The case “Pfannenstiehl v. Pfannenstiehl” involves a divorce dispute where the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts had to determine whether the husband’s interest in a discretionary spendthrift trust could be considered part of the marital estate for division purposes. Initially, the Probate and Family Court included the trust in the marital estate, awarding the wife a portion of its value. However, the Supreme Judicial Court overturned this decision, ruling that the husband’s interest was too speculative and akin to a mere expectancy, thus not subject to division as a marital asset. The court did allow for the consideration of this expectancy in evaluating each spouse’s future opportunities for acquiring assets and income.