The Judge Makes his Recommendations

Dow and I and our respective lawyers went to court on Tuesday August 21. The private hearing started late. Dow and I sat in the audience benches, empty when we arrived and full by the time we left. Dow sat on the left side, I on the right. The lawyers were called to the judge's chambers and we sat. My lawyer, named Scott, only came out to ask me one question, "Have you ever made over $30K?" I had the record of my Social Security income, found it and took it to him. I knocked on the door; it was the judge's clerk and the lawyers, no judge present. So I don't know if he had written his recommendations prior to the morning or if he appeared after I left.

Scott said that Dow's lawyer argued very aggressively in behalf of his position. End result:
1. Property: House and retirement income is split 50/50.
2. Maintenance: $2600 a month (pretax for Dow: I must pay the taxes) If he wants it changed, he must petition the court.
3. Dow gets a time share week, I get a time share week. I could not prove I purchased with inheritance money. I didn't have a single name account at the time. Dow did not like the idea of the time share weeks. He absolutely refused to purchase one. Now he has one "free of cost" thanks to my inheritance. Frustrates the living _____out of me.
4. The inheritance of stock I received from mother is mine. There is no record of it being Dow's as I intended it never to be. The children will inherit if I die. It is an inheritance from their grandfather who died a janitor. He had been encouraged by a manager to buy NBD stock way back when, when Dad died in 1987 it was worth about $150,000, split 7 ways. Not a lot of money but it is all I have from my dad whom I loved very much. I miss his hugs to this day and will until I die.

It isn't over till the judge signs the papers. The settlement is in Dow's ball court. His decision is to accept or to go to trial. I won't take less in a settlement.