Another Non-Family-Use Case
August 7, 2013 § 2 Comments
I’ve mentioned here before that I am no big fan of the “family-use” doctrine that morphs separately-owned property into marital merely because it was used by the family.
There are some exceptions to the rule, however, as I have posted about. Here is a post where the COA refused to apply it. Here is another post where I pointed out cases holding that neither plantation and maintenance, nor payment of taxes, nor even joint titling convert separate property into marital.
The latest case, Renfro v. Renfro, decided by the COA on July 30, 2013, is yet another where the appellate court did not agree with the chancellor’s application of the concept.
Claudia and Johnny Renfro married in 1987, and had no children. In January, 2011, they separated after Claudia discovered that Johnny was involved in an adulterous affair, and Claudia sued for divorce.
At issue in the divorce was equitable distribution. The parties had accumulated the usual marital things, including cars, retirement accounts and other financial assets, a residence. In addition to all of the other assets, there was a 140-acre tract of unimproved land that Claudia’s mother had deeded to her in 2007.
Following a trial, the chancellor adjudicated all of the assets, including the 140-acre tract, to be marital property subject to division. She allocated one-half of the assets, which totalled in value nearly $600,000, to each party. In her opinion, the chancellor found as to the 140 acres as follows:
The testimony and evidence is substantial that the management of the property, including its enrollment in government programs, planting of trees, leasing for hunting purposes, construction of gates and roads, spraying and paying of taxes was solely at the control of [Johnny]. Further, and perhaps most importantly, [Claudia] indicated that the development and management of the property as a tree farm was for the purposes of providing income for the parties’ retirement. As such, the court finds that the normally non-marital character of the property was changed by the family[-]use doctrine, Algood [v.] Algood, 63 So. 3d 443 (Miss. [Ct.] App. 2011), as well as by conversion by implied gift, Algood, supra, such that the property lost its non-marital nature and now must be considered marital property subject to equitable distribution.
Claudia appealed, complaining primarily that the 140 acres was not marital property subject to division, and that the chancellor had misinterpreted the evidence.
In its opinion, penned by Judge Carlton, the COA found that there was inadequate evidence to support the judge’s finding that the tree farm on the property had been developed as part of the parties’ retirement plan.
As for the other indicia of family use relied upon by the chancellor, the COA said:
[¶16] … We also find error in the chancellor’s determination that Johnny’s actions of enrolling the land in government programs, planting trees, leasing the land for hunting purposes, constructing gates and roads, spraying the land, and paying taxes on the property constituted sufficient evidence to convert the land into a marital asset. See Hankins [v. Hankins,] 729 So.2d [1283]at 1286-87 (¶15); Ory [v. Ory], 936 So. 2d [405] at 411 (¶15). This Court has held that property-tax payments are traceable and do not transmute separate property into marital property. Brock v. Brock, 906 So. 2d 879, 888 (¶50) (Miss. Ct. App. 2005) (quotation omitted) (“[T]he key to determining when there has been transmutation [from separate property to marital property] by commingling is whether the marital interests can be identified, i.e., can be traced.”). We also find no evidence submitted by Johnny to show how the land increased in value during his marriage to Claudia, or that an agreement existed between Claudia and Johnny that Johnny’s actions of managing the land would give him an interest in the property.
¶17. As acknowledged, nonmarital assets may lose their status as such if the party commingles the asset with marital property or uses the assets for the benefit of the family. Johnson, 650 So. 2d at 1286. However, Claudia testified that she and Johnny never used the land for any family purposes. Significant to our analysis, we recognize that in the recent and similar case of Marter v. Marter, 95 So. 3d 733, 737-38 (¶¶14-16) (Miss. Ct. App. 2012), this Court held that evidence that the husband maintained the property inherited by the wife, paid the property taxes, and planted some trees on the property did not convert the property to marital property by virtue of commingling.
