Court Opinion

ID: 9737920
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 19:36:58.009226+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:24:02.457503
License: Public Domain

Brennan, P.J.
(dissenting). I adopt the findings and decision of this Court’s majority which affirmed the trial court’s alimony award.
The defendant contends that the property division contained in the judgment constituted an abuse of discretion by the trial court. I disagree. I acknowledge that the trip to California by defendant occurred after the divorce was in progress. This fact is principally relied on by the majority opinion. The trial court was somewhat limited in its allocution on the record reciting only the California sojourn to support its opinion. However, *502there was ample further evidence in the record to justify the disparity in the awards.
While the trial judge emphasized the fault of the defendant, the record as a whole adequately justifies other equitable considerations. The defendant husband’s future earning potential far surpasses that of the plaintiff. In addition, a substantial portion of the plaintiff’s award consisted of the marital home, which will allow her greater ability to rear her daughter, of whom she was awarded custody. More importantly, the total evidence supports a finding that the defendant’s "affair” predates the filing for divorce by more than a year. Thus, the conduct by the defendant clearly contributed to the breakup of the marriage.
I do not find that the trial judge abused his discretion. I would affirm.