Dunn v. Dunn

703 S.W.2d 317, 1985 Tex. App. LEXIS 12706
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 18, 1985
Docket04-84-00471-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 703 S.W.2d 317 (Dunn v. Dunn) 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
Dunn v. Dunn, 703 S.W.2d 317, 1985 Tex. App. LEXIS 12706 (Tex. Ct. App. 1985).

Opinion

OPINION

DIAL, Justice.

This is an appeal from an order rendered in a post-divorce partition suit.

Appellant Henry Dunn and appellee Penelope Dunn were married in 1972 and divorced in 1983. The divorce decree awarded Penelope one-half of the proceeds from the Sale of “Duns Bar Gal,” a horse owned by the couple, and “any and all other property” in her possession and control. Henry was awarded one-half the proceeds from the sale of “Duns Bar Gal” and all other property in his possession and control when the divorce decree was entered.

Up to the present time, Henry has maintained a job as a civil service employee, a GS-12 Step 5, for a total of 31 years, eleven of those years accumulating during his marriage to Penelope. Penelope introduced evidence showing that Henry had contributed $26,424.89 towards his retirement, $17,796.64 of that total accumulating during the parties’ marriage. Penelope was also a civil servant and had accumulated $6,157.27 in retirement benefits. Neither of the party’s benefits were specifically mentioned in the divorce decree, which had been based upon a settlement agreement between Henry and Penelope, nor were the benefits mentioned in any settlement discussions prior to or after the divorce. Additionally, the couple owned two other horses, “Why Tag Along” and “Rondo’s Rancher” and 12 head of cattle which were not mentioned in the divorce order. Henry sold the cattle before the divorce order was entered and deposited the check into his account shortly thereafter.

Penelope later filed a partition suit to divide Henry’s retirement and claimed an interest in the proceeds from the 12 head of cattle and the two additional horses. Henry answered, alleging that the divorce decree was a final judgment and res judicata as to all of the issues raised by Penelope, and therefore could not be collaterally attacked. The court concluded that the livestock and retirement benefits had not been divided and entered an order dividing the property as follows: Penelope was awarded $1,875.00, which represented one-half the proceeds from the sale of the cattle. Henry was awarded all right, title and interest in “Rondo’s Rancher” and “Why Tag Along,” while “Duns Bar Gal” was to be sold and the proceeds split equally. Penelope was to recover 33.67% of Henry’s civil service retirement if, as, and when received to be determined according to the current Federal Civil Service Retirement pay schedule for a GS-12 Step 5 in force at the time Henry retires, plus a proportionate share of all cost of living increases. Penelope’s civil service retirement was also partitioned, but since this division was not complained of on appeal, we will not consider it in this decision.

Henry has perfected this appeal, challenging the judgment on several fronts. First, he claims that the trial court erred in partitioning the interest in the livestock and the retirement benefits, because such property was already awarded in the divorce decree through the “residuary clause,” and is therefore barred by res *319 judicata. Second, he asserts that the trial court erred in awarding Penelope 33.67% of his retirement since the total community interest to be partitioned is only 35.48% of the accrued benefits and Penelope is entitled to only half of that percentage, or 17.605%. He further alleges that the court erred in computing Penelope’s share based upon the schedule in force at the time of retirement, but rather should have considered the “present value” of the benefits.

It is well settled that community property not divided on divorce may later be partitioned, but the parties stand as tenants in common or as joint owners thereof. Busby v. Busby, 457 S.W.2d 551, 554 (Tex.1970); Yeo v. Yeo, 581 S.W.2d 734, 736 (Tex.Civ.App.—San Antonio 1979, writ ref’d n.r.e.). It is also the law in Texas that a spouse has a community property interest in that portion of retirement benefits that his spouse earned during their marriage. Valdez v. Ramirez, 574 S.W.2d 748, 749 (Tex.1978). This is the case even though the benefits at the time of divorce are not matured and are not subject to possession at the time of divorce. See Cearley v. Cearley, 544 S.W.2d 661, 666 (Tex.1976). Therefore, if the retirement benefits and cattle were not disposed of in the divorce decree, they would be subject to the later property division by the court in the partition suit.

The material issue for our consideration, then, is whether the benefits and the livestock had already been partitioned by virtue of the “residuary clause” in the divorce decree, as Henry claims. We find that the proceeds from the sale of the cattle and the pension benefits were not included in the Dunn’s original divorce decree and therefore were properly divided by the trial court. We conclude further that the two additional horses, “Why Tag Along” and “Rondo’s Rancher” were in Henry’s possession and control and were therefore his separate property by virtue of the residuary clause and were properly awarded to him.

Henry cites Yeo v. Yeo as controlling authority for the present case, based on its discussion of what constitutes possession.” In that case we stated that a suit to partition community property not disposed of in the original divorce decree does not constitute a collateral attack but is merely a suit brought by one tenant in common against another. Yeo v. Yeo, 581 S.W.2d 734, 736 (Tex.Civ.App.—San Antonio 1979, writ ref’d n.r.e.). The crucial issue in Yeo, as in the present case, centered around a residuary clause and whether it included unawarded military retirement benefits. The clause stated:

I, the said Doris B. Yeo, for the same consideration, have released remised and quit claimed ... unto the said Norman R. Yeo ... any separate property he may now have or acquire in the future and all other property of whatever nature, separate or community, in his possession or claimed by him.

Yeo v. Yeo, 581 S.W.2d at 737. Mr. Yeo claimed that his military retirement was in his “possession” at the time of divorce and was therefore not subject to partition in the later suit brought by his ex-wife. Id. at 737. We concluded that “possession” could not properly be interpreted as including such intangible contract rights as future military retirement benefits. Id. at 738. “Possession,” we stated, is ordinarily understood as referring to property over which the parties have physical control or at least a power of immediate enjoyment and disposition. Yeo v. Yeo, 581 S.W.2d at 738; Dessommes v. Dessommes, 505 S.W.2d 673, 676 (Tex.Civ.App.—Dallas 1973, writ ref’d n.r.e.).

Henry argues that his retirement falls under the Yeo definition of “possession” since by federal statute he has the right to withdraw his retirement benefits should he terminate his employment.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
703 S.W.2d 317, 1985 Tex. App. LEXIS 12706, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dunn-v-dunn-texapp-1985.