Opinion ID: 2403181
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: assignment of property

Text: In assigning the property between the husband and the wife, the trial justice exercised great care and utilized the reports and appraisals obtained by the conservator. He also considered carefully the testimony of a certified public accountant in establishing the probable source of funds used to purchase the property in the joint names of the wife and her mother. Faced with contradictory and often evasive testimony coupled with unsupported assertions, the trial justice attempted to extract truth from a morass created by lack of candor on the part of both husband and wife. Taking into account the totality of circumstances presented to the trial justice, the earning power of the husband, the earning power of the wife, and the need of the child for a reasonably secure setting, we are of the opinion that the assignment of property made by the trial justice was warranted by the evidence and was within the bounds of his discretionary power. In reaching his conclusion, he scrupulously considered all of the elements set forth in § 15-5-16.1. This court will not disturb findings made under such circumstances. See Wordell v. Wordell, R.I., 470 A.2d 665, 666-67 (1984).