Postema v. Postema

Facts

Plaintiff and defendant were married on August 11, 1984. At the time of their marriage, defendant was employed as a cost accountant and plaintiff was working as a licensed practical nurse and attending school in pursuit of an associate’s degree in nursing so that she could become a registered nurse. The parties planned that when they married, defendant would enroll in law school and that plaintiff would postpone her schooling and work full-time to support them while defendant attended school. In furtherance of the parties’ plan, plaintiff obtained a full-time job at an area hospital, earning approximately $53,000 during the period defendant was in law school. Defendant proved to be a successful law student and accepted a position as an associate attorney with a law firm at a starting annual salary of $41,000. In November, 1987, however, the parties separated. Despite the separation, plaintiff continued her classes and eventually received her degree. The trial court determined that defendant’s law degree was a marital asset subject to distribution. The court valued the degree at $80,000, and awarded plaintiff, as her share of degree, $32,000.