Brownsing v. Brownsing

512 N.E.2d 878, 1987 Ind. App. LEXIS 3081
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 14, 1987
Docket60A01-8703-CV-68
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 512 N.E.2d 878 (Brownsing v. Brownsing) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Brownsing v. Brownsing, 512 N.E.2d 878, 1987 Ind. App. LEXIS 3081 (Ind. Ct. App. 1987).

Opinions

[879]*879RATLIFF, Chief Justice.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

Charles R. Brownsing appeals from the Owen Circuit Court the dismissal of his complaint against Nora Brownsing. We affirm.

FACTS

On August 21, 1981, the marriage of Charles and Nora Brownsing was dissolved pursuant to the decree and order of the Owen Circuit Court. The decree and order incorporated a property settlement agreement entered into by the parties. The agreement provided, in pertinent part, as follows:

"(b) Husband and wife jointly and by the entireties own real property situated at R.R. # 2, Box 229, Worthington, Owen County, Indiana. Said real property was acquired by the parties during their marriage. The husband shall continue to make the mortgage payments respecting said real property until said real property can be sold, at which time husband and wife shall equally divide the equity realized from the proceeds of said sale, with the husband first being reimbursed from said proceeds those funds constituting mortgage payments made by him following the dissolution herein before said equal division of equity by the parties takes place."

Record at 85. In late August of 1981, the Brownsings entered into a listing agreement with Mark III Realty, Inc. (Mark III) to sell the Worthington real estate. Although Mark III produced a prospective buyer, the sale failed, and the listing agreement expired. Subsequently, Mercer Realty Company contracted with the Browns-ings to sell the property. Unfortunately, the Brownsings have been unable to sell the property.

On September 5, 1984, Charles brought an action against Mark III, and William Hogan as an agent of Mark III alleging breach of duty under the listing agreement and sought damages. Charles also named Nora as a defendant so that she could assert her interest in the law suit. Charles entered into a stipulation dismissing Mark III and Hogan and amended his complaint to seek a declaratory judgment or partition against Nora, Nora filed a separate petition for an order of modification and enforcement of the original decree. On October 1, 1986, Nora moved to dismiss the amended complaint,. A hearing was held, and on December 9, 1986, the court dismissed the amended complaint. Charles appeals this dismissal.

ISSUES

Although Brownsing raises three (8) issues on appeal, the following rephrased issues are dispositive:

1. Whether the trial court erred in dismissing Charles Brownsing's declaratory judgment and partition complaint.

2. Whether the Owen Circuit Court has jurisdiction to hear Nora Brownsing's petition for modification and enforcement of the original divorcee decree.

DISCUSSION AND DECISION

Issue One

Charles argues that the trial court erred in dismissing his complaint which sought a declaratory judgment on the issue of Nora's interest in the Worthington property or in the alternative a partitioning of the property. Specifically, Charles argues that, since the property's value has depreciated, Nora would receive nothing if the property were sold. Thus, Charles requests that the court declare that he can sell the property free from any claims by Nora. Charles also argues that this suit is not a collateral attack on the divorce decree, but rather an interpretation of the interests therein. Thus, Charles believes that the trial court had jurisdiction to adjudicate the parties' interests, erred in dismissing the complaint, and should have declared that Nora had no interest in the property. Charles' belief is mistaken.

A property settlement agreement that is incorporated into a final dissolution 'decree and order may not be modified unless the agreement so provides or the par[880]*880ties subsequently consent. Indiana Code section 81-1-11.5-10(c) Steele v. Davisson, Davisson and Davisson (1982), Ind.App., 437 N.E.2d 491, 493; Anderson v. Anderson (1979), Ind.App., 399 N.E.2d 391, 397-98; Pactor v. Pactor (1979), 181 Ind.App. 329, 332, 391 N.E.2d 1148, 1150. All questions regarding the adjudication of marital property rights are put to rest by the divorce decree. Meyers v. Handlon (1985), Ind.App., 479 N.E.2d 106, 111; Anderson, at 397 n. 10; Wilhelm v. Wilhelm (1979), Ind.App., 397 N.E.2d 1079, 1081. As stated in Wilkeim,

''The legislature's intent was to enjoin the court, at the time of dissolution, to settle all property rights with certainty. Dissolution contemplates a final separation of the parties and a final division of their property. 'Their paths in life henceforth diverge, and, in legal contemplation, they are to each other as strangers' Wolfe v. Wolfe, (1976), 46 Ohio St.2d 399, 350 N.E.2d 413, 421. Consequently, their subsequent conduct should not alter their respective rights in the marital estate; these rights must be determined by a final distribution of property made at the time of dissolution."

Wilhelm, at 1081. However, a dissolution decree and property settlement may be revoked or modified if a petitioner establishes fraud. Indiana Code section 31-1-11.5-17; Thompson v. Thompson (1984), Ind.App., 458 N.E.2d 298, 300-01; Pactor, 181 Ind.App. at 332-33, 391 N.E.2d at 1150. The court, however, cannot entertain a suit which seeks the modification of a divorce decree through a collateral action. Nicholson v. Nicholson (1888), 113 Ind. 131, 137-39, 15 N.E. 223, 226, Goodyear v. Goodyear (1982), Ind.App., 441 N.E.2d 498, 500; Anderson, at 400.

In Goodyear, Bonnie (Goodyear) at tempted to obtain one-half (%) of an income tax refund check made payable to both her and Martin Goodyear, her ex-husband. Goodyear, at 499. The income tax refund resulted from Martin's filing of tax returns based on a net operating loss to a "sub-chapter S corporation" that the parties previously owned as husband and wife. Id. The loss occurred, however, a year after the trial court had awarded Martin all stock in the corporation pursuant to a property settlement agreement which was incorporated into the January 4, 1979, dissolution decree, Id. Bonnie attempted to argue that equitably she was entitled to half of the refund and relied upon a quasi-contract theory. Id. at 500. The court rejected this theory, as follows:

"Taken in context, this evidence does not reveal an issue of quasi-contract, but instead expresses Bonnie's dissatisfaction with the weight given to her contribution to the acquisition and maintenance of marital property in the property settlement agreement. If the settlement agreement was inequitable, she should not have agreed to it. In any case, a collateral attack on the dissolution decree is inappropriate."

Id. Accordingly, the court reversed summary judgment for Bonnie and entered summary judgment in favor of Martin. Id. at 501.

As in Goodyear, the amended complaint in the present case was a collateral attack on the prior dissolution decree.

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Brownsing v. Brownsing
512 N.E.2d 878 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1987)

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Bluebook (online)
512 N.E.2d 878, 1987 Ind. App. LEXIS 3081, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brownsing-v-brownsing-indctapp-1987.