Divorce Appeals in Florida | What is Goodwill Value of Business

A Florida Divorce & Child Custody attorney provides answers to the most common questions when considering appealing your divorce or child custody case.

The judge said my former spouse’s business value should not include a component for goodwill.  The business has a bunch of clients that will keep coming back.  Is this an appealable mistake in Florida?

It depends on the type of business and the evidence presented at trial.  For many small businesses and professional practices, the reason customers frequent the business is due to the reputation of the owner.  In these cases, assuming the correct evidence is presented, it is usually an abuse of discretion to assign any “goodwill value” to the business.  However, if it can be shown that clients go to the business because of a brand, and not the reputation of the proprietor/spouse, it can be appropriate to include a goodwill component to the value of the business. 

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