In Re the Marriage of Regnery

In these consolidated appeals from a judgment of dissolution and posttrial orders, Frank Regnery contends the trial court erred in refusing to modify temporary spousal and child support, in awarding permanent support, and in its postdissolution order denying modification of permanent support.

Frank, unemployed at the time of each order he attacks, contends the trial court (1) improperly applied the capacity to earn standard when determining permanent support at a time he was unemployed; (2) abused its discretion in not reducing the permanent support payments upon his showing changed circumstances for both himself and Marvelle; (3) erred in awarding attorney’s fees to Marvelle without considering his present ability to pay; (4) the trial court’s ruling refusing to modify the permanent support is void for lack of jurisdiction because the trial judge had no power to personally retain jurisdiction over the case. He claims the cumulative procedural and substantive irregularities deprived him of fair hearings. We affirm the judgment and the posttrial orders. Although the posttrial motions were erroneously transferred to the trial judge on the basis of a desire to retain…