¶18. Accordingly, we find the chancellor erred in classifying the 140 acres as marital property. The record fails to show that the real property at issue was converted to marital property through the family-use doctrine, since the property was not used for a family purpose. Additionally, Johnny’s testimony only showed a potential intended purpose for the property in the future. See Deborah H. Bell, Bell on Mississippi Family Law § 6.04 (2005). The record also fails to contain evidence that Claudia commingled the property or used it as collateral for family purposes. See Bell, § 6.04[2]. Also, insufficient evidence exists in the record to show that Johnny contributed anything of significance to the improvement of the property. The record shows little, if any, contribution by Johnny, and shows that Claudia owned the property for only three years while she cohabited with Johnny. For the foregoing reasons we reverse the judgment of the chancery court on the matter of equitable division of the property — specifically, the classification of the 140 acres as marital property — and remand to that court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
That is a template you might be able to use in extricating your client’s property from the grasping tentacles of the family-use doctrine.
It’s still beyond me that activities like infrequent use of a beach condo, or fishing in a lake, or use of an antique chair, would convert separate property to marital, while plantation and maintenance would not. But, hey, I’m not complaining. Any exception to this rule is gratefully welcomed by me!
Parties in Adoptions
August 6, 2013 § Leave a comment
It’s obvious that the natural parents and adopting parents are necessary parties in adoption cases. But when you read MCA 93-17-5, you will see that the scope of persons to be included is considerably greater.
The statute requires that the following persons be joined by process or by consent to the adoption:
- the parent or parents, even though one or both are under twenty-one; or
- if both parents are dead, then any two adult kin of the child within the third degree; or
- if both parents are dead and an adult kin of the child has “possession” of the child, then that party must be joined or must consent; or
- the guardian ad litem of an abandoned child, where it is alleged that the parents’ whereabouts are unknown after diligent search and inquiry; or
The statute goes on to say that “In addition,” the following shall be made parties:
- person(s) having physical custody of the child, except foster parents via DHS.
- any person who had been awarded custody of the child by a Mississippi court with jurisdiction;
- the “agent of the county [DHS} that has placed the child” in foster care by agreement or court order;
A consent “may also be executed” and filed by an authorized representative of a “home to whose care a child has been delivered.”
Subsection (2) includes the important requirement that: “The child shall join in the petition by its next friend.”
If the child is more than 14 years old, subsection (4) requires that the child execute a sworn or acknowledged consent, or be joined by service of process.
If the child was born to parents who were not married to each other, the father has no right to object unless he has demonstrated within 30 days after the birth of the child “a full commitment to the responsibilities of parenthood.” Note that the language of the statute only says that the unwed, irresponsible parent has no right to object; it does not say that he is not entitled to notice, although it can be argued that notice is superfluous if he has no standing to object. Determination of the father’s rights may be made in a separate proceeding, pursuant to MCA 93-17-6.
In the recent case of Little v. Norman and DHS, decided July 23, 2013, the COA noted that a grandparent with custody who is required to be joined in the adoption may, nonetheless, have no right to stop it. The sourt stated in ¶16 that: “Mississippi Code Annotated section 93-17-5(1)(ii) (Rev. 2004) provides that certain people ‘shall be made parties to [an adoption] proceeding[,]’ including ‘[a]ny person to whom custody of such child may have been awarded by a court of competent jurisdiction of the State of Mississippi.’ Even so, the Mississippi Supreme Court has held that although a grandfather who was the legal custodian of a child was a necessary party to an adoption, his status did not provide him with ‘the prerogative of consenting to the adoption and by corollary, withholding consent and thereby thwarting the adoption.’” Martin v. Putnam, 427 So. 2d 1373, 1376 (Miss. 1983). And, by way of further explanation, continued in footnote 6 on the same page: “What purpose did the legislature intend by designating parties to an adoption proceeding whose consent was not necessary to its validity? We are of the opinion the legislature’s intention was to bring into the suit those persons most likely to be familiar with the background and needs of the person sought to be adopted so they could give testimony concerning his or her best interest. . . . This of course, accords with our many decisions concerning children wherein we have stated that the best interest of the child is paramount. The designated parties thus become witnesses concerning the facts known to them to aid the trial court in its solemn determination of whether to grant or deny an adoption. We think the testimony from those who are close kin to a child is most significant because, in theory, they love the child best and would give truthful testimony as to the child’s best and enduring interest.” Id., at 1376-77.
