Garner v. Garner, 307 A.D.2d 510 (N.Y. App. Div. 2003). · Go Syfert
Garner v. Garner, 307 A.D.2d 510 (N.Y. App. Div. 2003). Cases Citing This Book View Copy Cite
16 citation events (16 in the last 25 years) across 1 distinct court.
Top citers, strongest first. 9 distinct citers. How cited ↗
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Rizzo v. Rizzo
N.Y. App. Div. · 2014 · confidence medium
In addition, the parties do not dispute that they treated past payments made to them from the annuity as marital property, that those monthly payments were direct-deposited into a joint bank account bearing both parties’ names, and that those funds were thereafter immediately transferred into a joint checking account set up to pay household and living expenses (see Crescimanno v Crescimanno, 33 AD3d 649, 649-650 [2006]; Garner v Garner, 307 AD2d 510, 512 [2003]).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Burnett v. Burnett
N.Y. App. Div. · 2012 · confidence medium
Although the governing statute provides that compensation for personal injury constitutes separate property {see Domestic Relations Law § 236 [B] [1] [d] [2]), here, Supreme Court noted the complete lack of any evidence upon which the funds might have been allocated as between the husband’s personal injury claim and the wife’s consortium claim, and the substantial evidence supporting the legal presumption that the parties wished to treat the proceeds as joint assets of the marriage (see Cameron v Cameron, 22 AD3d 911, 912 [2005]; Garner v Garner, 307 AD2d 510, 512 [2003], lv denied 100 NY…
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Burnett v. Burnett
N.Y. App. Div. · 2012 · confidence medium
Although the governing statute provides that compensation for personal injury constitutes separate property {see Domestic Relations Law § 236 [B] [1] [d] [2]), here, Supreme Court noted the complete lack of any evidence upon which the funds might have been allocated as between the husband’s personal injury claim and the wife’s consortium claim, and the substantial evidence supporting the legal presumption that the parties wished to treat the proceeds as joint assets of the marriage (see Cameron v Cameron, 22 AD3d 911, 912 [2005]; Garner v Garner, 307 AD2d 510, 512 [2003], lv denied 100 NY…
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Renga v. Renga
N.Y. App. Div. · 2011 · confidence medium
However, the deposit of separate property into a joint bank account gives rise to a presumption that each party is entitled to a share of the property (see Banking Law § 675 [b]; Chamberlain v Chamberlain, 24 AD3d 589, 593 [2005]; Garner v Garner, 307 AD2d 510, 512 [2003]).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Currie v. McTague
N.Y. App. Div. · 2011 · confidence medium
In view of these contradictions, as well as the uncorroborated nature of defendant’s testimony (see Garner v Garner, 307 AD2d 510, 512 [2003], lv denied 100 NY2d 516 [2003]), we conclude that defendant did not meet his burden to rebut the presumption that the funds were marital property (see Fehring v Fehring, 58 AD3d at 1062 ; Kay v Kay, 302 AD2d at 713 ; Rosenkranse v Rosenkranse, 290 AD2d at 686 ).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) In re the Estate of Corcoran
N.Y. App. Div. · 2009 · confidence medium
Both this Court as well as other Departments apply the Banking Law § 675 (b) presumption to joint brokerage and investment accounts (see Fehring v Fehring, 58 AD3d 1061, 1062 [2009]; Schwalb v Schwalb, 50 AD3d 1206, 1209 [2008]; Matter of Richichi, 38 AD3d 558, 559 [2007]; Chamberlain v Chamberlain, 24 AD3d 589, 593 [2005]; Garner v Garner, 307 AD2d 510, 512 [2003], lv denied 100 NY2d 516 [2003]; Kay v Kay, 302 AD2d 711, 713 [2003]; Matter of Kiejliches, 292 AD2d 530, 530-531 [2002]; Rosenkranse v Rosenkranse, 290 AD2d 685, 686 [2002]; Fischedick v Heitmann, 267 AD2d 592, 592 [1999]; Pinasco …
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Dowd v. Dowd (2×)
N.Y. App. Div. · 2009 · confidence medium
Initially, we note that, in light of the long separation of the parties prior to the divorce action, the standard of living during the marriage was not a consideration (see Garner v Garner, 307 AD2d 510, 511 [2003], lv denied 100 NY2d 516 [2003]).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Fehring v. Fehring
N.Y. App. Div. · 2009 · confidence medium
The fact that the deposit is not made into a traditional banking account, but instead into a joint brokerage or investment account, does not, as urged by plaintiff, change the application of this well-established principle (see generally Schwalb v Schwalb, 50 AD3d 1206, 1209 [2008]; Garner v Garner, 307 AD2d 510, 512 [2003], lv denied 100 NY2d 516 [2003]; Kay v Kay, 302 AD2d 711, 713 [2003]; Rosenkranse v Rosenkranse, 290 AD2d at 686 ).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Frost v. Frost
N.Y. App. Div. · 2008 · confidence medium
Contrary to the contention of defendant, the court properly concluded that she failed to rebut the presumption that the proceeds of her personal injury settlement, which were deposited into the parties’ joint checking account, were marital property (see Garner v Garner, 307 AD2d 510, 512 [2003], lv denied 100 NY2d 516 [2003]; see also Di Nardo v Di Nardo, 144 AD2d 906 [1988]).
Retrieving the full opinion text from the archive…
Grover D. Garner
v.
Irene F. Garner
Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York.
Jul 10, 2003.
307 A.D.2d 510
Kane.
Cited by 12 opinions  |  Published
Kane, J.

