Court Opinion

ID: 9739613
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 20:18:27.274409+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:24:13.149549
License: Public Domain

JUSTICE HARRISON, dissenting: As recognized by the majority, the distribution of marital property upon a dissolution of marriage rests within the sound discretion of the trial court and will not be disturbed by a reviewing court absent an abuse of discretion. (In re Marriage of Hellwig (1981), 100 Ill. App. 3d 452, 426 N.E.2d 1087.) While a pension distribution of the type made by the trial court in this case might constitute such an abuse under different circumstances, it does not constitute one here. This is not a case where use of the “immediate offset” approach operates to impose an intolerable financial burden on the pension holder; indeed, it seems apparent from the record that respondent can readily comply with that provision of the judgment directing him to pay petitioner $160,000. Moreover, while the majority discusses in detail the problems inherent in determining the present value of pension plans, the fact remains that the parties stipulated to a value here, and thus provided the trial court with an undisputed basis upon which to utilize the “immediate offset” approach. Lastly, as noted by petitioner, an award of the type made here ends the economic ties between the parties and allows them to plan for their futures with a reasonable degree of certainty. In view of these significant factors supporting the judgment, I simply cannot say that it constitutes an abuse of discretion.