Marriage of Craig CA3

BACKGROUND FACTS AND PROCEDURE

Sarah and Ryan were married in July 2006. As of the beginning of 2014, they had three minor children (born in 2008, 2010, and 2011) and were living in Florida. On April 10, 2014, Sarah left Ryan and moved to California with the children. On February 10, 2017, Sarah filed a petition for legal separation. In December 2020, she filed an amended petition for dissolution of marriage. On August 17, 2021, the trial court held a bifurcated trial to resolve issues relating to the date of separation and the division of property. At trial, Sarah asserted that the date of separation was April 10, 2014, which is the date she and the children left for California. Although she attended a few marital counseling sessions after that date, she testified that she felt pressured to do so and did not believe she was still in a relationship with Ryan. She believed their relationship was terminated, albeit with a possibility of reconciliation. Regarding the division of the community estate, Sarah testified that as of April 2014, the parties had a joint bank account containing approximately $83,000 in funds

2 accumulated during their marriage. She testified that in May…