costs of $1.1 million.
The court found the respondent mother's litigation conduct unreasonable, particularly regarding parenting and income issues, and noted she failed to beat the applicant's offers to settle.
The court awarded the applicant $750,000 in costs on a partial recovery basis.
The court declined the applicant's request to characterize the costs as support to protect them from bankruptcy, finding that costs awarded to a support payor do not fall within the definition of a support order under the Family Responsibility and Support Arrears Enforcement Act.
Interim spousal and child support ordered after husband's income imputed by adding back improperly deducted legal fees.
The applicant wife brought a motion for interim spousal and child support.
The core issue was determining the respondent husband's income, as he is a lawyer who deducted personal legal fees and other unreasonable expenses from his business income.
The court imputed the husband's income at $248,356 by adding back these deductions and grossing them up.
The court ordered the husband to pay interim spousal support of $2,300 per month and interim child support of $459 per month, leaving retroactive claims and final determinations for trial.
