New York Divorce Report - New York's Divorce and Family Law Blog

In a fascinating case, the Appellate Division, as a punishment, dismissed the appeal of a litigant who deliberately and continuously disobeyed court orders. In the case Wechsler v. Wechsler, a husband was ordered to pay to his wife $22,770,623 as equitable distribution. The husband filed an appeal and refused to pay any part of the judgment, despite repeated court orders requiring his immediate compliance. As a result of the husband’s willful disobedience of court orders, the husband was found to be in contempt of court. The court issued an arrest warrant and ordered the husband, who resided in Colorado,  to... More

Yesterday, I noted that there seemed to be a rash of cases challenging the validity of prenuptial agreements. Today, I continue my review with a case the sends the message that you had better read and fully understand the agreement before you sign it, particularly if you are “well educated.” Blindly entering into an agreement will not invalidate it. In Stawski v Stawski, the Appellate Division upheld the validity of a prenuptial agreement, written in German and signed by an American citizen, in Germany. At the time of its execution, the wife-to-be did not speak German and was not represented... More