Opinion ID: 1976837
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: In sum, we hold:

Text: (1) The trial court erred in assigning to the husband a fifty percent share in the ownership of the marital home. Because the wife owned the house before the parties were married to each other, D.C. Code § 16-910(a) dictates that it must remain her sole and separate property. The court has no discretion to treat it as an asset subject to distribution under D.C.Code § 16-910(b). (2) The trial court ruled correctly in concluding that the husband was entitled to an equitable interest in the marital home. The value of that equitable interest, however, must be recalculated in dollars, not as a percentage of the value of the property. Those portions of the trial court's judgment which are not contested on this appeal are hereby affirmed. [15] That portion which assigns to Mr. Yeldell a fifty percent interest in the marital home (paragraph 3) is reversed, and the case is remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion. AFFIRMED IN PART, REVERSED AND REMANDED IN PART.