Opinion ID: 2196616
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Adjustments in Marital Property

Text: Ronald also asserts that the magistrate erred by first deducting from the value he placed on the marital domicile awarded to Bernadine the amount of an outstanding mortgage of some $37,000 on that property, while simultaneously failing to also first reduce the value of the Martha's Vineyard property that was awarded to him by the amount of the outstanding liens on that property. We agree. The trial evidence revealed that the liens on the Martha's Vineyard property resulted from Ronald's excessive credit-card purchases made during the marriage. The liens were imposed on the Martha's Vineyard property by Northwest Bank and MBNA for approximately $30,000. We note from the trial record that Ronald testified that the credit-card debt and resultant liens stemmed from credit cards that I used when I was employed for our mutual benefit and included rental fees and day-to-day living expenses. He further testified that he stopped using the credit cards in 1995, well before the parties separated. The record is devoid of any evidence contradicting Ronald's testimony, or purporting to show that the credit card expenditures by him had not benefited the marital estate, or were somehow only of sole benefit to Ronald. The magistrate, in making the 65 percent-35 percent allocation of the marital assets, had already penalized Ronald for mismanagement of the marital estate. Accordingly, this Court must conclude that the magistrate's finding and decision to assign Ronald sole liability for the credit card debt and the resulting liens on the Martha's Vineyard property amounted to a double penalty and therefore clear error. Consequently, we also remand this issue to the Family Court with instructions to recalculate the value of the Martha's Vineyard property in light of our decision herein. For the reasons stated above, Ronald's appeal with regard to the magistrate's calculation of the marital portion of Bernadine's pension and his allowance of a 20 percent deduction therefrom for future tax obligations is sustained. His appeal with regard to the magistrate's failure to reduce the value of the Martha's Vineyard property by the amount of the outstanding liens on that property for credit-card payment deficiencies also is sustained. Both those matters are remanded to the Family Court for redetermination and redistribution to the parties. In all other respects, Ronald's appeal is denied, and the judgment appealed from is affirmed. The papers in this case are remanded to the Family Court for further proceedings therein in accordance with this opinion.