Elkus v. Elkus
Supreme Court of New York, Appellate Division
572 N.Y.S.2d 901 (1991)
Facts
Frederica von Stade Elkus (plaintiff), a successful and famous opera singer, married her husband (defendant) in 1973. At the time, she had just started her career, taking on small roles. In the first year of marriage, she earned $2,250. During the marriage, Mr. Elkus gave up his own career to travel with his wife, observe and critique her performances, and serve as a voice coach and teacher, as well as to take care of their two children. Ms. Von Stade became a success, headlining shows and travelling around the world. In 1989, her income was $621,878. The trial court held that Mr. Elkus’s contributions did not constitute marital property. Mr. Elkus appealed to the Appellate Division.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Rosenberger, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 705,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 44,300 briefs, keyed to 983 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.
