In Faris v. Taylor,[1] the supreme court held the trial court did not abuse its discretion when it held the date of the parties’ separation was the date the court issued the divorce decree. Taylor and Faris were married in 1973, but after a promotion Faris moved to Hawaii and then Oregon while Taylor remained in Alaska. In 2013, Taylor filed for divorce. The superior court issued an order dividing the marital estate and held the couple had not separated until the divorce in 2014. Faris appealed alleging the superior court incorrectly decided when the date of separation had been. The superior court relied on evidence, such as letters from Faris explicitly stating she “did not want a divorce”, to argue that while physically separated in 2004, the couple did not have the intent to separate until 2014. The supreme court held that there was sufficient evidence, including filing joint taxes until 2014, to support the superior court’s decision in determining the date of separation was in 2014.
[1] 444 P.3d 180