IN THIS POST-DIVORCE ACTION, THE PROCEEDS OF THE SALE OF THE PARTIES’ REAL PROPERTY SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED WITHOUT A FULL EVIDENTIARY HEARING (FOURTH DEPT).
The Fourth Department, reversing (modifying) Supreme Court, determined the court should have conducted a hearing before distributing the proceeds of the sale of the parties’ farm in this post-divorce action:
… [T]he court erred in deciding the value of plaintiff’s credits without a full evidentiary hearing permitting the parties to offer proof of valuation … . Plaintiff offered no direct proof of the value of the relevant assets, and defendant was not afforded an opportunity to cross-examine the court-appointed appraiser or review the appraisals … . The court’s decision also failed to articulate the factors it considered or the reasons for its determination to partially grant certain credits to plaintiff and deny others … . … [W]e remit the matter to Supreme Court for a hearing and appropriate findings of fact and conclusions of law with respect to the parties’ entitlement to credits. Edwards v Edwards, 2021 NY Slip Op 06504, Fourth Dept 11-19-21