In re Marriage of Nesbitt

              THIRD DIVISION
November 14, 2007
No. 1-05-3972, 1-06-0108,1-06-0531, 1-06-1665, Consol.
In re MARRIAGE OF ELISABETH NESBITT, ) Appeal from the
) Circuit Court of
Petitioner-Appellee, ) Cook County.
)
and ) No. 01D4596
)
BRUCE NESBITT, ) The Honorable
) Raymond A. Figueroa,
Respondent-Appellant. ) Judge Presiding.
JUSTICE GREIMAN delivered the opinion of the court:
Petitioner Elisabeth (Lisa) Nesbitt and respondent Bruce Nesbitt married in 1993. On
March 22, 2001, Lisa filed a petition for dissolution of marriage. The parties entered into an
agreed order allocating, between themselves, the majority of their marital property and reserving
the issues of maintenance and attorney fee contribution for adjudication in the trial court. After
Lisa filed a petition for contribution to attorney fees and costs, the trial court conducted a hearing
on the matter and both parties filed written closing arguments on the issue. Lisa subsequently
filed a motion for Rule 137 (155 Ill. 2d R. 137) sanctions against Bruce, asserting that the
arguments advanced in his written closing argument were not grounded in fact or law. Bruce
responded with a motion to strike Lisa’s motion for sanctions. The trial court ultimately ordered
Bruce to contribute $700,000 toward the attorney fees incurred by Lisa and granted Bruce’s
motion to strike Lisa’s motion for sanctions. Both parties appealed and we have consolidated the
appeals. On appeal, Bruce asserts the trial court erred when it entered an order requiring him to