US court rejects malpractice claim over lawyer's missed deadline to correct $100,000 divorce debt error

A woman who lost the chance to correct an error in her divorce judgment because her lawyer missed a court deadline cannot receive compensation from the attorney, an Arizona appeals court has ruled. The decision, issued on 6 November 2026 by Division One of the Arizona Court of Appeals, upheld a lower court's summary judgment in favour of lawyer Jennifer Mihalovich and her law firm, Stewart Law Group. The court found that Gordana Mikalacki had failed to prove that her former lawyer's mistake caused her any direct financial loss.

The legal malpractice case began with a calculation error in Mikalacki's 2021 divorce decree. The mistake listed a family debt as $100,000 less than the amount actually owed.Misstated loan leads to legal battleThe dispute began when Mikalacki's marriage ended. A Maricopa County Superior Court judge finalized the divorce on 9 March 2021.

The couple's marital assets and debts included a personal loan from Mikalacki's father. The remaining balance on the shared debt was $200,000.