Wendt v. Wendt

Lorna Wendt (plaintiff) and Gary Wendt (defendant) started dating in high school and married upon graduating from university. They had no significant assets and lived modestly. They moved from Wisconsin to Massachusetts so that Gary could complete a degree at Harvard Business School. Lorna initially worked as a public-school music teacher. However, once Gary completed his degree and the couple had their first child, Lorna left full-time employment to become a full-time mother, homemaker, and corporate wife supporting Gary in his career. Gary eventually became the highly successful chairman, president, and CEO of GE Capital Services, Inc. (GE), a large corporation headquartered in Connecticut. Lorna consistently cared for the couple’s two daughters and ran the household, cooking, cleaning, and performing other day-to-day tasks. She also entertained GE customers and associates, hosted an annual Christmas party for GE, and traveled with Gary for work. After approximately 30 years of marriage, the Wendts decided to divorce, citing an irretrievable breakdown of the marriage. Although the divorce itself was uncontested, the parties disputed the division of property. Lorna claimed that she was entitled to half of the couple’s approximately $90 million in assets because of her significant nonmonetary contributions to the marital estate. Gary argued that Lorna should receive only $8.3 million plus $250,000 per year in alimony, arguing that amount would be sufficient to keep Lorna living the lifestyle to which she had become accustomed. The trial court considered the arguments.