Divorce-Jurisdiction

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WI Court of Appeals – District I

Case Name: Shalaan K. Fisher v. Abdullattief A. Sulieman

Case No.: 2020AP001554

Officials: Brash, C.J., Dugan and White, JJ

Focus: Divorce-Jurisdiction

The parties were married on February 16, 2001; they separated when Sulieman left Fisher in 2008; Sulieman moved to and resides in Milwaukee; and Fisher remains in Detroit, Michigan, where the parties had resided together. Fisher, pro se, appeals the order granting a judgment of divorce between her and Abdullattief A. Sulieman. She argues that the circuit court erroneously exercised its discretion in how it ordered debt payments. Sulieman, pro se, cross-appeals the judgment of divorce, arguing that the default judgment should be vacated, and either dismissed for jurisdictional defects or reopened for a new trial. Sulieman’s briefing failed to comply with the rules of appellate procedure. Even though he was arguing pro se the court reasoned that is not a license to ignore all rules and manner of legal briefing on appeal. As for Fischer’s appeal, while the appeals court recognizes Fisher’s concern that Sulieman will not pay his assigned debts to the credit card companies, reassigning that payment stream would not guarantee relief for Fisher. Instead, the appeals court concludes that the circuit court, based on the facts before it, crafted a solution to the payment of marital debt that was within its discretion

Affirmed.

Decided 07/18/23

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