Opinion ID: 1300971
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Credit for Interim Payments of Marital Debt

Text: The family court judge entered a temporary order in early 2002, directing Mr. Conrad to pay the mortgage of $680.00 per month on the marital home and temporary alimony of $350.00 monthly. Mr. Conrad contends that he also paid an additional $27,523.08 for other marital obligations such as federal and state income tax liabilities, maintenance on the marital home, consumer credit transactions, and homeowner's insurance obligations. As explained above, Family Court Judge Prentice proposed an offset of $8,837.39 in the December 19, 2002, Order Confirming Sale of the marital residence. Through such offset, Mr. Conrad would have been permitted to recoup one-half of all amounts paid by him for the maintenance of the marital residence and one-half of the principal and interest paid on the mortgage of the marital residence. [3] Family Court Judge Wilfong did not adopt the offset in the final family court order. The lower court affirmed Judge Wilfong's determinations by order dated January 22, 2004. Recoupment of payment of marital debt by one party prior to the ultimate division of marital property has often been permitted upon a final equitable distribution order. See Jordan v. Jordan, 192 W.Va. 377, 452 S.E.2d 468 (1994) (final allocation of marital debt permitted husband to recoup his expenses related to the marital home); Kapfer v. Kapfer, 187 W.Va. 396, 419 S.E.2d 464 (1992) (the parties agreed to allow husband to recoup from home sale all mortgage principal he paid on marital home after date of separation). Upon review of this matter and reassessment of issues of equitable distribution specifically relating to the long term disability benefits, we find that Mr. Conrad is entitled to submit evidence upon remand of any interim payments of marital debt and maintenance on the marital home made between the separation and the divorce. Once an amount is determined by the lower court, Mr. Conrad should be entitled to offset one-half of that amount from the total owed to Mrs. Conrad as a result of the annuity, retirement, and disability payments. Mortgage and other home-related expenses made by Mr. Conrad during separation were marital debt and should be distributed as such during equitable distribution. Furthermore, evidence regarding the repayment of an alleged loan to the parties' adult daughter should be provided, and Mrs. Conrad should be entitled to one-half of the amount of repayment if such amount was provided to Mr. Conrad.