I stress with lawyers that it’s better to have to take an extra step in an adoption to get it right than to have to face a motion to set it aside at a later date. Lack of jurisdiction over all the necessary parties is one of those flaws that can be fatal.
Two Birds with One MRCP 54(b) Stone
August 5, 2013 § Leave a comment
You’ve read here over and over that when the chancellor adjudicates fewer than all of the pending issues in a case, no direct appeal can be taken unless the judge certifies under MRCP 54(b) that there is no just reason to delay an appeal. In the absence of such a certification, the unhappy party’s only recourse is to file a petition with the MSSC for an interlocutory appeal.
The legal landscape is littered with the wreckage of appeals that unsuccessfully ignored the gravitational pull of R54(b), only to come crashing back to where they started.
The latest example — with a twist — is Estate of Drake: Drake v. Drake, decided by the COA July 30, 2013.
Benjamin Lee Drake sued his uncle, Bennie Larry Drake, alleging that Bennie Larry had unduly influenced Benjamin Lee’s father, before the father’s death, to change the beneficiary of his life insurance policy from Benjamin Lee to Bennie Larry, and to convey a parcel of land to him. Benjamin Lee asked the court to set aside both the change in beneficiary and the land conveyance.
In the course of the litigation, the chancellor dismissed the life insurance relief for failure of Benjamin Lee to file his complaint within three years of discovery of his uncle’s fraudulent conduct, as required in MCA 15-1-49 and 15-1-67.
The chancellor left the real property issue pending, which meant that he had resolved fewer than all of the pending issues. He did it with no MRCP 54(b) certification, and he made it clear on the record that his ruling was not final. Nonetheless, he told Benjamin Lee that, if he “wish[ed] to take an interlocutory appeal,” the “same was granted.”
Now here is where things get a tad peculiar.
Benjamin Lee did file a petition for an interlocutory appeal under MRAP 5. But he did not stop there. He also filed a separate, general notice of appeal under MRAP 4. So he had two simultaneous appeals from the same judgment.
As is the norm, the MRAP 4 case was assigned to the COA, and the MSSC kept the MRAP 5 case.
I’ll let the COA tell us what transpired from there:
¶6. “[F]ind[ing] that [Benjamin Lee] filed a notice of appeal from the same trial order,” the supreme court dismissed his separate petition for permission for an interlocutory appeal under Rule 5. At that point, recognizing the other appeal—the Rule 4 non-interlocutory appeal—was not from a final order, Bennie Larry filed two motions to dismiss the general appeal. But the supreme court denied these motions as “not well taken.”
¶7. The appeal has since been assigned to this court. But since the order under review is—as Judge Grant and both parties acknowledge—non-final, we lack jurisdiction to grant an interlocutory appeal and must dismiss. See Lundquist [v. Todd Constr., LLC], 75 So. 3d [606] at 608 [(Miss. 2006)](¶12).
Ergo … Presto Changeo, and … Voila! … two appeals are magically transformed into zero appeals. And the appellant is right back where he started.
The Starting Point
August 2, 2013 § 4 Comments
A pleasant young lawyer from far away in the exotic west of Mississippi dropped by my office last week on a probate matter. I signed her order and we visited briefly.
In the course of the conversation she complimented my work on this blog and said that she always finds something thought-provoking, even when she does not agree with my conclusions.
Ah. Mission accomplished.
As I have emphasized to anyone who will listen, this blog is not intended to be an authoratative reference work. It’s intended as a starting point. It’s a place where you may find a case or a concept that you might not have known about, and which will start you on your quest to put together the authority you might need to convince your sitting judge.
