Storn

BACKGROUND

The General Setting On November 14, 2019 Storn and Carney became engaged to be married. He was 50 years old; she was 46. Both had been married; both had children. Shortly after becoming engaged they bought three pieces of artwork from a gallery in New York. The price of the artwork was $350,000, of which Storn paid $335,000, Carney $15,000. A year or so after the purchase, the gallery issued certificates of ownership listing both Storn and Carney as owners. Carney

2 testified that the artwork was a gift to her, and presented a late- in-the-game (October 2023) letter from a former gallery worker to that effect, which letter was admitted into evidence. In December, Storn and Carney (and her children) moved into a home on Monterey Drive in Tiburon. Storn testified that the home was his, that he paid the down payment, the mortgage, and the property tax.1 Carney testified that in the home Storn’s behavior started to change, that he would act aggressively toward her, demean her, and yell at her. More specifically, she testified Storn would become upset if he felt unappreciated or if she questioned him about his lying, cheating, or gambling. Elaborating on the “yelling,”…