Conrad v. Bowers

533 S.W.2d 614, 1975 Mo. App. LEXIS 1858
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 16, 1975
Docket36422
StatusPublished
Cited by100 cases

This text of 533 S.W.2d 614 (Conrad v. Bowers) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Conrad v. Bowers, 533 S.W.2d 614, 1975 Mo. App. LEXIS 1858 (Mo. Ct. App. 1975).

Opinions

SIMEONE, Presiding Judge.

This cause involves the construction of the recently enacted dissolution of marriage law adopted by the general assembly, §§ 452.300-452.415, RSMo Supp.1973, and specifically involves the interpretation of the term “marital property” as used in that act. While the facts are rather simple, the legal issues are complex and are not easily resolved.

This is an appeal by the appellant, Mrs. Essie Bowers, from a decree entered by the circuit court of Madison County on May 20, 1974, which dissolved the marriage between her and Mr. Fred Bowers and which divided certain real and personal property between the parties.1 The parties did not contest the decree insofar as it relates to the dissolution; all agree that there was no reasonable likelihood that the marriage could be preserved and that the marriage was- irretrievably broken, but the appellant-wife contends that the trial court erred in awarding all of the real estate to the husband, Fred, because the court’s finding “constituted an abuse of judicial discretion and was against the weight of the creditable [sic] evidence.” For reasons hereinafter stated, we affirm the result reached by the trial court.

[617]*617A detailed review of the evidence is not necessary for the resolution of the issue presented — whether the court erred in awarding all of the real estate to the husband. The appellant, Mrs. Bowers, does not contest that portion of the decree awarding custody of the minor child, Fred, Jr., to the husband, but she does vigorously contend that the court erred in (1) awarding all the real estate to the husband because the court allegedly held that the real property acquired after the marriage had been acquired with funds derived from the sale of property which the husband owned prior to the marriage, and (2) not taking into consideration the various relevant factors listed in § 452.330, subsection 1. In oral argument before this court, appellant also contended that, in dividing the marital property, the trial court may consider only such “conduct” of the parties during the marriage as relates to financial matters and it may not consider socially unapproved conduct, unrelated to financial matters.

On November 23, 1973, Fred J. Bowers filed his petition for “divorce” under the law then in existence. He sought a “divorce” and custody of the parties’ one child, Fred, Junior. On May 15,1974, Mr. Bowers amended his petition alleging that the marriage was “irretrievably broken.” On December 20, 1973, Mrs. Bowers filed her cross-bill also seeking a “divorce,” custody of the child, Fred, Jr., and division of the property. The cause was tried under the new dissolution of marriage act.

Mr. and Mrs. Bowers were married in April, 1967, after a “courtship” of six years. At that time and prior to his marriage, Mr. Bowers worked in Chicago and its environs. Prior to his marriage, he owned, in his own name, a certain piece of real estate in Lombard, Illinois — hereinafter referred to as the Lombard property. This property was valued at approximately $35,000 by Mr. Bowers, and $45,000.00 by Mrs. Bowers. At the time of the trial court hearing, there was a mortgage on the Lombard property of approximately $7,000, leaving an equity of $28,000. The Lombard property was never sold, and was still in the name of Fred Bowers at the time of the dissolution hearing. Mr. and Mrs. Bowers, at the time of their marriage, moved into the Lombard property with Mrs. Bowers’ five children of a previous relationship. Mr. Bowers, while living in Illinois, also owned two “flats” or apartments which apparently were owned by Mr. Bowers and his former wife who died before he married his present wife, Essie. These two flats were sold after the marriage, and there was realized a profit of $16,500.00. With the proceeds of the sale of these two “flats,” Mr. and Mrs. Bowers purchased certain real property in Elm-hurst, DuPage County, Illinois — hereinafter referred to as the Elmhurst property. This property was purchased in the names of both Mr. and Mrs. Bowers. The Elmhurst property was valued at approximately $10,-000 by Mr. Bowers, and $15,000 by Mrs. Bowers. There was also a mortgage on this property of approximately $3,000, leaving an equity of some $7,000.00. Subsequently, the parties came to Fredericktown, Missouri and purchased a home, the title to which was also placed in their joint names. The Fredericktown property was purchased with proceeds from a loan on the Elmhurst property and from a loan of $10,000.00 from Evelyn Davis, Mrs. Bowers’ sister. There was also a mortgage on the property of $3,000.00, leaving an equity in the Freder-icktown property of $4,500.00

For a clearer picture of these transactions, we tabulate the following:

[618]

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Bluebook (online)
533 S.W.2d 614, 1975 Mo. App. LEXIS 1858, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/conrad-v-bowers-moctapp-1975.