Appeal from a judgment of the Supreme Court (Hughes, J.H.O.), ordering, inter alia, equitable distribution of the parties’ marital property, entered[*511] March 20, 2002 in Schoharie County, upon a decision of the court.

The parties were married in 1965. In 1988, plaintiff was involved in an accidental fall which caused severe personal injuries. The parties commenced a personal injury action, resulting in a judgment which netted plaintiff slightly over $252,000* and defendant $27,672.95 on her derivative claim. Plaintiff’s check, received in June 1992, was deposited in a joint checking account for a few months, then $250,000 was placed in a jointly owned First Albany investment account. Defendant’s derivative award was maintained by her in a separate account. In July 1993, defendant moved from the marital residence and never returned. Plaintiff filed for divorce and defendant counterclaimed. After trial, Supreme Court granted plaintiff a divorce. The judgment, as relevant here, determined that the money from plaintiffs personal injury judgment was marital property, distributed the First Albany investment account 100% to plaintiff, determined that defendant’s $27,672.95 from her derivative claim was separate property, and did not award defendant maintenance. Defendant appeals.

The determination to award maintenance and the proper amount of such award are committed to the trial court’s sound discretion (see Gaglio v Molnar-Gaglio, 300 AD2d 934, 939 [2002]; Myers v Myers, 255 AD2d 711, 716 [1998]). In making this determination, the court must consider certain statutory factors (see Domestic Relations Law § 236 [B] [6] [a]; Myers v Myers, supra at 716-717). While marital fault does not preclude an award of maintenance, it may be considered in the determination (see Myers v Myers, supra at 716-717; Zurner v Zurner, 213 AD2d 906, 908 [1995], lv denied 87 NY2d 802 [1995]). Although the marital standard of living is generally considered as a factor (see Shortis v Shortis, 274 AD2d 880, 882 [2000]), it is not appropriate here as the parties had not lived together for five years at the time the divorce action was commenced and for over eight years at the time of trial. The parties were each employed, have no minor children, defendant expected to receive her Master’s degree in teaching within months after the trial, the distributive awards provided defendant with a portion of plaintiffs pension and an outright award of almost[*512] $40,000, defendant’s income exceeded her expenses, and the man with whom she had been living since shortly after she abandoned plaintiff earned $60,000 annually. Considering these facts, Supreme Court did not err in declining to award defendant maintenance.

Defendant contends that Supreme Court should have awarded her a portion of the investment account funded with plaintiff’s personal injury award. Compensation awards for personal injuries are separate property (see Fleitz v Fleitz, 200 AD2d 874, 875 [1994], lvs dismissed 84 NY2d 849 [1994], 85 NY2d 889 [1995]), but a presumption arises that those funds are marital property when they are transferred into a joint account bearing both parties’ names (see Kay v Kay, 302 AD2d 711, 713 [2003]). After receipt of plaintiff’s damages award, the funds were deposited in the parties’ joint checking account. Within a few months, the funds were withdrawn by defendant and deposited in a jointly owned investment account. A single withdrawal from the investment account was made jointly by the parties. Under these circumstances, plaintiff’s uncorroborated claim that he placed both names on the investment account for defendant’s convenience was insufficient to meet his burden to overcome the presumption created by the joint deposits (see Banking Law § 675 [b]; Kay v Kay, supra at 713; Gundlach v Gundlach, 223 AD2d 942, 942 [1996], lv denied 88 NY2d 802 [1996]). Supreme Court properly determined that these funds were marital property.

The investment account, as marital property, must be “distributed equitably between the parties, considering the circumstances of the case and of the respective parties” (Domestic Relations Law § 236 [B] [5] [c]). Given the seriousness of plaintiff’s injuries, the continued impairment of his physical condition, his daily pain, the funding of the account by plaintiff’s separate property and the distribution of defendant’s derivative damages award to her as separate property, we find that awarding plaintiff the entire First Albany investment account was not an abuse of discretion.

Her cure, J.P., Carpinello, Mugglin and Rose, JJ., concur. Ordered that the judgment is affirmed, without costs.

While Supreme Court’s decision states that plaintiff received $237,752.23 after disbursements and counsel fees, the record does not substantiate that figure. The bill for services rendered by the parties’ personal injury attorney, which was admitted as a trial exhibit, indicates that after subtracting disbursements, a lien, counsel fees for the trial and appeal, and defendant’s $27,672.95 award, plaintiff received $252,111.83.