Form No. 4 – Domestic Relations Definitions

May 13, 2021 | Civil Prodcedure, Maryland

(a) Employer means any person that has compensated, or is obligated to compensate, you for services. (Standard Domestic Relations Definition (a).)

(b) Fringe benefits include:

(1) contributions made by your employer to health insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, pension, profit sharing, or retirement plans; and

(2) employer reimbursements or payments that reduce your personal living expenses such as use of a company car, expense accounts, and housing. (Standard Domestic Relations Definition (b).)

(c) Property includes:

(1) accounts in any financial institution or brokerage, including certificates of deposit;

(2) cash;

(3) debts owed to you, secured or unsecured, actual or contingent;

(4) home furnishings, jewelry, furs, stamp or coin collections, antiques, and works of art;

(5) intellectual property, including patents, royalties, and copyrights;

(6) interests in any entity, including partnerships, joint ventures, and corporations;

(7) interests in improved or unimproved real property, including leaseholds, condominiums, and time share interests;

(8) life insurance and annuities;

(9) military or federal retirement benefits;

(10) pension plans, profit sharing plans, individual retirement accounts, and retirement plans;

(11) securities, including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, United States Government obligations, options, and debentures;

(12) vehicles, boats, aircraft, equipment, machinery, crops, livestock, and poultry;

(13) workers’ compensation claims and tort or contract claims against another; and

(14) any other interest or asset. (Standard Domestic Relations Definition (c).)

(d) Wages include hourly wages, salary, bonuses, tips, incentive awards, fees, commissions, self-employment income, and overtime pay. (Standard Domestic Relations Definition (d).)

Adopted Jan. 18, 1996, eff. July 1, 1996.

Committee note: These definitions, in addition to the General Definitions, are designed to be used in domestic relations cases.