Can a Restaurant Have Personal Goodwill?
State appellate court finds “professional license goodwill” exception, which treats personal goodwill as professional spouse’s separate property, applies to “unique,” successful restaurant and directs trial court to determine how much of the business’s go ...
Experts Propose Equally Sound, but Diverging, Valuations
Appellate court upholds valuation of husband’s business where trial court faced two equally plausible values from experienced appraisers who gave “reasoned explanations” for their differing choices as to the treatment of a year with unusually high income ...
Ward v. Ward
High court rejects valuation of husband’s interest in closely held company where wife’s expert transformed it from one owned by four people into one managed by one person to increase its overall value.
Burstein v. Burstein
Appeals court affirms trial court’s valuation of medical practices based on buyout provisions where wife’s expert made no attempt to ascertain businesses’ FMV by any other valuation method.
Chattree v. Chattree
Court admits expert’s testimony despite his failure to appear for scheduled deposition where husband’s refusal to provide necessary corporate information delayed expert’s completion of the business valuation and says any error in the opinion was “invited”
Hard Asset Value Best Captures Worth of Family Business
In divorce case, appellate court upholds classification of a family business as hybrid property, entitling the community to the increase in value that came about during the marriage; and, it validates the trial court’s decision to rest its valuation on th ...
Hartline v. Hartline
Appeals court says distinction between professional goodwill and future earnings capacity “evanesces” when valuing solo professional practice; trial court erred in adopting value based on guideline transaction method that considered professional goodwill.
Hill v. Hill
Trial court was justified in disregarding any commercial goodwill in husband’s interest in a professional practice and relying on partnership agreement, Texas appeals court finds, where goodwill is not accessible and expert testimony as to its existence a ...
Hamelink v. Hamelink
Appeals court agrees that in valuing husband’s S corp for marital distribution “national case law” (Kessler, Bernier) supports his expert’s tax affecting but says it must defer to trial court’s decision to adopt competing expert’s position not to tax affe ...
Low Risk to Business Justifies Expert’s Capitalization Rate
In divorce case, appellate court upholds valuation of a small agriculture-related company based on the capitalization of net income approach; record supports court-appointed expert’s capitalization rate, including his selection of the supply-side equity r ...
Finby v. Finby
Appeals court says financial analyst spouse’s ability to induce clients to follow her when switching employer resembles goodwill in professional practices and represents a divisible community asset; trial court erred when it found analyst’s book of busine ...
Excess Earnings Method Best Suited to Value New York City Practice
In divorce case, New York trial court prefers excess earnings over price-to-revenue method to value wife’s dental practice, because the former accounts for the business’s lack of tangible assets—a fact specific to professional offices in New York where re ...
Sparks v. Sparks
Appellate court upholds dated valuation husband’s expert performed of veterinary hospital two years prior to trial, where it informed proposed sale of minority interest in business to willing buyer and asset was not volatile; there is no “artificial cut-o ...
Hanusin v. Hanusin
In a divorce case involving a closely held corporation, the appeals court finds trial court was justified to credit a 2004 stock purchase agreement instead of a 2012 settlement when valuing husband’s shares; the buyout was a true arms-length transaction ...
Myhre v. Myhre
Appellate court upholds valuation of husband’s business where trial court faced two equally plausible values from experienced appraisers who gave “reasoned explanations” for their differing choices as to the treatment of a year with unusually high income ...
Brave v. Brave (I)
State appellate court finds “professional license goodwill” exception, which treats personal goodwill as professional spouse’s separate property, applies to “unique,” successful restaurant and directs trial court to determine how much of the business’s go ...
Community Deserves Profits From Separate Business Investment
Appellate court affirms trial court’s decision to apportion most of the stock sale proceeds the husband reaped during marriage in connection with a company he set up before marriage to the community under Pereira, finding that during marriage, he became t ...
Unequal Distribution of Family Business Stock Requires Discounts
Trial court abused its discretion when it assigned to wife stock in closely held company that made her a minority shareholder and when it failed to value the asset at issue; because the in-kind distribution left her with illiquid assets and no control ove ...
Alexander v. Alexander
In divorce case, appellate court upholds valuation of a small agriculture-related company based on the capitalization of net income approach; record supports court-appointed expert’s capitalization rate, including his selection of the supply-side equity r ...
Starling v. Starling
In divorce case, appellate court upholds classification of a family business as hybrid property, entitling the community to the increase in value that came about during the marriage; and, it validates the trial court’s decision to rest its valuation on th ...
Expert’s Valuation Method Precludes Improper Inclusion of Goodwill
In using the capitalization of earnings method to value husband’s medical practice, the wife’s expert did not improperly include personal goodwill, the appellate court finds; the valuation rested on actual earnings with some adjustment for reasonable comp ...