ColoradoDivorce
Junior Member
What is the name of your state? Colorado
About a week ago, Judge Ronald G. Crowder, (4th District CO, El Paso County) allowed a 14 year old closed divorce case to be reopened to allow a woman to get a new life insurance policy (additional property benefits) that she FORGOT to ask for when she originally divorced her military husband. Interestingly enough, despite having no insurable interest (as per case law) and no legal right to re-open a painfully and fully negotiated closed property settlement--that was incorporated into a Final Order for Dissolution (as per case law), the ex-wife was granted the right to get insurance on her ex-husband of 14 years ago---because Judge Crowder allowed himself to testify in the case by saying: "I don't see what the big deal is... I gave it to MY wife when I divorced her in 1993... it shouldn't take that long to do an examination." (He also did not allow the ex-husband to present credible evidence showing that a crime could be committed if insurance was placed on his life)!! Judge Crowder overruled every argument against granting this that was based on facts and the LAW---and based his decision solely on his OWN personal experiences! See September 5, 2007 decision in 93DR0266.
It would seem to me that the overall effect of decision is that NO DIVORCE CASE IS EVER CLOSED IN COLORADO! The parties can now keep coming back to ask for benefits---even when the benefit was NOT an existing property issue...OR even if the parties had competent counsel! If you forgot to ask for anything---SBP, Life Insurance, permanent alimony, future earnings(even if you had a lawyer, even several) you can NOW come back and ask for it. This kind of thing has been denied in Colorado for decades... AND denied in other jurisdictions---because it is against the law and against public policy---but evidentlly NOT in Judge Crowder's court room!
This is not the first time this "new judge" has overstepped his authority... he did something similar in a criminal case 4 months before, as noted in a April 12, 2007 article in the Colorado Springs Gazette by Dennis Huspeni.
What can be done at this point?What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state?
About a week ago, Judge Ronald G. Crowder, (4th District CO, El Paso County) allowed a 14 year old closed divorce case to be reopened to allow a woman to get a new life insurance policy (additional property benefits) that she FORGOT to ask for when she originally divorced her military husband. Interestingly enough, despite having no insurable interest (as per case law) and no legal right to re-open a painfully and fully negotiated closed property settlement--that was incorporated into a Final Order for Dissolution (as per case law), the ex-wife was granted the right to get insurance on her ex-husband of 14 years ago---because Judge Crowder allowed himself to testify in the case by saying: "I don't see what the big deal is... I gave it to MY wife when I divorced her in 1993... it shouldn't take that long to do an examination." (He also did not allow the ex-husband to present credible evidence showing that a crime could be committed if insurance was placed on his life)!! Judge Crowder overruled every argument against granting this that was based on facts and the LAW---and based his decision solely on his OWN personal experiences! See September 5, 2007 decision in 93DR0266.
It would seem to me that the overall effect of decision is that NO DIVORCE CASE IS EVER CLOSED IN COLORADO! The parties can now keep coming back to ask for benefits---even when the benefit was NOT an existing property issue...OR even if the parties had competent counsel! If you forgot to ask for anything---SBP, Life Insurance, permanent alimony, future earnings(even if you had a lawyer, even several) you can NOW come back and ask for it. This kind of thing has been denied in Colorado for decades... AND denied in other jurisdictions---because it is against the law and against public policy---but evidentlly NOT in Judge Crowder's court room!
This is not the first time this "new judge" has overstepped his authority... he did something similar in a criminal case 4 months before, as noted in a April 12, 2007 article in the Colorado Springs Gazette by Dennis Huspeni.
What can be done at this point?What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state?
