PC: AI Generated
A Utah man was found to have spent at least $367,599 during his divorce on purchases including an Airstream trailer, a BMW for one daughter and jewellery for his daughters. The court ordered him to pay his former wife 75% of the amount found dissipated, but the appeals court reversed that award. Emily and Brandon Bonham married in July 1998 and separated in July 2019 after Brandon admitted to an extramarital affair that resulted in the birth of a child. The divorce trial took place over four days in August and September 2022.
According to the Utah Court of Appeals’ judgment in Bonham v. The district court said the parties were subject to a rule preventing either from disposing of marital property without the other’s consent. It said he spent thousands of dollars on toys, gifts, holidays and other purchases during the litigation.
The district court found that Brandon Reynolds Bonham had violated court orders by spending marital money without his wife’s consent. It also found that he had failed to disclose expenditures and provide an account of the money used. Bonham, the lower court must reassess dissipation and award Emily half of the total established. Emily petitioned for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences and the affair. They had four children together, three of whom were minors when she filed. The couple also had a large marital estate, including a home and RMT Equipment, a business that Brandon continued to operate during the proceedings. Under temporary orders, he was required to pay Emily monthly family support and salary through RMT, cover vehicle and health insurance costs, and share the cost of the children’s existing extracurricular activities. Its temporary order also prohibited them from dissipating or liquidating marital assets. The court found that Brandon had intentionally breached those restrictions on multiple occasions.