Divorce-Maintenance Order Revision

Listen to this article

WI Court of Appeals – District I

Case Name: Deborah Schwartz Kravit v. William Murray Kravit

Case No.: 2021AP000993

Officials: Brash, C.J., Donald, P.J., and Dugan, J.

Focus: Divorce-Maintenance Order Revision

William Murray Kravit (William) appeals an order of the circuit court denying his post-judgment motion to terminate or revise the prior maintenance order in this divorce action. He argues that in rendering its decision the circuit court declined to consider as relevant to the statutory factors: (1) “evidence that showed the full financial picture of the parties in the years immediately leading up to the divorce or the lifestyle they lived during that time”; (2) “evidence related to the lifestyle [Deborah Schwartz Kravit (Deborah)] could have reasonably anticipated enjoying if she had remained married to [William]”; (3) Deborah’s “current budget, actual reasonable budget or the full financial pictures of the parties following the divorce and at the time of the evidentiary hearing”; and (4) “[t]he court declined to do the traditional comparison of the financial circumstances, budgets, and needs at the time of divorce and at the time of the modification hearing and how those financial circumstances may have changed and whether [Deborah] could now be self-supporting.”

The appeals court concludes that the circuit court reasonably exercised its discretion in rendering its decision modifying the maintenance order.

Affirmed.

Decided 07/25/23

Full Text