Simmons v. Simmons

During their marriage, Duncan Simmons (plaintiff) earned undergraduate and medical degrees while wife Aura (defendant) worked and served as primary breadwinner and homemaker during his schooling, also earning her own associate degrees; Duncan filed for divorce three years into his medical residency, and Aura, then 56 and earning $100,000 compared to his $45,660 resident salary, sought to have his medical degree declared marital property worth an estimated $3.1 million in present-value future earnings. The trial court refused to treat the degree as property and denied alimony to both parties.