We represented the wife in a 41-year marriage. They owned the family home in the Seattle area for 32 years. The wife poured her heart and soul into the house, decorating it, furnishing it, and doing multiple small home improvement projects. She loved the house and wanted to keep it after the divorce.
The husband pushed for the sale of the house as he wanted his share of the equity immediately in cash from the sale proceeds. At the trial, our firm argued that the wife had a substantial connection to the house and we showed that she could buy out the husband’s share, which convinced the judge to let the wife keep the house. The judge authorized the wife to buy out the husband’s interest over time rather than sell it.