Wife Seeks Share in Church 'Asset' in Divorce Case
In a case that could signal the start of a potential new trend in New York state, the soon-to-be-divorced wife of a pastor is contending that his church should be treated as a marital asset.
The wife, who is not named, says her husband treated the Brooklyn house of worship their marital assets helped pay for as his “personal piggy bank,” reports the Associated Press.
State supreme court Judge Arthur M. Diamond agreed to hear arguments on the issue and asked for an appraisal.
Says her lawyer, Robert Pollack: “That church is no different than any other business he might have opened.”
But his lawyer, Eleanor Gery, says the pastor “can’t own the church,” because he is merely a church employee.
According to AP, both sides agree that the case “could represent the first time anyone in New York state has tried to treat a religious institution as a marital asset.”
