Ippolito v. Ippoplito involved a dispute about an attorney’s lien asserted by one of Husband’s former attorneys on an escrow account holding the net proceeds of a sale of marital property. During the divorce proceeding, the trial court recognized Husband’s theoretical entitlement to half the marital assets, but, because Husband failed to comply with his support obligations and other directives, the court concluded that Wife was entitled to all assets, including the escrow account in question. The Appellate Division affirmed, holding that the trial court correctly concluded that Wife and the children of the marriage had a higher priority to the funds than Husband’s former attorney and Husband, “whose recalcitrant and malicious conduct created the circumstance by which his share of equitable distribution was turned over” to Wife.
