Opinion ID: 1118335
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Did the court err in failing to take into account several transactions which occurred during the time of separation?

Text: Billie next claims that the superior court failed to take into account four transactions which allegedly occurred after the parties' separation. First, Billie argues that the court failed to consider Virginia's withdrawal of $26,720 from the couple's joint account by means of 130 automatic teller machine withdrawals between July 1988 and June 1, 1989. Citing Hartland v. Hartland, 777 P.2d 636 (Alaska 1989), he claims that marital property dissipated after separation but prior to divorce must be recaptured in calculating the property available for distribution. In Hartland, we held that a party's share of marital assets can be reduced if he or she dissipated substantial amounts of marital assets for his or her own benefit during the parties' separation. Id. at 642. Virginia maintains that Billie's assertion that she made these withdrawals is supported solely by Billie's recollection that he withdrew money only from the Anchorage Airport automatic teller machine. She also claims that he ignores the court's decision to use June 1989, not September 1988, as the date for division of the retirement benefits. Citing Streb v. Streb, 774 P.2d 798, 802 (Alaska 1989), she notes this court's holding that until a married couple ceases to operate as a financial unit, each party has the right to manage and control marital funds. The record indicates that the superior court was aware of Billie's allegations that Virginia withdrew money from the joint account. As Virginia suggests, the court apparently did not take these transactions into account because it determined that the parties continued to operate as a financial unit until June 1, 1989. That is the date which the court used to value Billie's retirement funds. The court's decision to value the marital estate as of June 1, 1989 was reasonable, for the parties did not initially view the separation as ending their marriage. Virginia testified that she did not know during the initial period of separation that the marriage was over, and that Billie told her that it was not. She did not file a complaint requesting an order of separate maintenance until May 19, 1989. Under Streb, the court therefore did not abuse its discretion in excluding from the marital estate the alleged withdrawals made prior to June 1, 1989. Hartland is inapposite because the record contains no evidence that Virginia spent money for her own separate purposes prior to the date the parties ceased functioning as an economic unit. Second, Billie argues that the court did not take into account Virginia's withdrawal of $3,326 from the parties' joint account on May 31, 1989. Because this withdrawal occurred prior to June 1, 1989, the date the court used in determining the property available for distribution, the court did not abuse its discretion in excluding the $3,326 from the marital estate. Third, Billie claims that the parties loaned $7,020 to their daughter on November 15, 1988, and that the daughter repaid all $7,020 to Virginia. He argues that the court should have forced Virginia to account for this repayment. While it is not entirely clear from the record whether this amount was repaid, the record suggests that it was repaid between September 1988 and June 1989, when both parties continued to operate from joint accounts. Virginia could not recall exactly when the money had been repaid, but she said she knew it wasn't very long afterwards the loan that her daughter repaid it, suggesting that the loan was repaid prior to the date the parties ceased functioning as an economic unit. Again, the court did not abuse its discretion by excluding the loan repayments in the marital estate. Fourth, Billie claims the court should have considered the $9,701 which he gave Virginia on November 16, 1989, in an effort to balance the amounts received by the parties. While the court did not consider this money in its decision, it did consider the money in its Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law, and reduced the amount owed by Billie to Virginia by that amount. Billie's criticisms are therefore unfounded.