Court Opinion

ID: 9854694
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 06:12:04.936255+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:23:16.137506
License: Public Domain

*439Judge Hedrick concurring in the result joined by Judge Webb.
Defendant does not challenge the trial court’s findings of fact, but rather contends that the findings compel a conclusion that defendant’s contributions to the marriage greatly exceeded those of the plaintiff, and that this discrepancy is so great that an unequal division of the marital property was required as a matter of law. While we agree with Judge Hill that the court’s findings of fact support its conclusions of law, we believe it inadvisable in this case to undertake a definitive discussion of the Equitable Distribution Act. A great deal of Judge Hill’s opinion is dicta, unnecessary to the decision. We note with special concern Judge Hill’s discussion of the proper standard of appellate review. He speaks first of “limited discretion,” later of “broad discretion,” and finally concludes that “[t]he court’s conclusion is supported by the findings of fact;” and thus does not amount to “an abuse of discretion.” Despite Judge Hill’s conscientious discussion of the issue, we are unable to distill from the opinion a resolution of the question of the proper standard of review. Because we believe the result is the same under any standard of review, we would leave the question for another day.