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Articles Posted in QDRO

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Failure to Amend a Qualified Domestic Relations Order under Rule 60

In Williams v. McDonald, the North Carolina Court of Appeals, in an unpublished opinion, reviewed Plaintiff’s appeal from the trial court’s order granting Defendant’s 12(b)(b) motion to dismiss Plaintiff’s complaint. Williams v. McDonald,  COA20-10 (N.C. App 2020). Facts:  Plaintiff and Defendant, after sixteen years of marriage, entered into a Separation Agreement…

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Beauty and the Bread Winner: Innocent Spouse Relief

Schorse v. Comm’r, T.C. Memo. 2018176, 2018 WL 5270556 (2018) (a) Facts: Husband was a computer programmer and wife was a physician. During the marriage, the wife earned 80% to 90% of the parties’ income. For tax years 2002, 2003, and 2004, the wife provided her tax information to the…

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Equitable Distribution: Patterson Saves Retirement

Does the entry of a court-ordered equitable distribution create an interest to a retirement asset? Do you even need to file a DRO or QDRO when an equitable distribution consent order is signed by a judge? See how the North Carolina Court of Appeals saves the award of the marital…

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Looking Out for Our Kids: QDROs and Employer-Provided Life Insurance.

Sun Life Assur. Co. of Canada v. Jackson, 877 F.3d 698 (6th Cir. 2017), cert. denied, 138 S. Ct. 2624 (2018)   (a) Facts: The parties were divorced in 2006.  The divorce decree, which incorporated a separation agreement, ordered the husband to maintain any employer-provided life insurance policies for the…

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Better Late Than Never…but Never Late Is Better; QDROs and Laches.

In re Beeghley, ___ Fed. App’x ___, 2018 WL 3060089 (3d Cir. 2018) (unpublished)   (a) Facts: The parties were divorced in Delaware in 1995.  The trial court divided the husband’s pension and ordered the wife to prepare a DRO.  No DRO was ever signed. The husband remarried, and he…

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“Return to Sender”

Stephens v. Alliant Techsystems Corp., 714 F. App’x 841 (10th Cir. 2017) (unpublished)   (a) Facts: A husband divorced in Utah.  A Utah state court entered at least two DROs dividing retirement benefits, each time reserving jurisdiction to amend the order in the future.  The plan qualified the DROs. The…

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Retirement Benefits Not Part of the Estate in Bankruptcy (In re Lawson)

Carolyn Woodruff, JD, CPA, CVA

In re Lawson, 570 B.R. 563 (Bankr. N.D. Ohio 2017) Facts: A husband and wife filed divorce proceedings in Ohio. Among the marital assets was the husband’s defined contribution retirement plan. The parties read into the record in the Ohio action an agreement that awarded the wife 50% of the…

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When Bankruptcy is Filed Before the DRO

Carolyn Woodruff, JD, CPA, CVA

In re Jeffers, No. 14-52328,    B.R., 2017 WL 2838104 (Bankr. N.D. Ohio June 30, 2017) Facts: A husband and wife divorced in Ohio. The divorce decree awarded the wife an interest in the husband’s retirement benefits. Before a DRO was entered, the husband filed a petition in bankruptcy under Chapter…

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NFL Ex-Wives and QDROs (Garcia-Tatupu  v.  Bert  Bell/Peter  Rozelle  NFL  Player  Ret.  Plan)

Carolyn Woodruff, J.D., C.P.A, C.V.A.

Garcia-Tatupu  v.  Bert  Bell/Peter  Rozelle  NFL  Player  Ret.  Plan,  No.  CV 16-11131-DPW,     F. Supp. 3d   , 2017 WL 1398645 (D. Mass. Apr. 18, 2017) Facts: The husband, a former NFL football player, was divorced from his wife in Massachusetts in 1997. No DRO was entered at the time. The husband…

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DROs and Pension Plans (Dullea v. Pension Benefit Guar. Corp.)

Carolyn Woodruff, J.D., C.P.A, C.V.A.

Dullea v. Pension Benefit Guar. Corp., 241 F. Supp. 3d 155 (D.D.C. 2017) Background: There are two ways in which state courts can make a deferred future division of retirement benefits. The traditional method is the shared interest approach, which awards the nonowning spouse a portion of each future payment…

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