Opinion ID: 1740522
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: periodic alimony award

Text: ¶ 17. Gary contends that the trial court erroneously granted Sharon periodic or permanent alimony in the amount of $4,000 per month. Gary's chief argument is that the trial court misapplied the factors for awarding periodic alimony and weighed too heavily on the finding of adultery in making the determination of the requisite amount of alimony due. He submits that the trial court misunderstood the nature and character of the sexual misconduct and in making the alimony rulings used that conduct against him as a type of punishment. ¶ 18. Sharon argues that the trial court properly applied and carefully weighed the factors for the awarding of periodic alimony as shown in his August 28, 2000, order. She further argues that the trial court may have taken Gary's fault into consideration when making such alimony determination, but there was no over-weighing of such factor. ¶ 19. In determining whether to make an award of periodic alimony, the following factors must be considered: (1) the health of the husband and his earning capacity; (2) the health of the wife and her earning capacity; (3) the entire sources of income and expenses of both parties; (4) the reasonable needs of the wife; (5) the reasonable needs of the child; (6) the necessary living expenses of the husband; (7) the estimated amount of income taxes the respective parties must pay on their incomes; (8) the fact that the wife has the free use of the home, furnishings and automobile; (9) the length of the marriage; (10) the presence or absence of minor children in the home; (11) the standard of living of the parties, both during the marriage and at the time of the support determination; (12) fault or misconduct; (13) wasteful dissipation of assets; (14) the obligations and assets of each party; (15) the age of the parties; (16) the tax consequences of the spousal support order; and (17) such other facts and circumstances bearing on the subject that might be shown by the evidence. Hemsley v. Hemsley, 639 So.2d 909, 912 (Miss.1994); Armstrong v. Armstrong, 618 So.2d 1278, 1280 (Miss.1993); Hammonds v. Hammonds, 597 So.2d 653, 655 (Miss.1992); Brabham v. Brabham, 226 Miss. 165, 84 So.2d 147, 153 (1955). In determining the amount of support payable to the wife, a chancellor must consider not only reasonable needs of wife but also right of husband to lead as normal a life as reasonably possible with a decent standard of living. Massey v. Massey, 475 So.2d 802, 803 (Miss.1985); Hopton v. Hopton, 342 So.2d 1298, 1300 (Miss.1977) (quoting Nichols v. Nichols, 254 So.2d 726, 727 (Miss.1971)). ¶ 20. In the August 28, 2000, order, and the June 4, 2001, amended order, the chancellor gave a detailed factual account for his finding for periodic alimony. Following the factors outlined for the award of periodic alimony, the chancellor found that: (1) Gary is presently in good health and has no illness that would hinder him from continuing to earn such a productive income. Gary by his own testimony admits to being in good health with years of earning capability. (2) Sharon is unemployed and earning no income. She is currently ill due to an automobile accident which left her with an injured leg. To qualify for a nursing position she will need many hours of re-certification training. The chancellor also makes note of Sharon's diagnosis of depression which has required medication in the past. (3) Sharon is a 44 year old nurse who is currently unemployed and who has been entirely dependent on Gary for income since 1982. To re-certify and be eligible for gainful employment in the field of nursing, Sharon needs 1,000 credit hours in recertification training. Gary has a steady stream of income generated by his lucrative medical practice and business ownership. Gary is 48 years old and currently earning in excess of $594,250 a year, which amounts to $49,520.00 per month as gross income, and $34,418.00 in adjusted gross income. Sharon, who is currently living in Baltimore, Maryland, has increased expenses due to the increased cost of living and a recent injury in a car accident. (4) Sharon's needs are estimated at $10,138.33 per month. Alimony in the amount of $4,000 per month was granted to Sharon. (5) The needs of the children are estimated to be $8,740.00 each month. Child support in the amount of $1,500.00 per month per child (which aggregates to $4,500.00 each month for all the children) was awarded. (6) The necessary living expenses of Gary cannot be said to exceed $25,918.00 per month (the amount of adjusted gross income remaining after payment of alimony and child support). Gary himself admitted to being a modest spender. (7) Gary was granted entitlement to claim the children as dependents for income tax purposes. The chancellor also noted that his consideration of the possible tax consequences of the alimony award. (8) Sharon does not have the free use of the home, home furnishings, and automobile. Gary requested the marital home be granted to him in the division of marital property. Sharon is currently living in a home owned by a relative in Baltimore, Maryland, and driving an automobile provided to her by another family member. (9) Sharon and Gary had been married for 16 years at the time the complaint was filed. (10) Sharon has all three children residing with her in Baltimore, Maryland. The chancellor considered the expenses and needs of Sharon and the children. (11) The chancellor also took notice of the consideration of the parties past and present standard of living. (12) The chancellor noted that Gary's misconduct (uncondoned adultery) is a factor to be weighed with all the other factors in making an alimony determination. The chancellor's rulings do not indicate any undue weight given to the wrong doing of Gary. The chancellor stated that the court does not punish Gary for his marital indiscretion. (13) The chancellor made no determination as to whether either party was guilty of a wasteful dissipation of assets. However, both parties during trial presented evidence tending to show that the other was guilty of wasteful dissipation of assets. Sharon presented evidence that Gary was withholding insurance proceeds from an insurance claim concerning her automobile that was destroyed in a collision and that Gary attempted to transfer his business assets to his partner before the divorce proceedings. Gary presented evidence that Sharon was withholding an income tax check in the amount of $40,000 and that the children were claimed as her dependents on her tax return thereby causing him to incur additional income tax. (14) The chancellor considered the obligations and assets of each party. (15) Sharon is 44 years old, and Gary is 48 years old. Gary is in good health and there is no reason why he will not continue to work for years to come. Sharon is currently in ill health due to an auto accident and has a history of depression requiring medication. (16) The tax consequences of a spousal support order were considered. (17) The court made no reference to specific other relevant factors considered in the award of periodic alimony. ¶ 21. In summary, the chancellor found that the award of periodic alimony would not prevent Gary from living a normal life under a reasonable standard of living. Gary's adjusted monthly gross income is $34,418.00. The chancellor granted Sharon alimony in the amount of $4,000.00 per month and child support in the amount of $1,500.00 per child (which aggregates to $4,500.00 each month for all the children). This leaves Gary with $25,918.00 of income left per month (roughly $311,016.00 per year) which is more than ample for him to lead a normal life with a reasonable standard of living. ¶ 22. We have upheld a $4,200.00 a month periodic alimony award in a divorce involving $4 million in marital property and where the husband's yearly adjusted gross income amounted to $409,396. Waring v. Waring, 747 So.2d 252, 254 (Miss. 1999). The chancellor in this case awarded Sharon $4,000 a month in periodic alimony and the marital property totals $2,444,078.90. ¶ 23. A significant disparity in earning capacity is a major factor in the determination of a periodic alimony award. Vaughn v. Vaughn, 798 So.2d 431, 436 (Miss.2001). The record shows that there is a great disparity in earning capacity between Gary and Sharon. Likewise her earning capacity has been diminished by her foregoing a career to raise their family. If she was to obtain nursing re-certification, she would still begin work with no seniority and a salary that would not be comparable to that of Gary. The chancellor did not abuse his discretion in providing Sharon with periodic alimony in the amount of $4,000.00 per month. The decision to award alimony is amply supported by the evidence and involved in-depth fact finding on the part of the chancellor. Further, there is no indication in the record or the rulings that the chancellor weighed too heavily on the adultery factor in making his determination to award Sharon alimony.