West Virginia court reverses $31,054 divorce payout tied to premarital home's value rise

The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals has overturned an earlier ruling concerning a home the husband owned before the marriage. The court held that he does not owe his former wife a share of the property's increase in market value during the marriage. The decision clarifies how separate property and marital contributions are handled in divorce proceedings. The former wife, however, remains entitled to a financial interest in mortgage principal paid down during the marriage.