Marital & Family Disputes

Divorce is rarely simple or straightforward. When it comes to divorce where a large asset base or high net worth is involved, divorce can be highly complex. Stocks, real estate, business ownership, retirement funds and other investments can make divorce complex at best; complex and highly contentious at worst. Whether you are a wage earner or a dependent spouse, it is critical to talk to an attorney that is experienced and skilled in complex, high net worth divorces. At the Law Firm of Burman, Critton, Luttier & Coleman, not only do we offer knowledge and expertise in successfully negotiating complex divorce proceedings, we offer discretion. We understand that our clients have compelling needs to keep as much of their private lives out of the public eye as possible. We are skilled at flying under the radar, keeping our clients out of the public eye, and maintaining the privacy of spouses and dependents during this time.

Learn about some of the successful cases we have represented below. And please feel free to contact us with questions.

Dissolution of Marriage/Postnuptial Agreement

Our firm represented the husband in the dissolution of marriage proceeding. The parties had been married for more than 40 years and had three adult children. The parties executed a postnuptial agreement, which was governed by Virginia law and the Uniform Premarital Agreement Act (now adopted in Florida). There was no written financial disclosure provided at the time the agreement was executed. The wife alleged that the husband had a net worth in excess of $45 million. The wife also claimed that she executed the agreement under duress. Our client argued that the wife had waived the right to financial disclosure. After extensive research and argument to the Court, our partner, Mark Luttier, obtained an order that the wife had waived the right to financial disclosure. Thereafter, a trial was conducted at which time the Court determined that the wife executed the agreement freely and voluntarily. After the trial, the husband was awarded attorney's fees and all costs incurred in defending the validity of the parties' postnuptial agreement.

Dissolution of Marriage

Partner, Mark Luttier, represented the husband in a dissolution of a long-term marriage involving three adult children. The most significant asset was the closely-held stock in the family business. Neither party was actively involved in the business. The parties' three adult sons ran the business. Over a period of time, the parties had gifted some of the stock in the business to their sons. At the time of the dissolution, the husband owned the remaining shares of stock in the family business. The wife alleged that there was a conspiracy between the husband and sons and amended her complaint to sue the sons. The wife also sought to place an unreasonably high value on the stock in the family business and required the husband to pay half of the value. Two trials were brought to court, one on the conspiracy issue and the other on the equitable distribution of the parties' assets. The husband proposed an equal division of the remaining family stock between the parties to place them in an equal position. The court entered a final judgment to divide the stock equally. The wife appealed, but the original ruling was affirmed.