Hartman v. Hartman

Patricia Hartman, the former wife, appeals from a final judgment of dissolution of marriage. Her sole point on appeal is that the trial court erred in not awarding her all of her attorney’s fees established at the final hearing, rather than the “contribution” of $3,500 which the court awarded to her. Based on the parties’ gross discrepancy in assets and income, we agree and reverse.

This was a relatively simple case. It was an almost ten-year marriage. The parties had no children and few marital assets. Most of the parties’ disputes were resolved by mediation. Although initially there may have…