Opinion ID: 4104925
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: To the husband his former name, if his name was changed as a result of the marriage and if he so desires.

Text: B. The court shall enter its decree confirming in each spouse the property owned by him or her before marriage and the undisposed-of property acquired after marriage by him or her in his or her own right. Either spouse may be allowed such alimony out of real and personal property of the other as the court shall think reasonable, having due regard to the value of such property at the time of the dissolution of marriage. Alimony may be allowed from real or personal property, or both, or in the form of money judgment, payable either in gross or in installments, as the court may deem just and equitable. As to such property, whether real or personal, which has been acquired by the parties jointly during their marriage, whether the title thereto be in either or both of said parties, the court shall, subject to a valid antenuptial contract in writing, make such division between the parties as may appear just and reasonable, by a division of the property in kind, or by setting the same apart to one of the parties, and requiring the other thereof to be paid such sum as may be just and proper to effect a fair and just division thereof. The court may set apart a portion of the separate estate of a spouse to the other spouse for the support of the children of the marriage where custody resides with that spouse. 16 Title 43 O.S. 2011 §121 provides in parts C-G: C. A servicemember's portion of Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) awarded by or from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs for service-connected loss or loss of use of specific organs or extremities shall be separate property, not divisible as a marital asset nor as community property. For purposes of identifying SMC, it is the sole responsibility of the servicemember to prove with competent evidence what amount of his or her disability compensation is SMC. D. A servicemember's portion of Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) shall be separate property, not divisible as a marital asset nor as community property, if a specific dollar amount of CRSC can be proved by the servicemember as compensation for combat-related loss of limb or loss of bodily function and the CRSC award was applied for and established prior to the date of the filing of the dissolution of marriage action. E. Pursuant to the federal Uniformed Services Former Spouses' Protection Act, 10 U.S.C., Section 1408, a court may treat disposable retired or retainer pay payable to a military member either as property solely of the member or as property of the member and the spouse of the member. If a state court determines that the disposable retired or retainer pay of a military member is the sole and separate property of the military member, the court shall submit clear and concise written findings of such determination to be included in the decree or final order. If a state court determines that the disposable retired or retainer pay of a military member is marital property, the court shall submit clear and concise written findings of such determination to be included in the decree or final order and shall award an amount consistent with the rank, pay grade, and time of service of the member at the date of the filing of the petition, unless the court finds a more equitable date due to the economic separation of the parties. F. Unless otherwise agreed to by the parties, any division of an active duty military member's retirement or retainer pay shall use the following language: The former spouse is awarded a percentage of the member's disposable military retired pay, to be computed by multiplying fifty percent (50%) times a fraction, the numerator of which is ____x____ months of marriage during the member's creditable military service, divided by the member's total number of months of creditable military service. G. In the case of a member's retiring from reserve duty, unless otherwise agreed by the parties, any division of a reservist's retirement or retainer pay shall use the following language: The former spouse is awarded a percentage of the member's disposable military retired pay, to be computed by multiplying fifty percent (50%) times a fraction, the numerator of which is __X____reserve retirement points earned during the period of the marriage, divided by the member's total number of reserve retirement points earned. 17 Tubbs v. State of Oklahoma ex rel . The Teachers' Retirement System of Oklahoma , see note 14, supra; Thielenhaus v. Thielenhaus , 1995 OK 5, 890 P.2d 925. 18 Tubbs v. State of Oklahoma ex rel . The Teachers' Retirement System of Oklahoma , see note 14, supra; Rice v. Rice , 1988 OK 83, ¶8, 762 P.2d 925. 19 The predecessor of 43 O.S. 2011 §121 before it was renumbered was 12 O.S. 1981 §1278. 20 We note that the Court of Civil Appeals in Duty v. Duty , 2007 OK CIV APP 43, 162 P.3d 939 determined that unvested stock options obtained during marriage were marital property subject to division. 21 Title 11 O.S. Supp. 2010 §49-126 provides in pertinent part: B. . . .2. The term qualified domestic order means an order issued by a district court of this state pursuant to the domestic relation laws of this state which relates to the provision of marital property rights to an alternate payee and which creates or recognizes the existence of the right of an alternate payee and assigns to an alternate payee the right to receive a portion of the benefits payable with respect to a member of the System. 3. The term alternate payee means any spouse, former spouse, minor or disabled child or children, or other dependent of the member who is recognized by a domestic relations order as having a right to receive benefits payable with respect to a member of the System. 4. For purposes of the payment of marital property, to qualify as an alternate payee, a spouse or former spouse must have been married to the related member for a period of not less than thirty (30) continuous months immediately preceding the commencement of the proceedings from which the qualified domestic order issues. 5. A qualified domestic order is valid and binding on the State Board and the related member only if it meets the requirements of this subsection. 6. A qualified domestic order shall clearly specify:

