Marriage of Kaur and Dhillion CA6

I. INTRODUCTION

Appellant Makhan Singh Dhillon is the former husband of respondent Surinder Kaur. They were married for over 30 years and have two adult children. The parties separated in 2009 and Kaur filed a petition for dissolution of marriage in 2012. At issue in the present appeal is the judgment entered on the trial court’s statement of decision on trial of remaining issues. On appeal, Dhillon contends that the trial court erred in (1) denying his claim for reimbursement of the post-separation mortgage payments he made on the parties’ home; (2) improperly characterizing and valuing the parties’ real property in India; and (3) finding that Dhillon’s trucking business had a goodwill value of $25,000. For the reasons stated below, we find no merit in Dhillon’s contentions and we will affirm the judgment.

II. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Kaur and Dhillon married in 1976 and have two adult children, son Davillon and daughter Manjit. Kaur left school in India after the fifth grade and does not read or speak English. Since 2003, Kaur has had seasonal employment as a produce packager. Dhillon left India before completing high school and speaks limited English. He is the sole…