Ohio man keeps premarital home after divorce; wife ordered to pay $20,000 in legal fees

A house purchased before marriage can become a point of dispute during divorce, particularly when a couple has lived in the property and mortgage payments are later made through a joint bank account. In Ohio, a divorce case involving a property bought by a husband six years before his marriage raised questions about whether rental income and financial contributions during the marriage had changed its ownership status.

The man had later rented the house to his brother, who continued paying rent while the couple was married.In a November 6, 2026, decision, the Ohio Court of Appeals, First District, upheld the husband's ownership of the property and an order requiring his former wife to pay $20,000 towards his attorney fees. The ruling came in Ellison v.

Ellison, case number C-260069, with the judgment available on Justia.