Douglas v. Douglas

*204OPINION OF THE COURT

Ralph Yachnin, J.

An issue of first impression in this action governed by the New York Equitable Distribution Law is whether the court may direct a wife to utilize her separate property for debts incurred by the husband for the marital benefit. The court answers this question in the affirmative.

The parties in this divorce action were married in 1967 and have two issue, Kerri, born October 8, 1975, and Daniel, born August 16, 1982. The wife worked for the first few years of their marriage, but subsequently stopped in order to raise their children. It seems that during the…