Opinion ID: 2584589
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Refund for marital carpet purchase

Text: During the marriage Richard paid $2,500 for carpets; he used the marital credit card for this purchase. Then he transferred the debt onto a card in his own name but apparently with the same account number. When he received a refund for the carpet after the separation, it was credited to the card that was now in his name only. The trial court ruled that the refund was a marital asset. Richard argues that he retired a marital debt with a marital asset and should not have owed Sheila any of the refund. We disagree. Richard incurred a marital debt, the burden of which Sheila shared and which was part of the balance of the account that was divided as marital debt. But the refund was not applied to that debt; rather, it reduced Richard's sole debt on his separate credit card account many months after the date of separation. It was proper for the court to classify the refund as a marital asset.