Opinion ID: 2020959
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: sandra's attorney fees

Text: Sandra finally contends that the trial court abused its discretion by failing to award her attorney fees, and that she should have received an award for attorney fees in view of the difficulty encountered in attempting to prove fraud by clear and convincing evidence. The circuit court denied attorney fees after finding that the award of marital property left Sandra with adequate financial resources. While Sandra argues that the illiquid nature of the marital assets renders it unlikely that she will receive her share of the marital property in cash for several years, we do not understand how an award of attorney fees will cause Roger to be any more able to make cash payments than he is currently under the trial court's order directing him to sell his nonmarital assets to satisfy the award of marital property. Sandra has not demonstrated that she is unable to pay her own attorney fees or that Roger is in any better financial position to do so than she is. (See Donnelley v. Donnelley (1980), 80 Ill. App.3d 597, 599; Gasperini v. Gasperini (1978), 57 Ill. App.3d 578, 581.) The allowance of attorney fees is within the sound discretion of the trial court, and its determination will not be overturned unless the trial court has clearly abused its discretion. ( Canady v. Canady (1964), 30 Ill.2d 440, 446; Donnelley v. Donnelley (1980), 80 Ill. App.3d 597, 599.) We find no abuse of discretion here, and we affirm the trial court's denial of attorney fees.