L.G. VS. L.G. (FM-14-0488-16, MORRIS COUNTY AND STATEWIDE)

New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division·Decided July 17, 2020·No. A-5057-18T1·Unpublished

Opinion

NOT FOR PUBLICATION WITHOUT THE APPROVAL OF THE APPELLATE DIVISION This opinion shall not "constitute precedent or be binding upon any court." Although it is posted on the internet, this opinion is binding only on the parties in the case and its use in other cases is limited. R. 1:36-3.

SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY APPELLATE DIVISION

DOCKET NO. A-5057-18T1

L.G., Plaintiff-Respondent,

v. L.G.,1

Defendant-Appellant.

Argued telephonically May 27, 2020 – Decided July 17, 2020

Before Judges Yannotti, Currier and Firko.

On appeal from the Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division, Family Part, Morris County, Docket No. FM-14-0488-16.

Matthew J. Pires argued the cause for appellant (Weiner Law Group, LLP, attorneys; Matthew J. Pires, on the briefs).

L.G., respondent, argued the cause pro se.

1 We use initials to identify the parties because in the opinion, we discuss personal and financial information about the parties and one of their children. R. 1:38-3(d)(1), (3), and (9).

PER CURIAM Defendant appeals from and challenges certain provisions of the Dual Final Judgment of Divorce dated June 12, 2019, and a post-judgment order dated July 26, 2019. We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand for further proceedings.

I.

We briefly summarize the pertinent facts. The parties were married in May 1996, and they have two children, S.G. (born in April 1998) and M.G. (born in December 2002). Defendant is the owner and sole employee of a construction business. Defendant drew a salary from a business account. He asserted that in 2019, he had an annual salary of $245,000.

Plaintiff graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in 1995, with a degree in fine arts and interior design. In March 1997, plaintiff was working as an interior designer earning $32,000 per year. She worked until S.G. was born. Since that time, she has been a stay-at-home parent.

In 1997, the parties purchased the marital home in Rockaway and borrowed $200,000. Repayment of the loan was secured by a mortgage on the property. In 2003, the parties obtained a home equity line of credit (HELOC) for emergencies. During the recession that began in 2007, the parties withdrew

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$80,000 from the HELOC to cover expenses for defendant's business. By 2014, the loan for the purchase of the marital home had been fully repaid.

In October 2015, plaintiff filed a complaint for divorce, and defendant filed an answer and counterclaim. Both parties alleged irreconcilable differences. At the time plaintiff filed her complaint, the outstanding balance on the HELOC was about $68,000.

In December 2015, after defendant allegedly threatened her, plaintiff obtained a temporary restraining order (TRO). Several days after the court issued the TRO, defendant was arrested for driving under the influence and possession of cocaine. According to plaintiff, during the marriage, defendant abused cocaine. In February 2016, a Family Part judge entered a final restraining order (FRO).

Plaintiff alleged that after the court issued the FRO, defendant began to deny her access to marital funds and she sought pendente lite support payments. The court ordered defendant to pay plaintiff $5200 per month; however, defendant only paid plaintiff $2000 per month. In May 2016, defendant withdrew $150,000 from the HELOC. He used much of those funds to pay litigation expenses, in violation of court orders precluding such use of the funds.

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The judge conducted a trial in the matter. The parties testified, and defendant presented testimony from Brian T. Corcoran, a forensic accountant. On June 12, 2019, the judge filed the judgment with an attached statement of reasons.

The judgment provides, among other things, that defendant shall pay plaintiff non-taxable alimony of $6700 per month for fourteen years, and unallocated child support in the amount of $1300 per month. The judgment states that plaintiff shall retain the marital residence, subject to the HELOC, and pay defendant $8701, which represents his remaining equity interest in the residence.

The judgment further provides that defendant's pendente lite support arrears are $19,600, and defendant would be responsible to pay the first $40,000 of M.G.'s college costs because he deleted an account established by the parties for S.G.'s college costs. In addition, the judgment states that plaintiff is entitled to $16,299 for the equitable distribution of the parties' marital property, and defendant shall pay plaintiff the HELOC funds remaining in his account at Bank of America.

Defendant filed a notice of appeal on July 23, 2019. Thereafter, the trial judge filed an order dated July 26, 2019, which amended the judgment, and

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provided an amplification of the reasons for his decision. The July 26, 2019 order states that plaintiff shall remove defendant from the HELOC within 180 days and, if she is unable to do so through no fault of her own, plaintiff must hold defendant harmless for any post-judgment HELOC liabilities. The order also increased the amount of plaintiff's equitable distribution payment to $32,110.85.

On appeal, defendant argues the trial judge erred by: (1) not imputing any income to plaintiff in computing alimony and child support; (2) finding plaintiff's statements as to the marital and current lifestyle expenses credible and awarding her alimony of $6700 per month; (3) awarding plaintiff limited duration alimony for fourteen years; (4) calculating the amount of his pendente lite arrears; (5) failing to provide the parties with specific guidance regarding the removal of his name from the HELOC; (6) ordering defendant to disburse the HELOC funds in his account to plaintiff; and (7) requiring that he pay the first $40,000 of M.G.'s college costs.

II.

The scope of our review of the trial court's findings of fact is "limited."

Cesare v. Cesare, 154 N.J. 394, 411 (1998). An appellate court should not disturb the trial court's fact findings unless they "are so manifestly unsupported

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by or inconsistent with the competent, relevant and reasonably credible evidence as to offend the interests of justice." Id. at 412 (quoting Rova Farms Resort, Inc. v. Investors Ins. Co., 65 N.J. 474, 484 (1974)). Our deference to the trial court's fact-finding is "especially appropriate 'when the evidence is largely testimonial and involves questions of credibility.'" Ibid. (quoting In re Return of Weapons to J.W.D., 149 N.J. 108, 117 (1997)).

Deference to the trial court's credibility findings also is warranted because the trial judge had the opportunity to observe the witnesses and hear their testimony. Gallo v. Gallo, 66 N.J. Super. 1, 5-6 (App. Div. 1961). Consequently, the trial judge "has a better perspective than a reviewing court" to evaluate "the veracity of witnesses." Pascale v. Pascale, 113 N.J. 20, 33 (1988).

We also accord deference to fact-finding by the Family Part because of that court's "special jurisdiction and expertise in family matters . . . ." Cesare, 154 N.J. at 413. We note, however, that "[a] trial court's interpretation of the law and the legal consequences that flow from established facts are not entitled to any special deference." Manalapan Realty, L.P. v. Twp. Comm. of Manalapan, 140 N.J. 366, 378 (1995).

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III.

As noted, defendant argues that the trial judge erred by failing to impute income to plaintiff for purposes of alimony and child support. Defendant contends the evidence shows that plaintiff has the ability to return to work and she has not made sufficient efforts to obtain such employment.

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