CHRIS ECHEGARAY
The Tennessean

It's a contentious divorce case that seems to redefine how property is divided when couples split up. In a 13-page decision handed down recently by the Tennessee Supreme Court, a wage-earning husband gets to keep $1.7 million in stock. His homemaker wife gets nothing.

The reason given by the court: the husband didn't do anything more than hang on to the stock, which was given to him by his father. The court ruled that the husband didn't "substantially contribute" to either the stock's preservation or appreciation in value and therefore doesn't have to share it with his wife. What isn't clear is the effect of the decision. Some say it's precedent-setting, that it will substantially affect stay-at-home spouses and that it goes against the laws created to protect homemakers.

Source: http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080415/NEWS03/804150356/1017/NEWS01