Michael v. Michael
Court of Appeals of Missouri
791 S.W.2d 772 (1990)
Mr. and Mrs. Michael married in 1972, both well-educated, and initially both worked. In 1978 Mr. Michael lost his job, and the couple agreed he would pursue writing and manage the household while Mrs. Michael supported the family through her successful career, which required several interstate relocations over the following years. Mr. Michael's writing career produced little income, he worked briefly in a store and in freelance public relations, and handled some household duties like cooking dinner and driving his wife to work, though he was lax about other chores. By the time divorce proceedings began in 1987, Mrs. Michael had substantial career success and income while Mr. Michael had few assets and little earning capacity. The trial court awarded Mrs. Michael 75.5 percent of the marital assets, gave Mr. Michael only $500 in attorney fees, and awarded him no maintenance. He appealed.
Whether a trial court has discretion to allocate a significant majority of marital assets to a financially successful spouse and deny any maintenance to a dependent spouse who contributed to the household but was lax in some domestic duties.