The posts here represent my best judgment about the law, but they are, above all, one judge’s opinion. You may disagree with my conclusions (and some commentors do). But if they provoke you to dig a little deeper, or to take what I have said and try to hammer it into a shape that will fit the predilections of your particular chancellor(s), then the blog is doing its job.
Welcome to the starting point.
Can You Ask for Rehearing, or to Alter or Amend a Judgment, Before There is a Judgment?
August 1, 2013 § 3 Comments
It’s fairly common in this court in a complicated case for me to issue an opinion in a case and direct that one of the attorneys prepare a judgment corresponding with it. The opinion is is issued on one date, and the judgment, as a result, is entered perhaps two weeks later.
It’s also fairly common for a lawyer, once the opinion has been issued, to file an MRCP 59 motion for rehearing in the interval between issuance of the opinion and entry of the judgment.
It does make a difference when you file your post-trial motion. A motion filed within 10 days of entry of the judgment is treated as a R59 motion, and one filed later than 10 days is treated as a R60 motion. City of Jackson v. Jackson Oaks Limited Partnership, 792 So.2d 983, 985 (Miss. 2001). Since the subject matter that may be addressed under each rule is markedly different, you can see that it makes quite a difference when your motion is filed.
So how is the court to treat your motion if you file it even before a judgment is entered? Is your motion a nullity?
The COA addressed the issue in Street v. Street, 936 So.2d 1002 (Miss. App. 2006), where the court stated:
¶ 16. The timing of post-trial motions under Rule 59(a) and Rule 59(e) is the same; such motions must be made “not later than ten days after the entry of judgment.” M.R.C.P. 59(b); 59(e). Both Stephen’s Rule 59(e) motion for reconsideration and his Rule 59(a) motion for a new trial were filed after the chancellor’s bench opinion but before the final judgment was entered. Carla argues that Stephen’s motion for reconsideration was untimely under Rule 59(e) because it was filed before the final judgment was entered rather than within ten days after the entry of the final judgment. For that reason, she contends that the motion should not have been considered by the chancellor.
¶ 17. It appears that the question of whether a Rule 59(e) motion is timely if filed before the entry of a final judgment is one of first impression in Mississippi. However, “[t]he Mississippi Rules of Civil Procedure are patterned after the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and we have looked to the federal interpretations of our state counterparts as persuasive authority.” Hartford Cas. Ins. Co. v. Halliburton Co., 826 So.2d 1206, 1215(¶ 32) (Miss.2001). Federal authority is settled that a Rule 59 motion is timely though filed after the court makes findings of fact but before the entry of a final judgment. See 11 Charles Alan Wright & Arthur R. Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure: Civil 2d § 2812 at 82 n. 44 (1973).
¶ 18. As previously stated, the timing of a Rule 59(e) motion to alter or amend a judgment and a Rule 59(a) motion for a new trial is identical; both motions must be made “not later than ten days after the entry of judgment.” M.R.C.P. 59(b); 59(e). In Hilst v. Bowen, 874 F.2d 725, 726 (10th Cir.1989), the Tenth Circuit observed that “courts and commentators generally agree that this ten-day limit sets only a maximum period and does not preclude a party from making a Rule 59 motion before a formal judgment has been entered.” The Hilst court found that the appellant’s motion for reconsideration was timely though made after the lower court rendered a memorandum and order but before the court entered a final judgment. Id. In concluding that a motion for a new trial filed before entry of judgment was timely, the Fifth Circuit stated that “[the] language [of Rule 59(b) ] does not explicitly require that a motion for new trial be made after judgment is entered, and it has not been interpreted to include this requirement.” Greater Houston Ch. of the ACLU v. Eckels, 755 F.2d 426, 427 (5th Cir.1985); see also McCulloch Motors Corp. v. Oregon Saw Chain Corp., 245 F.Supp. 851, 853 (S.D.Cal.1963) (finding that, by the rule’s use of the words “shall” and “not later than,” the ten days after the entry of judgment established an outside, not an inside, limit for the timing of a motion for a new trial). Based on this authority, we find that Stephen’s Rule 59(e) motion was timely filed after the chancellor’s rendition of her bench opinion, though before the final judgment was entered.
