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Late Submission of QDRO (Re: Spouse’s Pension) Did Not Affect Submitting Spouse’s Right to Arrears to the Date of Retirement—One Spouse’s Taking Out a Loan Against His/Her Pension Will Not Reduce the Other Spouse’s Share of the Pension

The Second Department, in an extensive, full-fledged opinion by Justice Dillon, resolving at least two issues of first impression, and noting differences among the Appellate Divisions, discussed: (1) the effect of a delay in submitting a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) for a share of the other spouse’s pension (despite the delay the submitting spouse is entitled to arrears to the date of retirement); (2) the requirement that any QDRO be in accordance with a stipulation of settlement which has not merged (court can not expand or contract what was agreed to); (3) whether a loan taken against a pension should reduce the other spouse’s portion of the pension (no, it should not); and (4) whether a spouse’s portion of the other spouse’s pension should be reduced because of the election of a survivorship benefit in favor of a the other spouse’s new spouse (yes, it should).  In a nutshell, the court held that the late submission of a QDRO did not deprive the submitting spouse of the right to arrears, and a spouse’s share if the other spouse’s pension should not be reduced because of the other spouse’s taking out a loan against the pension:

A stipulation of settlement that is incorporated but not merged into a judgment of divorce is a contract subject to principles of contract construction and interpretation … . If an agreement is clear and unambiguous on its face, “the intent of the parties must be gleaned from the four corners of the instrument, and not from extrinsic evidence” … . “When the distribution of pension benefits between former spouses is accomplished through a QDRO obtained pursuant to a stipulation, such QDRO can convey only those rights to which the parties stipulated as a basis for the judgment'” … . If a QDRO is inconsistent with the provisions of a stipulation or judgment of divorce, courts possess the authority to amend the QDRO “to accurately reflect the provisions of the stipulation pertaining to the pension benefits” … . Thus, a court cannot issue a QDRO “encompassing rights not provided in the underlying stipulation” …, or one that is more expansive than the stipulation.  * * *

Despite the plaintiff’s delay in submitting a proposed QDRO to the Supreme Court, we reject the defendant’s contention that the plaintiff is not entitled to the arrears in pension benefits that accumulated between March 1, 2008, the date that the defendant retired from the FDNY, to March 26, 2013, the date that the Supreme Court signed the plaintiff’s proposed QDRO. An action to enforce a distributive award in a matrimonial action is governed by a six-year statute of limitations … . However, this Court … made clear that since a QDRO is derived from the bargain struck by the parties, there is no need to commence a separate, plenary action to formalize the agreement, and that “an application or motion for the issuance of a QDRO is not barred by the statute of limitations” … . * * *

… [W]e conclude that the plaintiff’s Majauskas share must be calculated with reference to the reduction in benefits resulting from the defendant’s provision of survivorship benefits to his second wife, we agree with the plaintiff that her share should be calculated without reference to the reduction in benefits resulting from the loan made to the defendant. Kraus v Kraus, 2015 NY Slip Op 05915, 2nd Dept 7-8-15

 

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