Opinion ID: 1467335
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Equitable Distribution of Property

Text: [¶ 44] The parties agree that the referee achieved an approximately equal distribution of the marital property. Claude contends that an equal distribution is not equitable for the same reasons he claims entitlement to reimbursement support. [¶ 45] In a divorce action, the court shall set apart to each spouse the spouse's property and shall divide the marital property in proportions the court considers just after considering all relevant factors. 19-A M.R.S.A. § 953(1) (1998). The statute provides for a just distribution, which is not synonymous with an equal distribution.... [w]e have made it clear that a court is not required to divide the marital property equally, but is required to make the division fair and just considering all of the circumstances of the parties. Murphy, 2003 ME 17, ¶ 27, 816 A.2d at 822 (alteration in original) (quotation marks omitted). [¶ 46] There is ample support in the record for an approximately equal distribution of the marital property in this case: (1) most of the parties' substantial assets accumulated during the marriage; (2) there is a huge disparity in historical earnings in Claude's favor; and (3) the referee might have, but did not, award Jenny support. [¶ 47] The equal distribution of marital property was within the referee's discretion. The entry is: Judgment affirmed.