Street was cited in the later case of Gary v. Gary, 84 So.3d 836 (Miss. App. 2012):
¶ 12. Because Michael filed his motion to reconsider five days before the November 29, 2010 entry of the nunc pro tunc order, this court considers his motion for reconsideration as a motion for new hearing or, alternatively, to amend or alter the judgment under Rule 59. M.R.C.P. 59(a), (e) (requiring both motion for new trial and a motion to alter or amend the judgment “be filed not later than ten days after entry of the judgment”); see Street v. Street, 936 So.2d 1002, 1008 (¶ 17) (Miss.Ct.App.2006) (finding a motion to alter the judgment filed after the court made findings of fact but before the entry of a final judgment was timely under Rule 59).
Thanks to attorney David L. Calder of the Child Advocacy Clinic at the University of Mississippi School of Law
MRCP 81 Under the Microscope … and a Poll
July 31, 2013 § 7 Comments
The Supreme Court’s Advisory Committee on Rules has set up a subcommittee of chancellors and a couple of appellate judges to study Rule 81 to determine whether it should be changed in any way, and, if so, how. The subcommittee will next meet August 9, 2013.
I am asking all readers of this blog to email me at lprimeaux@comcast.net with any suggestions you have about R81, no matter how minor or major, whether to keep it as is, or whether to change it in some fashion, or even to eliminate it. Or you may just want to make a comment about it. Any and all emails you send me will be shared with the subcommittee, and will be helpful in our task. Many of you do not comment here, and that’s okay, but I would urge you, please, to give me your input on this rule that has so much impact on our practice in chancery court.
WordPress has a poll feature. I’ve never used it, but I thought it might be fun to employ it as a gauge of legal opinion on R81. What say ye? I’ll make sure the subcommittee knows the results.
The Power to Bind the Client
July 30, 2013 § 5 Comments
When you accept the responsibility to represent a client and enter an appearance or otherwise hold yourself out as representing a party, the court will presume that you have the authority to speak for and bind that party.
That principle came into play in the COA case of Williams v. Homecomings Financial Network, Inc., handed down July 23, 2013.
In that case, Samuel and Carolyn Williams retained a law firm to sue their mortgage company for fraud. They were two of a group of 16 plaintiffs with similar claims. Their attorney, Martin, signed the complaint initiating the suit, holding herself out as counsel for the Williamses. Another attorney in the firm, Nelson, participated.
Terms of settlement were reached, and the attorney signed an agreed judgment of dismissal without prejudice. All of the plaintiff signed the settlement documents except Samuel and Carolyn Williams, who refused to sign. Their attorney withdrew from representation.
Homecomings filed suit to enforce the settlement agreement, and the chancellor ruled in favor of the mortgage company, whereupon the Williamses appealed.
The main point raised by Samuel and Carolyn on appeal was the admission into evidence of the deposition of their former attorney, which they argued contained inadmissible hearsay. For our purposes, though, it’s the authority of counsel and the power to bind the client that concerns us. Here are some points from Judge Carlton’s COA opinion, which affirmed the chancellor:
- ¶13. [From the chancellor’s opinion] “There is a long-standing principle in [the] law that settlements are contracts which are enforceable according to their terms. An attorney is presumed to have the authority to speak for and bind his client. Parmley v. 84 Lumber [Co.], 911 So. 2d 569 (Miss. Ct. App. 2005). Whether or not an attorney has agreed to a settlement on behalf of his client is a question of fact. Id.
