Opinion ID: 879812
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: issues

Text: Did the District Court abuse its discretion in not considering the nonmonetary contributions of the appellant to the marriage and to the preservation of the marital assets? Appellant maintains the court should consider the nonmonetary contributions of a spouse when dividing the marital assets. This assertion is correct. See § 40-4-202(1), MCA; and Eschenburg v. Eschenburg (1976), 171 Mont. 247, 251, 557 P.2d 1014, 1016; In re Marriage of Dow (Mont. 1988), 750 P.2d 1064, 45 St.Rep. 317. In this case however, the court did consider the contribution of the appellant toward maintaining the marital assets. Unfortunately the court determined her contribution toward the marital assets were lost when the parties deeded back the marital home to the bank in satisfaction of the mortgages on the property. The husband's contribution of his time and effort was also lost at that time. Further, while the parties experienced a reduction in their net worth over the length of the marriage, the court appears to have attempted to return appellant to her maximum net worth at the time of the marriage. In light of the short duration of the marriage and the reduction of the husband's premarital net worth this does not appear to be an inequitable division.