DIVORCE: Wife Awarded Marital Residence, $20,000 and 50 Percent of Pension

Case:  Rabideau v. Rabideau

Court:  Tolland J.D. at Rockville

Doc. No.:  FA11-4014530S; Court Opinion By: Suarez, J.

Date:  Feb. 1, 2012

A court can find one party at greater fault for the breakdown of the marital relationship. The parties married in October 1980, when the wife was 19 years old.  They had two children.  The court found the husband at greater fault for the breakdown of the marital relationship because he allegedly vacated the marital residence in order to live with an old high school friend.  The husband, 50, earns $2,115 gross per week, plus bonuses, as a jet engine mechanic at Citizens Financial Group.  The wife, 50, earned $52,000 gross per year as a driver until she was discharged in 2011.  Currently, she earns $423 gross per week at a part-time job and $260 per week in unemployment benefits.  The court awarded the wife the marital residence in Stafford Springs and awarded the husband his interest in property in Stafford Springs that he inherited.  The court ordered the husband to pay alimony of $325 per week, until the wife’s death, marriage, cohabitation on Feb. 1, 2027, whichever takes place first.  The court ordered the husband to maintain $100,000 in life insurance, and to name the wife as the beneficiary, as long as he is obligated to pay alimony.  The court ordered the husband to pay the wife $20,000 within 120 days, as a lump sum settlement, and to transfer 50 percent of the marital portion of his pension.  The court awarded the wife a Volkswagen Jetta and a Harley Davidson and the husband the 2011 General Motors truck, the 1965 Ford Mustang and two Harley Davidsons.