In Re Marriage of O'Neill

The majority has failed to apply the correct principles of statutory construction to section 503(d)(1) of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (111. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch. 40, par. 503(d)(1)). In my opinion, the plain and unambiguous language of section 503(d)(1) mandates the conclusion that a trial court consider a spouse’s dissipation of marital assets that occurs at any time during the marriage, not merely during the irreconcilable breakdown stage of a marriage. Because the majority in this case has chosen to rely solely on the judicial-construction rule and has chosen to…