Marriage of Kuperschmit and Jones CA2/5

I. BACKGROUND

A. The Petition for Dissolution and Stipulated Interim Order Kuperschmit and Jones were married in September 2002.1 They share four children, L.J, E.J., S.J., and I.J., who were born between 2008 and 2014. In May 2018, Kuperschmit filed a petition for dissolution of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. Kuperschmit requested joint legal and physical custody of the children and spousal support. She also asked the court to confirm certain property as separate, to determine the parties’ rights to community and quasi-community assets and debts, and to order Jones to pay Kuperschmit’s attorney’s fees and costs.

1 Kuperschmit and Jones are both attorneys, but Jones at some point was involuntarily placed on inactive status with the State Bar in connection with allegations of financial impropriety.

2 Two months later, Kuperschmit filed a request for a domestic violence restraining order. Jones filed his own petition for dissolution of marriage shortly thereafter. He agreed to joint legal custody of the children, but he requested sole physical custody of the children with visitation for Kuperschmit. In September 2018, Jones and Kuperschmit stipulated to an…