M.A. v. P.B.

Somerville, New Jersey family law lawyers represented the parties in a divorce.







Plaintiff and defendant were married February 10, 2006, and share one son. Plaintiff filed a complaint for divorce in December 2020 and defendant filed an answer and counterclaim. At the time of the divorce proceeding, plaintiff was approximately forty-nine years old, and defendant was thirty-four years old.



Throughout the marriage plaintiff was the primary wage earner, working as a semi-trailer truck driver while defendant cared for their son at home. Between 2011 and 2014, plaintiff worked as a mechanic and an Uber driver due to a downturn in the trucking industry. Plaintiff alleged his sister assisted with

expenses and loaned plaintiff money to supplement his reduced income. Additionally, the family resided in a home owned by plaintiff's sister from 2014 to 2020. By then, plaintiff alleged he owed his sister approximately $75,000 in rent and living expenses and had repaid approximately $30,000 to $35,000 of the debt.



In January 2021, after plaintiff moved out of the family residence and an award of pendente lite support had been established, plaintiff lost his commercial driver's license (CDL) for failing his Department of Transportation (DOT) physical due to a psychiatric evaluation. He eventually obtained a new job as a security officer.



The divorce trial began in November 2021. Defendant testified on her own behalf and plaintiff, his mother, and sister testified on his behalf.