COURT OF APPEALS RULING

My attorney did not present his briefing on my divorce case to the Court of 
Appeals until September, 1996. 

I received notification of the Court of Appeals ruling by mail in 
mid-January, 1997.  At that time, my divorce became final and I was 
officially divorced.  

Overall, the appeal was denied with minor exceptions.  The Court ruled:

     -  the Judge "abused her discretion" in imposing sanctions 

     -  sanctions were impermissible but did not require my personal 
        funds that had been in a savings account that had been seized 
        by the Court and inaccessible by me be released to me

    -  the amount of attorney fees I was to pay to my ex-spouse's 
        attorney reverted to $3,500.00  

    -  all other aspects of the judgment were to remain in effect.  With 
        the USFSPA this meant my ex-spouse was awarded 28% of 
        gross/disposable military retired pay minus SBP costs.

Reading the Court of Appeals opinion it was not surprising the appeal was 
largely denied.  

My attorney's briefing to the Court of Appeals mentioned nothing about the 
Judge at the lower Court refusing to allow a trial, the Judge's behavior, and 
about the circumstances involving awarding retired military payments to my 
ex-spouse.  

With the USFSPA the Court of Appeals could have:

1.  allowed no ex-spouse military retirement payments,

2.  allowed reduced ex-spouse military retirement payments from what my 
ex-spouse claimed,

3.  ruled ex-spouse payments were due for a limited number of years,

4.  ruled reduced ex-spouse payments were due for a limited number of years,

5.  ruled ex-spouse payments were to stop upon remarriage by my ex-spouse

Instead, the Court of Appeals took the most extreme and most beneficial 
position possible for my ex-spouse.  

The Court ruled my ex-spouse should be awarded payments for a time covering 
from the time of marriage to include when the divorce process started to the 
time of retirement and that such payments should continue even after 
remarriage for the duration of my ex-spouse's or my life.