Rumpel v. Skaggs
Annotate this CaseAfter a trial, the circuit court dissolved the marriage of Kaven Rumpel and Kathie Rumpel, restored to the parties their non-marital property, apportioned between them the marital debts and assets, and awarded Kathie maintenance and attorneys’ fees. The court of appeals affirmed. The Supreme Court reversed in part the trial court’s judgment and vacated Kathie’s award of attorneys’ fees, holding (1) the trial court abused its discretion by awarding attorneys’ fees as a discovery sanction for a party’s refusal to admit a fact genuinely in dispute; (2) the trial court abused its discretion by substantially amending, in response to Kathie’s post-trial motion, its judgment regarding the value of the principal marital asset, as such a post-judgment motion is not available for the assertion of claims that could have been asserted prior to judgment; and (3) the award of attorneys’ fees must be readdressed by the trial court.
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