Wholaver, L. v. Wholaver, F.

CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedAugust 13, 2025
Docket1356 WDA 2024
StatusUnpublished

This text of Wholaver, L. v. Wholaver, F. (Wholaver, L. v. Wholaver, F.) 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
Wholaver, L. v. Wholaver, F., (Pa. Ct. App. 2025).

Opinion

J-A13006-25

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT O.P. 65.37

LINDSAY M. WHOLAVER : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF : PENNSYLVANIA : v. : : : FRANKLIN T. WHOLAVER, JR. : : Appellant : No. 1356 WDA 2024

Appeal from the Decree Entered October 2, 2024 In the Court of Common Pleas of Clearfield County Civil Division at No(s): 2020-414-CD

BEFORE: BOWES, J., OLSON, J., and BENDER, P.J.E.

MEMORANDUM BY BOWES, J.: FILED: August 13, 2025

Franklin T. Wholaver, Jr. (“Husband”) appeals from the divorce decree

entered October 2, 2024, challenging the December 8, 2023 orders rendered

final thereby that resolved the economic claims filed by Lindsay M. Wholaver

(“Wife”). We vacate and remand for further proceedings consistent with this

memorandum.

Given our disposition, we provide an abridged factual recitation taken

from the report of the divorce master and the evidence cited therein.1

____________________________________________

1 As for the background, our review of the case histories offered by the parties

in their briefs compels us to note that our rules specify that the statement of the case shall contain, inter alia, “[a] closely condensed chronological statement, in narrative form, of all the facts which are necessary to be known in order to determine the points in controversy, with an appropriate reference in each instance to the place in the record where the evidence substantiating (Footnote Continued Next Page) J-A13006-25

Husband and Wife married in February 2008. They have three minor children

who, at the time of the hearings discussed in this appeal, were in Wife’s

primary physical custody. During the marriage, Husband was the main

breadwinner after he completed his undergraduate education, ultimately

earning a masters in business administration. In addition to his salary and

benefits from employment as a manager with a manufacturing company,

Husband pursued earning additional income from online sales of t-shirts and

video games, as well as through investments in stocks, options, and

cryptocurrency. Wife’s principal occupation was as a homemaker, with some

income earned from time to time through breeding Siberian huskies and

working as an exotic dancer. Wife assisted Husband with the online sales, but

generally did not participate in managing the family’s finances. The parties

enjoyed a typical middle class lifestyle, but acquired debt to maintain it.

The parties separated in July 2019, and Wife filed for divorce in March

2020, seeking equitable distribution, alimony, and attorney fees. In April

the fact relied on may be found.” Pa.R.A.P. 2117(a)(4). All argument is to be excluded from the statement: “The statement of the case shall not contain any argument. It is the responsibility of appellant to present in the statement of the case a balanced presentation of the history of the proceedings and the respective contentions of the parties.” Pa.R.A.P. 2117(b). Here, Husband’s statement of the case is patently biased and argumentative, and also contains extraneous information, in great detail, not pertinent to any issues he raises. Wife’s brief contains an optional counterstatement of the case which likewise injects advocacy into the narrative. We admonish counsel for both parties to follow the rules and save advocacy for the argument section of a brief.

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2021, the trial court appointed a divorce master who held hearings on June

and July 2022. At that time, Husband’s monthly net income was roughly

$7,200, while Wife took home less than $1,200 per month from her part-time

job as a sales associate. Additionally, Wife was awarded alimony pendente

lite of approximately $1,460 per month.

The parties stipulated to the values of many of the marital assets, such

as a handful of bank accounts totaling approximately $3,000, as well as their

considerable liabilities, which included a mortgage on the marital residence

and vehicle loans that were close to or in excess of the value of the collateral,

and over $100,000 in other loans and credit card debt.2 The largest assets of

stipulated value were Husband’s 401(k) retirement plan with a value of just

over $24,000 at the date of separation, and the inventory for online sales

through fulfillment by Amazon (“FBA”) stipulated to be worth slightly more

than $10,000.

The main areas of contention related to several financial accounts that

Husband managed post-separation: a Robinhood stock account, the FBA

accounts for the online sales, and a Voyager cryptocurrency trading account

2 The stipulated value of the home was $106,000, while the outstanding balance on the mortgage was $111,880.33. One of the two vehicles purchased during the marriage was worth approximately $3,000 more than was owed on it, while the other was valued at $2,000 with a nearly $4,000 loan balance.

-3- J-A13006-25

that Husband opened in 2021. The master summarized Husband’s position

and evidence on these matters as follows:

Husband argues that the appropriate valuation for the Robinhood stock account is $350.48. In support of his position, Husband submitted Defendant’s Exhibit 5, a Robinhood statement identified for the period of July 1, 2019 through July 31, 2019 that identifies the total securities as $350.48. Husband testified that the Robinhood account, similar to his 401(k), Voyager account, and any other stock account, decreased in value due to market experience.

Moreover, Husband admitted into evidence Defendant’s Exhibit 14, which he identified as deposits and withdrawals into his Robinhood account. The last page of Defendant’s Exhibit 14 was identified as a summary of the deposits and withdrawals Husband made to various accounts. Specifically, the last page of Defendant’s Exhibit 14 purportedly shows deposits and withdrawals regarding his 401(k), his Robinhood account, his Voyager account, and his Amazon FBA. Husband testified that the summary was to evidence his movement of funds from one account to the others to keep his investments level, to adjust for reductions in stock, and to create a diversified portfolio.

Husband also entered into evidence Defendant’s Exhibit 46, a later Robinhood statement with an updated timeframe of June 30, 2022. Said exhibit identified the value of the Robinhood account as $12,093.01.

Master’s Report, 1/12/23, at 26-27 (cleaned up).

Meanwhile, Wife proposed a valuation of the Robinhood account of

$24,814.83, supported by a tax document from February 2020. Id. at 27

(citing Plaintiff’s Exhibit F). She contended that Husband’s proposed valuation

was lower not because of poor stock market performance, but because

Husband unilaterally withdrew funds. Id. She further argues that Husband’s

commingling of any separate assets with marital assets in the financial

-4- J-A13006-25

accounts post-separation rendered the whole amount marital property subject

to equitable distribution. Id. (citing Verholek v. Verholek, 741 A.2d 792,

797 (Pa.Super. 1999) (“[O]nce non-marital property is combined and

comingled with marital property, it loses its identity as non-marital property

and takes on the status of marital property.”)).

Wife additionally asserted that the summary of post-separation deposits

and withdrawals at the end of Husband’s Exhibit 14 established “that Husband

made significant unilateral withdrawals to the aforementioned accounts.” Id.

The master explained:

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Wholaver, L. v. Wholaver, F., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wholaver-l-v-wholaver-f-pasuperct-2025.