MICHON CHAMBON v. ROBERT CHAMBON (FM-18-0170-09, SOMERSET COUNTY AND STATEWIDE)

CourtNew Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division
DecidedFebruary 17, 2022
DocketA-0354-20
StatusUnpublished

This text of MICHON CHAMBON v. ROBERT CHAMBON (FM-18-0170-09, SOMERSET COUNTY AND STATEWIDE) (MICHON CHAMBON v. ROBERT CHAMBON (FM-18-0170-09, SOMERSET COUNTY AND STATEWIDE)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
MICHON CHAMBON v. ROBERT CHAMBON (FM-18-0170-09, SOMERSET COUNTY AND STATEWIDE), (N.J. Ct. App. 2022).

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NOT FOR PUBLICATION WITHOUT THE APPROVAL OF THE APPELLATE DIVISION This opinion shall not "constitute precedent or be binding upon any court ."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-0354-20

MICHON CHAMBON,

Plaintiff-Respondent, v.

ROBERT CHAMBON,

Defendant-Appellant.

Argued February 3, 2022 – Decided February 17, 2022

Before Judges Haas and Mawla.

On appeal from the Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division, Family Part, Somerset County, Docket No. FM-18-0170-09.

Lisa C. Krenkel argued the cause for appellant (Krenkel & Krenkel, LLC, attorneys; Lisa C. Krenkel, on the briefs).

Steven J. Kossup argued the cause for respondent.

PER CURIAM

Defendant Robert Chambon appeals from four post-judgment orders: a

March 27, 2020 order holding him in violation of litigant's rights; a July 17, 2020 order denying reconsideration of the March order; a September 11, 2020

order; and an amended order dated September 14, 2020, also denying

reconsideration and relief from the March order. We affirm in part and remand

in part for the reasons expressed in this opinion.

Defendant and plaintiff Michon Chambon were married for twenty years.

When they divorced on August 7, 2009, their three children were ages nineteen,

sixteen, and eleven. The judgment of divorce (JOD) incorporated a marital

settlement agreement (MSA) executed a month earlier. The MSA contained the

following provisions relevant to this appeal:

14. [Plaintiff] may remain in the former marital home for a period of two years from the date of this [a]greement. For a period of one year from the date of this [a]greement, while [plaintiff] lives in the home, [defendant] shall pay the mortgage, utilities, real estate taxes, gas, electric, telephone, and all maintenance and repairs. Thereafter, for a period of one year, while [plaintiff] continues to live in the former marital home, [defendant] will be responsible for all shelter expenses with the exception of [fifty percent] of the utilities, internet, television and telephone bills, which shall be [plaintiff's] responsibility; however, [defendant] will advance [plaintiff's fifty percent] share of these expenses, which shall be credited back to [defendant] from his final [l]ump [s]um payments, as set forth below. Further, for the two-year period from the date of this [a]greement, [defendant] shall continue to give [plaintiff] the use of the company car she presently drives. [Defendant] shall be responsible for all

A-0354-20 2 payments on the car, the car insurance, all repair and maintenance expenses. . . .

15. Except as specifically set forth in this [a]greement, neither party will pay alimony or other form of spousal support to, or on behalf of, the other. Specifically, [plaintiff] waives alimony or other spousal support from [defendant]. The consideration for this waiver is a portion of the lump sum payment [defendant] will make to [plaintiff], as well as [defendant's] agreement to pay health insurance premiums for [plaintiff] until she finds full-time employment, or two years, whichever occurs first, and his agreement that [plaintiff] can remain in the marital home for up to two years after the date of this [a]greement, with [defendant] paying the shelter expenses that are set forth below under the "Equitable Distribution" provisions of this [a]greement. . . .

....

22. Personal Property. The parties are confident that they will be able to determine and arrange for the distribution of personal property, including furniture and furnishings, which they will do to their mutual satisfaction. If they are unable to agree, they will bring any remaining disputes to mediation prior to resorting to court action.

23. Cars. The parties' cars are owned by [defendant's] business. Nevertheless, [plaintiff] will continue to have the use of the Chrysler Aspen until she vacates the former marital home, or for two years, whichever occurs first, at which point [plaintiff] shall return the car to [defendant]. The parties will, at that time, obtain a Kelley Blue Book private party sale value, and [defendant] will pay one-half of that value to [plaintiff].

A-0354-20 3 ....

25. Lump Sum Payment. [Defendant] will pay [plaintiff] lump sum payments [totaling] $600,000. . . . These payments shall not be taxable to [plaintiff], or deductible for [defendant]. These lump sum payments are in consideration of equitable distribution set forth, as well as [plaintiff's] waiver of any alimony or other form of spousal support. Payment of this [l]ump [s]um shall be as follows: $20,000 on the signing of this [a]greement; $300,000 when [plaintiff] vacates the marital home, and the balance of $280,000 shall be paid in annual installments of $56,000 for five years thereafter, each installment to be paid on the anniversary of the date [plaintiff] vacated the home. From the final installment, [defendant] shall deduct any monies due him for [plaintiff's fifty percent] of the utility, internet, television and phone expenses due him for the period when [plaintiff] continues to live in the former marital home.

27. [Defendant] will maintain life insurance on his life, in trust, in the amount of $110,000 for the unemancipated children, with [plaintiff] as trustee. [Defendant], in addition to this insurance, will sign a promissory note and mortgage, which shall be recorded as a lien against the marital home, and, to the extent there is insufficient equity in the marital home for this purpose, he shall give [plaintiff] a lien against other properties he owns, in an amount sufficient to secure his lump sum payments due to [plaintiff] under the terms of this [a]greement. The note and mortgage shall be subordinate only to the primary mortgage that [defendant] will need to refinance the home to remove [plaintiff's] name from the existing mortgages.

A-0354-20 4 ....

37. Prior to bringing an issue to the [c]ourt, other than in emergencies, the parties must first make a good faith attempt to amicably resolve their dispute, including submitting to mediation. They must attempt to mediate any dispute that arises between them concerning this [a]greement and any other matter related to their divorce prior to seeking court action. This provision shall not serve as a waiver of any rights that either may have for remedies in [c]ourt, but serves rather as a good faith effort to avoid litigation and acrimony.

The MSA contained no college provision. However, the parties had

custodial accounts for college, which are relevant to this appeal.

On February 25, 2020, plaintiff filed a motion to enforce litigant's rights ,

claiming defendant violated paragraphs twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-five,

twenty-seven, and thirty-seven of the MSA. She certified she moved out of the

marital residence around November 4, 2011, but defendant had only paid her

approximately $150,500 between May 7, 2011 and April 22, 2015. Plaintiff

certified "[d]efendant may be entitled to some credit against this figure in accord

with [p]aragraph [fourteen] of the [MSA], but he has . . . not provided this

information." She sought a judgment for the lump sum amount due under

paragraph twenty-five of $461,500 plus $233,990.55 in interest. The interest on

the lump sum was calculated by a forensic economist, whose report was attached

A-0354-20 5 to plaintiff's certification and stated: "We were . . . advised that in accordance

with the New Jersey [p]ost [j]udgment [i]nterest calculations of outstanding

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Bluebook (online)
MICHON CHAMBON v. ROBERT CHAMBON (FM-18-0170-09, SOMERSET COUNTY AND STATEWIDE), Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/michon-chambon-v-robert-chambon-fm-18-0170-09-somerset-county-and-njsuperctappdiv-2022.