In re Marriage of Olar

747 P.2d 676 (1987)

From our private database of 46,500+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

In re Marriage of Olar

Colorado Supreme Court
747 P.2d 676 (1987)

  • Written by Liz Nakamura, JD

Facts

Sally Olar (plaintiff) and Terry Olar (defendant) were married for 12 years, during which Sally worked full-time and Terry was a full-time student. Terry obtained a doctorate in physiology and biophysics just before the divorce. Because Sally and Terry operated largely on a single income stream, they acquired few marital assets. Sally filed for divorce and sought spousal support as compensation for her efforts working full-time to support Terry while he earned his doctorate. Sally alleged that Terry had agreed to support her education in turn once he completed his. Terry disputed Sally’s claim, argued that his doctorate was not marital property, and argued that Sally was not entitled to maintenance because she was self-supporting. The trial court held that Terry’s doctorate was not marital property, and that Sally was not entitled to maintenance because she did not meet the threshold of need. Sally appealed, and the court of appeals affirmed, ruling that maintenance could be used to equitably compensate a spouse for supporting the other through obtaining an education, but that meeting the statutory threshold of need was a prerequisite. Sally appealed.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Vollack, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 832,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,500 briefs, keyed to 994 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.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,500 briefs - keyed to 994 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership