Allred v. Allred

835 P.2d 974, 188 Utah Adv. Rep. 47, 1992 Utah App. LEXIS 114, 1992 WL 127896
CourtCourt of Appeals of Utah
DecidedJune 5, 1992
Docket910030-CA
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 835 P.2d 974 (Allred v. Allred) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Utah primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Allred v. Allred, 835 P.2d 974, 188 Utah Adv. Rep. 47, 1992 Utah App. LEXIS 114, 1992 WL 127896 (Utah Ct. App. 1992).

Opinions

GARFF, Judge:

Appellant Sandra J. Allred (Wife) appeals a divorce decree and judgment awarding appellee Robert G. Allred (Husband) the tax exemption for the parties’ minor child. Husband cross appeals claiming the trial judge erred in setting aside and amending its initial findings of fact and conclusions of law, and in computing the final property distribution. We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand.

[976]*976FACTS

Wife and Husband were married September 17, 1977. The parties have one minor child. Husband has a monthly income of $6,016. Wife intends to continue her education following the divorce. Her income consists of alimony and child support payments.

The trial court issued a memorandum decision on August 9, 1990, outlining a specific division of the parties’ property, awarding custody of the minor child to Wife, setting the amount of child support at $610 per month in accord with the Utah Child Support Guidelines, awarding Wife alimony in the amount of $1,000 per month, and resolving other issues not relevant to this appeal. The memorandum decision did not specify a visitation schedule, nor did it award the tax exemption for the minor child to Husband. The trial court directed Husband’s attorney to prepare the findings of fact and conclusions of law (initial decree).

The initial decree awarded Husband the tax exemption for the minor child, a liberal visitation schedule, and a property division different from the one outlined in the memorandum decision. The “new” property division reflected a $14,000 net loss to Wife. On September 7, 1990, Husband’s attorney sent the initial decree to the court and to Wife’s attorney with a letter offering to discuss the provisions. Husband’s attorney warned Wife’s attorney that if he did not timely respond, he would present the initial decree to the trial court for final entry.

Wife’s attorney sent a letter to the court on September 13, 1990, requesting additional time to review the initial decree and asking that the court postpone signing it. A copy of the letter was sent to Husband’s attorney. Nonetheless, Husband’s attorney presented the initial decree to the court for final entry on September 24, 1990. The trial court signed the initial decree on that date.

In the meantime, Wife’s attorney prepared a letter accepting Husband’s attorney’s invitation to negotiate the items contained in the initial decree. Wife’s attorney prepared the letter on September 24, 1990, and sent it to Husband’s attorney on September 27, 1990, after the court had already signed the initial decree.

Wife filed a document captioned “Motion to Set Aside Entry of Judgment and Request for Extension of Time” (Motion to Set Aside), together with supporting memo-randa and a request for decision, on September 27, 1990. The court granted Wife’s motion by minute entry on October 19, 1990. On November 13, 1990, the court entered an “Order Setting Aside Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law and Decree of Divorce,” agreeing to hear oral argument on the property division and visitation issues, but expressly refusing to consider the tax exemption issue.

At the hearing on November 17, 1990, Husband argued that the property division in the memorandum decision contained a mathematical error and therefore did not reflect the trial court’s intention. The “new” property division outlined in the initial decree, he argued, was consistent with the court’s intention and should be adopted. Finding it had made no mistake in calculation, the trial court rejected Husband’s argument, and affirmed its original position outlined in the memorandum decision. The trial court also modified the visitation schedule.

The trial court entered its “Order Modifying Decree of Divorce and Ruling on Plaintiff’s Request to Amend the Findings of Fact, Conclusions and Decree of Divorce” (final decree) on December 12, 1990.

On January 11, 1991, within thirty days of the signing of the final decree, Wife filed a notice of appeal with this court, claiming the court erred in awarding the tax exemption to Husband.

Husband claims Wife’s appeal was not timely filed, and also cross-appeals claiming the court erred (1) in setting aside the initial decree because Wife’s objections were not timely filed, and (2) in not recognizing that it had made a mistake in computing the final property distribution.

[977]*977TIMELINESS

We first consider whether Wife timely filed her notice of appeal so as to give this court jurisdiction. “[T]he initial inquiry of any court should always be to determine whether the requested action is within its jurisdiction.” Varian-Eimac, Inc. v. Lamoreaux, 767 P.2d 569, 570 (Utah App.1989). We independently determine whether the appeal is proper when reviewing a jurisdictional issue. See Barlow v. Cappo, 821 P.2d 465, 466 (Utah App.1991).

Husband claims Wife did not timely file her appeal because she did not file a notice of appeal within thirty days of the court’s signing of the initial decree on September 24, 1990. He further asserts that Wife’s Motion to Set Aside was actually a Rule 60 motion because of its caption and because it requested relief from judgment, and therefore the motion did not toll the time to file notice of appeal. See White v. State of Utah and the Dep’t of Fin. Insts., 795 P.2d 648, 649 (1990) (Rule 60 motion does not toll time for appeal).

We determine the nature of a motion from the document’s substance and not its caption. Gallardo v. Bolinder, 800 P.2d 816, 817 (Utah 1990) (per curiam). The trial court’s implicit conclusion that Wife’s motion was filed pursuant to Rule 59 is legal in nature; we thus accord it no particular deference and review for correctness. Grayson Roper Ltd. Partnership v. Finlinson, 782 P.2d 467, 470 (Utah 1989).

“[A] motion filed within ten days of the entry of judgment that questions the correctness of the court’s findings and conclusions is properly treated as a post-judgment motion under either Rules 52(b) or 59(e).” DeBry v. Fidelity Nat’l Title Ins. Co., 828 P.2d 520, 521 (Utah App.1992).

We conclude the trial court properly characterized Wife’s motion as a Rule 59 motion based on its substance. A timely motion filed pursuant to Rule 59 tolls the time for appeal pending resolution of the motion. Utah R.App.P. 4(b).

Wife’s motion in effect objected to sevéral provisions of the initial decree because they did not reflect the decision made by the trial court in its memorandum decision. The court ultimately amended portions of the decree in its final order on December 12, and granted relief pursuant to Rule 59. Moreover, in making its final decree, the trial court granted Wife’s “Request to Amend the Findings of Fact, Conclusions and Decree of Divorce,” thus treating Wife’s Motion to Set Aside as a Rule 59 motion to amend.

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Allred v. Allred
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835 P.2d 974, 188 Utah Adv. Rep. 47, 1992 Utah App. LEXIS 114, 1992 WL 127896, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/allred-v-allred-utahctapp-1992.