McGovern v. McGovern, No. Fa95-0125223 (Nov. 26, 1997)

1997 Conn. Super. Ct. 12222
CourtConnecticut Superior Court
DecidedNovember 26, 1997
DocketNo. FA95-0125223
StatusUnpublished

This text of 1997 Conn. Super. Ct. 12222 (McGovern v. McGovern, No. Fa95-0125223 (Nov. 26, 1997)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Connecticut Superior Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McGovern v. McGovern, No. Fa95-0125223 (Nov. 26, 1997), 1997 Conn. Super. Ct. 12222 (Colo. Ct. App. 1997).

Opinion

[EDITOR'S NOTE: This case is unpublished as indicated by the issuing court.]MEMORANDUM OF DECISION The parties to this dissolution action enjoyed several financially successful years in the 80's and 90's as a result of their joint efforts to establish and develop Cine-Med, Inc., a business they incorporated in 1982 to produce medical education materials in a variety of mediums. Now that their marriage has been dissolved1 they are at issue, among other things, over the present value of their corporation and the disposition of their respective 26% shares. They also dispute the value and distribution of several pieces of commercial real estate purchased over the past several years. Finally, the defendant, Mr. McGovern, denies a continuing obligation to support Mrs. McGovern for more than a brief period and a minimal amount.

Suanne and Leo McGovern were married at Woodbury, Connecticut on April 14, 1973. Therefore, on the return date they had been CT Page 12223 married almost 22 years. There are three children issue of the marriage, all of whom have reached their majority.

Mrs. McGovern, the plaintiff, is 49 years old, and in August 1997 she secured a ".8" teaching position in the Watertown school system, paying her approximately $33,000 annually. Her net weekly income, based on a pay stub submitted by agreement after the close of all the evidence and marked as Exhibit UU, is $448. Although Mrs. McGovern claimed weekly expenses of $1,290 in the financial affidavit she submitted at trial, the court has adjusted that amount to eliminate expenses claimed for her adult children and to reduce other expenses to a more reasonable amount. Based on these adjustments, the court finds that Mrs. McGovern's weekly expenditures for reasonable and necessary expenses are approximately $770.2

In addition to her 26% interest in Cine-Med, Mrs. McGovern owns the former family home at 94 Old Town Farms Road in Woodbury jointly with Mr. McGovern, and she has the same ownership interest in a commercial property located at 121 Main St. North in Woodbury. Mr. McGovern and she also own stock in a telephone company worth approximately $18,000. Mrs. McGovern has a 401K account of $20,000 and an IRA of $9,000. When the trial began she showed liabilities of $28,000 on her financial affidavit, all but $3,000 of which represented counsel fees.

Mrs. McGovern has an interest in an irrevocable trust created by her mother and stepfather, and the parties agreed that the present value of her share in that trust is $165,000. She has not received any funds from the trust and, according to its terms, will not receive any until the death of her mother. Moreover, Mrs. McGovern's share is subject to reduction according to the needs and desires of her mother during her lifetime. Therefore, the present value of Mrs. McGovern's share is not probative of what the trust may actually be worth to her, if anything, when the time comes for its distribution.

Since Mrs. McGovern's mother is still living, her interest in this trust may be considered no more than an expectancy. SeeRubin vs. Rubin, 204 Conn. 224, 232 (1987); Bartlett v. Bartlett,220 Conn. 372, 376, 381 (1991). In any event, the value of her interest is undeterminable at this time. Therefore, the court will not include the present valuation of Mrs. McGovern's interest in the parties' marital estate. When Mrs. McGovern's share is determined, her receipt of it may serve as a basis for CT Page 12224 modification of the periodic alimony orders entered as part of the dissolution. Id., 380-84. See also Eslami vs. Eslami,218 Conn. 801, 806-08 (1991).

Mr. McGovern is 59 years old. While he suffers from a number of illnesses, his physician's testimony made it clear that none of these conditions prevent him from carrying on the type of business-related activities necessary for him to continue his entrepreneurial career.

When the trial of this matter began in March 1997, Mr. McGovern showed net weekly income on his financial affidavit of $1,567, of which $756 resulted from his employment at Cine-Med. Shortly thereafter, however, although he was and continues to be the chief executive officer of that corporation, he was "fired" by his son, Kevin, who has been the president of the corporation for approximately three years and is responsible for its day-to-day operations. On a financial affidavit filed thereafter, Mr. McGovern showed net weekly income of only $909, $289 of which represented unemployment compensation.

Having heard the testimony of both Mr. McGovern and Kevin McGovern as to the circumstances surrounding the "firing" of Mr. McGovern, the court is skeptical. Kevin McGovern is Mr. McGovern's son from a prior marriage and Mrs. McGovern's stepson. He came to live with the parties when he was 14 years old, and Mrs. McGovern was responsible for his care until he was graduated from high school. This is the same Kevin McGovern who, nevertheless, fired Mrs. McGovern from her position at Cine-Med in February of 1996, despite the fact that she was a 26% shareholder and had worked continuously for the business from its inception in 1982. The court cannot escape the impression, and it finds, that the Messrs. McGovern have combined to force Mrs. McGovern out of the business and, through the "firing" of Mr. McGovern, to reduce his apparent ability to provide support for Mrs. McGovern in the future.

Notwithstanding the court's skepticism about the genuineness of Mr. McGovern's reduction in income while this case was on trial, its findings as to his ability to support Mrs. McGovern need not be based on speculation. A constant factor on Mr. McGovern's financial affidavits is his income from Northwood LLC and 40 Main Street North LLC, two real estate management firms of which he is part-owner. Those firms generated far more income that was available to Mr. McGovern during 1995 and 1996 than is CT Page 12225 shown on his financial affidavits. For example, based on Northwood's partnership return for the year ended December 31, 1996 (Exhibit TT), its net income was $124,000, after depreciation expenses are deducted from the expenses it claimed for tax purposes.3 Similarly, and based on its return for 1995 (Exhibit CC), Northwood's actual net income for that year was $128,000. Since Mr. McGovern is the 90% owner of Northwood, 90% of its net income ($115,200) is available to him, whether or not he actually withdraws it as cash distribution. See Stearns v.Stearns, 4 Conn. App. 323, 325-26 (1985). The same analysis applies to 40 Main Street North LLC, and its net income in 1995 was $21,842.4 As one of three partners, Mr. McGovern was entitled to one-third, $7,281. Thus, his gross income from his shares in these two LLC's in 1995 was $122,481. The court's orders concerning Mr. McGovern's continuing obligation to support Mrs. McGovern by way of alimony payments will be based upon findings as to his available income, after deduction of appropriate taxes, from the funds available to him from these LLC's.

Mr. McGovern's reasonable and necessary weekly expenses are difficult to estimate accurately post-divorce because of his proposal, which the court will adopt, that he obtain a loan to pay off the mortgages on the former family home. No evidence was introduced as to the effect this will have on his weekly expenditures.

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Bluebook (online)
1997 Conn. Super. Ct. 12222, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcgovern-v-mcgovern-no-fa95-0125223-nov-26-1997-connsuperct-1997.