Hunt, R. v. Hunt, P.

CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedOctober 18, 2023
Docket841 MDA 2022
StatusUnpublished

This text of Hunt, R. v. Hunt, P. (Hunt, R. v. Hunt, P.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hunt, R. v. Hunt, P., (Pa. Ct. App. 2023).

Opinion

J-A13031-23

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT O.P. 65.37

ROBERT A. HUNT : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF : PENNSYLVANIA Appellant : : : v. : : : PENNY ANN HUNT : No. 841 MDA 2022

Appeal from the Order Entered February 9, 2022 In the Court of Common Pleas of York County Civil Division at No(s): 2012-FC-001816-15

ROBERT A. HUNT : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF : PENNSYLVANIA Appellant : : : v. : : : PENNY ANN HUNT : No. 842 MDA 2022

Appeal from the Decree Entered May 9, 2022 In the Court of Common Pleas of York County Civil Division at No(s): 2012-FC-001816-02

BEFORE: BOWES, J., LAZARUS, J., and STEVENS, P.J.E.*

MEMORANDUM BY STEVENS, P.J.E.: FILED OCTOBER 18, 2023

Husband, Robert A. Hunt, appeals from the final decree entered in the

Court of Common Pleas of York County divorcing Husband and Wife, Penny

Ann Hunt, and resolving all outstanding economic issues between them.

____________________________________________

* Former Justice specially assigned to the Superior Court. J-A13031-23

Herein, Husband challenges the trial court’s alimony and equitable distribution

awards as adopted in the May 9, 2022, decree. We affirm.

The trial court provides an apt statement of facts and procedural history,

as follows:

A Complaint in Divorce was filed on October 13, 2012. The parties separated on May 12, 2012. A Divorce Master, Robert A. Kulling, was appointed on June 29, 2017, to address the issue of interim relief and on September 5, 2018, to address claims for equitable distribution, alimony, counsel fees, and costs and expenses. A prehearing Conference was held on October 1, 2018. On November 5, 2018, a Settlement Conference was conducted, but the parties were unable to reach an agreement. This matter was eventually assigned to [the trial court]. Hearings were conducted before [the trial court] on January 9, 2019, April 26, 2019, August 22, 2019, February 28, 2020, October 15, 2020, and November 19, 2020. Numerous Status Conference Hearings and Contempt/Special Hearings were held in addition to these hearings. On September 21, 2021, the [trial court] issued a Final Order on Divorce and Economic Issues.

Stipulated findings of fact indicated that Husband and Wife were married on June 17, 1996, and separated on May 12, 2012. The parties were married for fifteen years and eleven months. This was Husband’s first marriage and Wife’s second marriage. The parties have no children together.

The [trial court] made the following findings of fact regarding Husband’s income and potential to earn.

1. Husband currently pays $1[,]796.38 in support payments. The support payments are set to expire as Husband has paid $98,793.13 out of the $105,421.22 owed to Wife.

2. Husband also pays $359.28 per month in arrears (“arrears payments”). Husband owes over $100,000 in arrears payments.

-2- J-A13031-23

3. Husband is currently employed as an Independent Contractor/business analyst with Kodiak systems. He has worked with this company since 2017. Prior to his current employment, he was the President of CRA collections from 2007-2016, and he worked for UPS for 8 years. Husband also had several other business dealings which were depleted during the marriage.

4. Husband has an Associate’s Degree in Business.

5. Husband’s 2019 Kodiak salary was $163,360.00. In 2018, Husband’s Kodiak salary was $170,136.96. [N.T., 2/28/2020, at 201.] Husband’s salary was consistently higher in prior few years.

6. Husband sought to lower his salary and hid assets. See N.T. 1/9/2012, at 35-36.

7. Husband has received items such as $100,000 sports cars, a Ferrari worth $180,000, trips to Super Bowl on a private jet in lieu of a higher salary, and at least $100,000 as cash bonuses. N.T. at 50-51; see also N.T., 4/26/2019, at 11- 12.

8. Husband has monthly expenses of $10,312.00.

9. Husband has consistently lived at [a] high standard of living and above his means despite separation.

10. In accordance with the findings above, Husband’s annual gross salary is at a minimum above $200,000.

Final Am. Order, 2/9/2022, at 2-3.

Regarding Husband’s salary, the [trial court] noted that “[t]estimony was provided that Husband received a Ferrari, other sports cars, cash bonuses, and other trips in lieu of salary. This indicate[d] that his salary [wa]s probably higher than indicated.” Id. at n1. In noting that Husband lives at a high standard of living and above his means despite separation, the [trial court]noted that this included “[s]ports cars, racing, expensive trips, and etc. See N.T., 10/15/2020, at 133-137.” Id. at n2.

-3- J-A13031-23

The [trial court] made the following findings of fact regarding Wife’s income and potential to earn.

1. Wife is currently employed as a Commercial Underwriter at Farmers First Insurance Company where she has been employed for nine years.

2. Wife’s 2019 salary was $70,047.00.
3. Wife has monthly expenses of $4,089.95.

4. Wife is currently in breast cancer remission and has fragile health.

5. Wife’s annual gross salary is 72,721.44. See Wife’s Ex. 170.

6. Prior to separation, Wife consistently lived at a high standard of living.

7. Wife has been unable to sustain the prior standard of living and her medical expenses have greatly depleted her resources and her primary source of income.

8. At the time of the last hearing, Wife was receiving temporary support payments which is almost depleted.

9. In addition to support payments, Wife is currently owed over $100,000 in arrears payments from Husband.

Id. at 3-4.

On October 1, 2021, Husband filed a Motion for Reconsideration. On

October 14, 2021, Wife filed a Motion for Reconsideration. On February 8,

2022, a hearing on cross-motions for reconsideration was held. As a result,

on February 9, 2022, the final order was amended regarding the payment plan

on page twenty-three and the requirement to purchase life insurance on page

-4- J-A13031-23

twenty-four. On May 9, 2022, a divorce decree was entered. On June 6,

2022, Husband filed a Notice of Appeal and a Concise Statement of Matters

Complained of on Appeal.

Husband raises in his appellate brief the following Statement of

Questions Presented for this Court’s consideration:

1. Did the trial court err in its reasoning and analysis of the award of alimony to Wife?

2. Did the trial court err in its calculation of the value of marital assets by assigning two separate values to the marital home, to the detriment of Husband?

3. Did the trial court err in ordering that Husband’s non-marital property, a personal injury settlement, should be attached as part of the divorce process and distributed to Wife before the entry of the divorce decree, and prior to the date of a final order?

4. Did the trial court err in ordering funds contained in escrow and held by Wife’s counsel to be distributed to Wife prior to the entry of a divorce decree, prior to the date of a final order?

5. Did the trial court improperly fail to consider the inordinate length of the litigation in this case, as well as the lengthy separation of the parties, during which time Husband paid support to Wife, as a factor in the case when creating its final order for equitable distribution and alimony?

6. Did the trial court improperly weight evidence from Husband’s ex-girlfriend in making key evidentiary determinations in the case?

-5- J-A13031-23

7. Did the trial court improperly consider a higher than actual sale value of several marital assets, including the Gettysburg painting and the Nissan Acura?

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