Buys v. Buys

898 S.W.2d 903, 1994 Tex. App. LEXIS 3292, 1995 WL 142363
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 14, 1994
Docket04-93-00302-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 898 S.W.2d 903 (Buys v. Buys) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Buys v. Buys, 898 S.W.2d 903, 1994 Tex. App. LEXIS 3292, 1995 WL 142363 (Tex. Ct. App. 1994).

Opinions

OPINION

HARDBERGER, Justice.

This case decides in a post-divorce action what benefits a husband (Norbert) receives and what benefits a wife (Aleñe) receives of:

1. Military Retirement benefits;
2. Civil Service Retirement benefits.
The following dates are significant:
September 22, 1958 January 22, 1970 February, 1985 February 8, 1990 July 13, 1990 Marriage of Norbert and Aleñe; Divorce of Norbert and Aleñe; Norbert retires from Civil Service; Norbert retires from the Air Force Reserve; Suit brought by Aleñe for retirement benefits from both the Air Force and the Civil Service.

Of significance is that the Uniformed Services Former Spouses Protection Act and its 1990 amendment holds that there can be no benefit division from military retirement if the divorce happened before 1981, and the benefits were not divided before or at that time. Alene’s position is that that divorce decree of 1970 has already partitioned those benefits because of the residuary clause m the decree which says that all community property not specifically mentioned, goes to Aleñe. There was no specific mention of either the Air Force or the Civil Service retirement benefits. Thus there is a conflict between the Former Spouses Act and the residuary clause of the divorce.

We hold that the Former Spouses Act and its 1990 amendment defeats whatever claim Aleñe may have under the residuary clause as to any military pension benefits. We also hold that Aleñe is entitled to her community interest in the Civil Service Retirement benefits.

Background

Alene M. Buys and Norbert F. Buys were married on September 22,1953. The parties were divorced on January 22, 1970. The divorce included an Agreement of Property Settlement and Partition of Property which did not expressly address either military or civil service retirement benefits but did contain a residuary clause awarding all community property, not specifically mentioned, to Aleñe Buys.

At the time of the divorce Norbert Buys was a member of the United States Air Force Reserve serving in the pay grade of E-7 (Master Sergeant). In addition he was working for the United States Civil Service in the pay grade of W-F-7 and had worked for the Civil Service for approximately 14 years. Norbert Buys retired from Civil Service in February of 1985 and from the United States Air Force Reserve on February 3, 1990.

Aleñe Buys filed an Original Petition on July 13, 1990 to determine and enforce her entitlement in the accrued or vested interests of the parties to both the Civil Service Retirement Annuity and the United States Air Force Retirement. The case was tried to the court which entered judgment that the 1970 Decree of Divorce failed to divide the retirement rights. The court proceeded to divide both the Civil Service Annuity and the United States Air Force Retirement.

[906]*906The court found that Norbert Buys had accrued two hundred and forty (240) months of active duty service and active reserve service towards retirement in the United States Air Force Reserve. The court also found that two hundred and ten (210) months out of the total were community property. The court awarded Aleñe Buys one half of the community interest in the military retirement pay which amounts to 43.75% of the total military retirement pay. Aleñe was also awarded $7,501.41 which represented 43.75% of the total sum of military retirement pay received by Norbert Buys between the date of his retirement and the date of trial.

Concerning the civil service retirement pay, the court found that Norbert Buys had accumulated three hundred and ninety (390) months total service and that two hundred nine and a half (209.5) months out of the total were community property. The court also awarded Aleñe one half of the community’s interest in the civil service retirement pay which equals 23.86% of the total civil service retirement benefits. Aleñe was awarded $30,890.06 which represents 23.86% of all civil service retirement benefits received by Norbert Buys from the date of retirement through the date of trial. Both parties appealed from the judgment.

Military Retirement Benefits

Aleñe Buys argues in her first point of error that the trial court erred in finding that the divorce’s Property Settlement Agreement did not divide all of the then accrued or vested rights in both the Civil Service Retirement Annuity and the United States Air Force Retirement. She says it did. Norbert Buys argues in his second cross-point of error 1 that the trial court was without jurisdiction to divide his military retirement pay and award a proportionate share to Aleñe because the 1970 divorce decree didn’t discuss his military retirement and thus any post-divorce attempt to partition his retirement is preempted by the 1990 amendment to 10 U.S.C. § 1408, the Uniformed Services Former Spouses’ Protection Act, (Former Spouses Act). We will consider both points together.

Traditionally, Texas courts considered military retirement and disability benefits community property divisible upon divorce. Busby v. Busby, 457 S.W.2d 551 (Tex.1970); Kirkham v. Kirkham, 335 S.W.2d 393 (Tex. Civ.App. — San Antonio 1960, no writ). If military benefits were not divided at divorce then the parties jointly owned the retirement benefits as tenants in common and partition was the correct way to divide the benefits. Harrell v. Harrell, 692 S.W.2d 876 (Tex. 1985); Busby, 457 S.W.2d at 554. However, in McCarty v. McCarty, 453 U.S. 210, 101 S.Ct. 2728, 69 L.Ed.2d 589 (1981), the United States Supreme Court prohibited division of military retirement benefits by state courts and further forbid any adjustment in the award of other community property to balance the loss of these benefits.

In response to McCarty, Congress enacted the Uniformed Services Former Spouses’ Protection Act, Pub.L. No. 97-252, 96 Stat. 730 (codified as amended at 10 U.S.C. § 1408(c)(1) (1983)). The purpose of the Former Spouses Act was to reverse the effect of the McCarty decision. Cameron v. Cameron, 641 S.W.2d 210, 212 (Tex.1982). Under the Former Spouses Act, a court may divide military retirement pay between spouses in accordance with the law of the jurisdiction of that court. The act limits the division of retirement pay to periods beginning after June 25, 1981. 10 U.S.C. § 1408(c)(1).

In 1990, Congress amended the Former Spouses Act to restrict the ability of courts to partition military retirement benefits that were not addressed in a final decree of divorce entered before 1981. The 1990 amend[907]*907ment to the Former Spouses Act reads as follows:

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Related

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Bluebook (online)
898 S.W.2d 903, 1994 Tex. App. LEXIS 3292, 1995 WL 142363, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/buys-v-buys-texapp-1994.