This is the property of the Daily Journal Corporation and fully protected by copyright. It is made available only to Daily Journal subscribers for personal or collaborative purposes and may not be distributed, reproduced, modified, stored or transferred without written permission. Please click "Reprint" to order presentation-ready copies to distribute to clients or use in commercial marketing materials or for permission to post on a website. and copyright (showing year of publication) at the bottom.

Marriage of Tong and Samson

Court improperly allocates severance pay to single month where parties’ stipulated support order based monthly income on spouse’s commissions, not bonuses.





Cite as

2011 DJDAR 10824

Published

Jul. 19, 2011

Filing Date

Jul. 18, 2011


Filed 7/18/11

In re the Marriage of ELAINE TONG and RICHARD SAMSON.

ELAINE TONG SAMSON,

Respondent,

v.

RICHARD SAMSON,

Appellant.

 

 

No. B224899

(Los Angeles County

Super. Ct. No. BD482622)

California Courts of Appeal

Second Appellate District

Division Four

Filed July 18, 2011

 

ORDER MODIFYING OPINION

[NO CHANGE IN JUDGMENT]

 

THE COURT*

 

     It is ordered that the published opinion filed July 5, 2011, be modified as follows:

 

1.  On page 3, the first sentence in the second paragraph of the Discussion section is modified to read:

 

Richard?s severance pay had five components:  (1) a years-of-service component limited to12 months of salary, or $100,000; (2) a lump sum in lieu of commission limited to a six-month benefit of $152,853.48; (3) a lump-sum qualitative compensation award component of $35,208.33; (4) a healthcare component of $1,500; and (4) a master retirement plan equivalent component of $3,422.28. 

 

2. The first full sentence on page 6 is modified to read:

 

The allocation of the remaining, much smaller, portion of the severance pay would depend on the extent to which its components, as well as the additional payments included in the severance package, were part of the monthly compensation that the support order intended to capture and the months for which any such compensation was due. 

 

 

*EPSTEIN, P. J.                

WILLHITE, J.               

MANELLA, J.

#218911

For reprint rights or to order a copy of your photo:

Email Jeremy_Ellis@dailyjournal.com for prices.
Direct dial: 213-229-5424