Stephens v. Alliant Techsystems Corp., 714 F. App’x 841 (10th Cir. 2017) (unpublished) (a) Facts: A husband divorced in Utah.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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Patterson v. Chrysler Group, LLC, 845 F.3d 756 (6th Cir. 2017) Facts: A divorce decree awarded the wife an interest in the husband’s retirement and survivor benefits, expressly ordering him not to elect a survivor beneficiary other than the wife. The wife did not obtain a QDRO. Upon retirement, the…
McCarthy Estate of McCarthy, 145 F. Supp. 3d 278 (S.D.N.Y. 2015) Facts: A husband and wife were divorced in Florida. In an agreement incorporated into the decree, the husband agreed to maintain his wife and daughters as beneficiaries of $4 million in life insurance. When the husband died in 2013,…
Walsh v. Dively, 551 B.R. 570 (W.D. Pa. 2016) Facts: When husband and wife were divorced in Pennsylvania, they agreed that the wife would receive 50% of the husband’s retirement. The agreement was incorporated into the divorce decree, but no DRO was entered. The wife then filed for Chapter 7…
State Farm Life & Assurance Co. v. Goecks, F. Supp. 3d , 2016 WL 1715205 (W.D. Wis. 2016) Facts: A Wisconsin divorce decree provided: The respondent [Gary] shall be required to maintain the petitioner [Sharon] as the primary, irrevocable beneficiary on one third of the face value of all his…
Family Chiropractic Sports Injury & Rehab Clinic, v. Comm’r, T.C. Memo. 2016-10, 2016 WL 234515 (2016) Facts: Husband and wife operated a chiropractic The practice had an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (“ESOP”). Husband and wife were the only participants. The parties were divorced in Iowa. The decree was silent on…