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CASE STUDY

Evaluation of the Wife

I was retained by a medium-sized Somerset County, New Jersey law firm representing the husband in a matrimonial case. I was asked to assess the employability of the wife who had previous experience in the insurance industry. She was 45 years of age, college educated and held two insurance licenses. The wife claimed that because she had been out of the marketplace for several years and had several medical ailments she could only work in low paying jobs earning $8.00 per hour. After evaluating her and completing research in the insurance industry, I determined that the amount of time that she spent out of the workforce would not hinder her ability to return at a salary of approximately $50,000 or greater. I proved conclusively to the judge that she was capable of commanding such a salary based on her skills and marketability. Based on my report and testimony, the judge imputed her income at this level and subsequently reduced the husband's alimony payments.

Evaluation of the Husband

I was retained by a Passaic County law firm representing the wife in a matrimonial case. I was asked to evaluate the husband's employability. The husband was 36 years of age, had a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering and over ten years of work experience in this field earning approximately $50,000 per year. After being terminated in 1996, he accepted a position at a non-profit organization which was unrelated to his professional field and was earning $25,000 per year. When I interviewed the husband, he had been laid off by the non-profit organization and he was collecting unemployment benefits. He claimed that he could not find employment in his professional field of engineering. I concluded that the husband had not conducted a diligent job search in order to find full-time permanent employment. Had he done so, I concluded that he would have found full-time permanent employment at a salary between $53,000 and $60,000. I testified to same in Superior Court in Passaic County, New Jersey. Another employability expert testified on behalf of the husband and claimed that he was only capable of earning $25,000. After hearing testimony from both employability experts, the judge imputed the husband's income at the level that I stated.

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