- ¶17. In this case, as previously noted, Martin expressed on the record through deposition testimony that he had the authority to bind the Williamses to the terms of the settlement upon learning from Nelson of the Williamses’ alleged acceptance of the proposed settlement. As also previously noted, the record reflects that Martin signed the complaint against Homecomings on behalf of the Williamses. We thus find that the record provides substantial evidence supporting Martin’s authority as counsel of record to bind the Williamses to the agreement. We also find substantial evidence exists to support the chancellor’s order enforcing the settlement agreement. See Parmley, 911 So. 2d at 573 (¶19). Furthermore, Martin’s testimony that he possessed authority as the Williamses’ attorney to accept the settlement terms, coupled with Martin signing the complaint on behalf of the Williamses, demonstrates that Martin indeed possessed the authority to enter into a settlement and bind the Williamses to the terms of any such agreement with Homecomings. Fairchild, 254 Miss. at 265, 179 So. at 187.
In other words, when you sign the pleadings and act like a lawyer with authority to act in a case, the court is going to presume that you have that authority.
And what are the evidentiary implications of that presumption when the court is called upon to make that finding of fact? Here is what the COA said as to the issues in this particular case:
- ¶16. Mississippi Rule of Evidence 801(d)(2)(C) provides that a statement is not hearsay if “[t]he statement is offered against a party and is . . . a statement by a person authorized by him to make a statement concerning the subject[.]” Our supreme court has held that “[a]n attorney is presumed to have the authority to speak for and bind his client.” Parmley, 911 So. 2d at 573 (¶19); see also Pace v. Fin. Sec. Life of Miss., 608 So. 2d 1135, 1138 (Miss. 1992); Fairchild v. Gen. Motors Acceptance Corp., 254 Miss. 261, 265, 179 So. 2d 185, 187 (1965). Additionally, we recognize the determination of “[w]hether or not the attorney has agreed to a settlement on behalf of the client is a question of fact.” Parmley, 911 So. 2d at 573 (¶19).
So, when you speak on behalf of the client under color of the client’s authority, your statements will be admissible as non-hearsay. Attorney-client privilege obviously restrains the scope of admissibility, but does not proscribe it.
You can help avoid factual disputes over the scope of your authority by using representation agreements that clearly define it. As the case progresses, document key discussions with your client via followup letters. Get your client to sign off on orders and agreements that will affect the outcome of the case.
Child Dependency and Taxes
July 29, 2013 § Leave a comment
Randy Wallace has some useful info on his blog in a post entitled Who Gets to Claim the Child on Taxes?
It’s a subject you need to be on top of, because quite often you are called upon to include such a provision in your clients’ property settlement agreements. You want to make sure that the language you choose will do exactly what your client expects it to do with the IRS.
Remember always to include language that requires both parties to execute and deliver the proper forms in a timely fashion that are needed to carry out the terms of the agreement.
“Quote Unquote”
July 26, 2013 § Leave a comment
“As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.” — Nelson Mandela
“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” — Lewis B. Smedes
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction. … The chain reaction of evil — hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars — must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
Reprise: The Hidden Costs of Divorce
July 25, 2013 § 1 Comment
Reprise replays some blog posts of note from the past that may be of some use to you today …
HIDDEN COSTS OF DIVORCE
June 13, 2011 § 3 Comments
John and Marsha have decided that they are tired of living in their own, personal soap opera, and they have agreed to an irreconcilable differences divorce. It looks pretty simple:
Marsha will get the former marital residence. It’s paid for and Marsha intends to stay there. The house sustained some damage in a wind storm a couple of years ago, and the parties got $10,000 for repairs from insurance, but they spent it on a Hawaiian vacation, with a few days in Vegas on the way out, in an unsuccessful attempt at refreshing their marriage. Marsha says she can get the repairs done or not because they don’t affect its habitability. The roof needs replacing, but it’s been patched and doesn’t leak. She says she’ll fix it if and when it leaks or when she sells the house, but she does not have the $6,000 it will cost right now.