7. A qualified domestic order meets the requirements of this subsection only if such order: a. does not require the System to provide any type or form of benefit, or any option not otherwise provided under state law as relates to the System, b. does not require the System to provide increased benefits, and c. does not require the payment of benefits to an alternate payee which are required to be paid to another alternate payee pursuant to another order previously determined to be a qualified domestic order or an order recognized by the System as a valid order prior to June 7, 1993. 8. A qualified domestic order shall not require payment of benefits to an alternate payee prior to the actual retirement date of the related member. 9. The alternate payee shall have a right to receive benefits payable to a member of the System under the Oklahoma Firefighters Deferred Option plan provided for pursuant to Section 49-106.1 of this title, but only to the extent such benefits have been credited or paid into the member's Oklahoma Firefighters Deferred Option Plan account during the term of the marriage. 10. The obligation of the System to pay an alternate payee pursuant to a qualified domestic order shall cease upon the earlier of the death of the related member or the death of the alternate payee. Upon the death of the alternate payee, the assignment to the alternate payee of the right to receive a portion of the benefits payable with respect to the member shall cease and the payments of benefits to the member shall be reinstated. 11. This subsection shall not be subject to the provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), 29 U.S.C.A. Section 1001, et seq., as amended from time to time, or rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, and court cases interpreting said act. 12. The Oklahoma Firefighters Pension and Retirement Board shall promulgate such rules as are necessary to implement the provisions of this subsection. 13. An alternate payee who has acquired beneficiary rights pursuant to a valid qualified domestic order must fully comply with all provisions of the rules promulgated by the State Board pursuant to this subsection in order to continue receiving his or her benefit. C. The provisions of subsection A of this section shall not apply to a Child Support Enforcement Division order for a support arrearage pursuant to Section 240.23 of Title 56 of the Oklahoma Statutes and current child support payments made pursuant to a valid court order. D. The provisions of subsection A of this section shall not apply to a federal tax levy made pursuant to Section 6331 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the collection by the United States on a judgment resulting from an unpaid tax assessment. E. The provisions of subsection A of this section shall not apply in the case of an overpayment to a member or other payee. Such overpayment may be corrected through a return of the overpayment, or an adjustment of future payments, or a combination of these two methods, as approved by the State Board. The term other payee shall include, but not be limited to, alternate payees as defined in subsection B of this section, beneficiaries, designated recipients, and other individuals eligible to receive benefits pursuant to Section 49-113 of this title. 22 Pulliam v. Pulliam , 114 A.3d 242, 254 (Md. App. 2015)[Years of service accumulated during marriage contributes to eligibility to participate in DROP and DROP benefits are subject to division even if not enrolled until after divorce.]; Pullo v. Pullo , 926 So.2d 448, 451 (Fla. 1st D.C.A. 2006) [Former wife entitled to portion of DROP account, even though former husband joined the DROP plan five years after the parties divorced.); Killingsworth v. Killingsworth , 925 So.2d 977, 982 (Ala. Civ. App. 2005) [Right to participate in DROP is part of vested benefits and DROP election does not change character of husband's retirement benefits nor result in a new post-divorce asset that was not subject to distribution in the divorce.]; Stavinoha v. Stavinoha , 126 S.W.3d 604, 612 (Tex. 14th D.C.A. Houston 2004) [Ex-wife is entitled to a percentage of the community interest in all of the disputed benefits credited to ex-husband's DROP account.]; Swanson v. Swanson , 869 So.2d 735, 738 (Fla. App. 4 Dist. 2004)[Portion of value of ex-husbands DROP benefits belong to the wife]; Smith v. Smith , 839 So.2d 1255, 1258 (La. App. 2 Cir. 2003) [Former wife entitled to share of former husband's deferred retirement option plan (DROP) funds which were attributable during the life of their community, even though former husband entered the DROP program after the parties divorced.]. In unpublished opinions, courts in Ohio and California have reached similar results. Collins v. Collins , 2015 WL 4899420 (Ct. App. Ohio 2015); In re Marriage of Ketaily , 2014 WL 5427534 (Ct. App. Cal. Dist. 6 2014). 23 Baker v. Oklahoma Firefighters Pension and Retirement System , 1986 OK 8, ¶4, 718 P.2d 348. 24 Tubbs v. State of Oklahoma ex rel . The Teachers' Retirement System of Oklahoma , see note 14 supra; Larman v. Larman , see note 14, supra. 25 Title 43 O.S. 2011 §121, see note 15 supra. 26 Tubbs v. State of Oklahoma ex rel . The Teachers' Retirement System of Oklahoma , see note 14, supra; Thielenhaus v. Thielenhaus , see note 17, supra. Citationizer © Summary of Documents Citing This Document Cite Name Level None Found. Citationizer: Table of Authority Cite Name Level Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals Cases Cite Name Level 2007 OK CIV APP 43, 162 P.3d 939, DUTY v. DUTY Discussed 2014 OK CIV APP 92, 340 P.3d 644, BALLINGER v. BALLINGER Discussed at Length Oklahoma Supreme Court Cases Cite Name Level 1988 OK 83, 762 P.2d 925, 59 OBJ 1896, Rice v. Rice Discussed 1993 OK 112, 867 P.2d 438, 64 OBJ 2836, Hough v. Leonard Cited 1995 OK 5, 890 P.2d 925, 66 OBJ 338, Thielenhaus v. Thielenhaus Discussed 2002 OK 79, 57 P.3d 571, TUBBS v. STATE EX REL. TEACHERS' RETIREMENT SYSTEM Discussed 1999 OK 83, 991 P.2d 536, 70 OBJ 3260, Larman v. Larman Discussed 1983 OK 2, 657 P.2d 646, Carpenter v. Carpenter Discussed at Length 1986 OK 8, 718 P.2d 348, 57 OBJ 783, Baker v. Oklahoma Firefighters Pension and Retirement System Discussed Title 11. Cities and Towns Cite Name Level 11 O.S. 49-106.1, Participation in Oklahoma Firefighters Deferred Option Plan Discussed 11 O.S. 49-126, Pensions and Allowances Exempt from Forced Sale - Not Assignable Discussed at Length 11 O.S. 49-101, Right to Pension - Amount - Report Cited Title 12. Civil Procedure Cite Name Level 12 O.S. 1278, Renumbered as 43 O.S. § 121 by Laws 1989, SB 121, c. 333, § 1, eff. November 1, 1989 Discussed Title 43. Marriage Cite Name Level 43 O.S. 121, Restoration of Maiden or Former Name - Alimony - Property Division Discussed at Length