Painter v. Painter
Supreme Court of New Jersey
320 A.2d 484 (1974)
Relevant factsFree
After 17 years of marriage, Stephen Painter (plaintiff) filed for divorce from Joan (defendant), and the trial court, applying New Jersey's newly enacted equitable-distribution statute, ordered alimony and support but excluded assets gifted or inherited during the marriage from the distribution calculation; the state supreme court took the case to clarify how the new equitable-distribution law should be applied.
IssueFree
Whether New Jersey's statute providing for equitable distribution of property upon divorce is constitutional, and what assets and valuation date the equitable-distribution analysis should use.