The parties own two adjoining commercial lots worth about $15,000 each. Marsha has agreed to take the lot they purchased in John’s name in 1990 for $1,500 before Wal-Mart located down the street. John will get the jointly-titled lot they purchased for $12,500 several years ago. A car lot is expanding and has expressed an interest. Marsha would like to settle the divorce as soon as possible so as to cash in. Marsha owes $14,000 on her credit cards, and she’s behind in her payments, so she needs as much cash as she can get out of sale of the lot.
The parties will split the 1,000 shares of Wal-Mart stock that they accumulated through the years. Marsha really doesn’t know much about stock, so John has generously agreed to divide the shares.
Marsha has enjoyed driving the 2008 Jaguar that John bought her several years ago in an attempt to make up after she caught him in a questionable situation with a waitress from the Waffle House. The car is paid for, and Marsha loves it because she has never had a nice car before. She will get it in the divorce.
John has agreed to pay Marsha $1,000 a month in rehabilitative alimony for 36 months. Even with the alimony, it will be a tight squeeze financially for Marsha, so she doesn’t need any unpleasant financial surprises after the divorce is final.
Marsha is in a hurry. She wants you to do up the papers and she will pick them up to go over with John tomorrow, so she can get them filed right away.
It’ll be a snap to prep the PSA, and you are tempted to just hand the notes over to your secretary so they can be done while you hit the golf course.
Before you jump on this, though, ask yourself whether Marsha will really be getting what she thinks she is bargaining for. Consider:
- The divorce will be a transaction effecting a change of ownership in the former marital residence, triggering a re-rating of the homeowner’s insurance. Because the hurricane repairs have never been done and approved by the insurance company, Marsha’s homeowner’s insurance premium is likely to skyrocket. Not only that, but there are other factors that can adversely affect Marsha’s insurance premium, including her credit rating, which is questionable due to the credit cards. In order to get her homeowner’s insurance premium back with a reasonable range, she will have to spend that $6,000 on the roof and complete the other repairs. How can she find out in advance whether she will have a problem? Marsha can get a free insurance C.L.U.E. (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange) report by writing CLUE, Inc. Consumer Disclosure Center, P. O. Box 105295, Atlanta, GA, 30348-5295, or by calling 1-866-312-8076. An insurance agent can help her decipher the report. And, as you probably know, she can get a free credit report once a year.
- When the commercial lots are sold, Marsha will be paying capital gains taxes, currenty 15%, on $13,500. John will be paying capital gains on just $2,500. Marsha’s tax bite will be $2,025, leaving her $12,975. John’s taxes will be a mere $375, allowing him to pocket $14,625, or $1,650 more than Marsha.
- Also, has Marsha gotten a title opinion on the commercial lot titled in John’s name? It would be a bitter pill indeed to discover when she goes to sell it that John borrowed money against it without her knowledge.
- The stock has the same pitfall as the commercial lots. Stock purchased for $25 a share years ago will carry a much heftier capital gains burden than will the shares purchased for $65 a few years ago. Moreover, John can allocate himself the shares that have sustained losses in the recent downturn. Yet the parties are treating all the shares the same, and, to make it worse, John will call the shots.
- As for her ride, Marsha needs to look at it as a cash drain. How much is she willing to let it drain her? The insurance alone is more than $1,500 a year, and this year’s tag, which is now due, is $862. Not only that, it uses exclusively premium gas, and has never gotten the 21 miles to the gallon that the dealer promised. Yes, it is paid for, but would she do better selling it and taking the cash to buy something more economical? Can she even afford this car?
- Finally, the alimony is taxable income to Marsha unless the parties agree that it will not be taxable. John will not likely agree due to the fact that he will get to claim it as a deduction. Is Marsha aware of this? Can you negotiate an extra $300 or so a month for Marsha to use to pay her income taxes?
You can do the papers exactly as Marsha dictated, or you can sit her down and bring all these matters to her attention. It’s the difference between acting as Marsha’s clerk-typist and acting as her lawyer. You get to decide.
