Estudillo v. Estudillo

956 N.E.2d 1084, 2011 Ind. App. LEXIS 1841, 2011 WL 4950171
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 18, 2011
Docket91A02-1102-DR-97
StatusPublished
Cited by34 cases

This text of 956 N.E.2d 1084 (Estudillo v. Estudillo) 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
Estudillo v. Estudillo, 956 N.E.2d 1084, 2011 Ind. App. LEXIS 1841, 2011 WL 4950171 (Ind. Ct. App. 2011).

Opinion

*1087 MEMORANDUM DECISION

VAIDIK, Judge.

Case Summary

Espiridion Estadillo (“Husband”) appeals the trial court’s property division in his dissolution proceedings with Maria Es-tadillo (“Wife”). Husband argues that the trial court erred by dividing the marital property unequally, including non-marital property in its distribution, and by failing to recognize his obligation to repay loans made to him by his brothers. We affirm.

Facts and Procedural History

Husband and Wife were married in January 2000. Husband and Wife have two children together as well as children from prior relationships. Throughout the marriage, both parties worked at Indiana Packers Corporation.

The parties purchased two properties during their marriage. In April 2002, the parties purchased a vacant lot at 717 South Bluff Street in Monticello, Indiana. The property was purchased with proceeds from a personal injury settlement Husband received in December 2001. The remaining settlement funds were used to purchase construction equipment to build a residence on the lot. Building materials were acquired through a loan in both parties’ names and two credit cards. The Bluff Street property was titled in Husband’s name only. 1

In November 2002, the parties purchased a residence at 502 Prairie Court, also in Monticello. The parties obtained mortgages and lines of credit against this property, which they used to continue building a residence at the Bluff Street address. A portion of this debt was incurred in both parties’ names, and another portion was incurred in Husband’s name alone. Like Bluff Street, the Prairie Court property was titled in Husband’s name only. 2

In April 2009, Husband transferred title to the Bluff Street property to his brother, Artemio. 3 In May 2009, Husband transferred title to the Prairie Court property to his adult daughter from a prior relationship. Two months later, Wife filed a petition for dissolution. A hearing was held in July 2010. In October 2010, the trial court entered a final decree of dissolution, which provides in pertinent part:

6. Before the parties’ marriage, the Husband purchased a parcel of real estate located at 605 Turpie Street, Monticello, White County, Indiana. The Husband transferred a one-half (1/2) legal interest in the title to this property to his brother, Jose [Estadillo] ... the brother Jose transferred his legal interest to their other brother, Luis [Esta-dillo]. The brother Luis [Estadillo] subsequently died. The Husband has continued to treat the real estate as his own by leasing the premises and collecting rent from tenants for its use. ... At the time of trial, the parties agreed that the property located at Turpie Street, Monticello, White County, Indiana, was worth $49,600. However, the Wife testified that she makes no claim against the Turpie Street real estate.
11. On May 1, 2009, the Husband borrowed $14,000.00 from his 401 (k) Retirement Savings Plan maintained by him through his employment at Indiana Packers Corporation. In addition, the Husband claims that his brothers, Ar- *1088 temió and Mario[,] have loaned him vast sums of money.... [T]he Husband has offered no proof that the sums he claims are due to his brothers are actually owed to them.
12. The Wife testified she returned home from work one evening in May, 2009 and she was advised by the Husband that they had been robbed. She was told that the sum of $500 was taken from its hiding place in a dresser drawer. Nothing else in the drawer had been disturbed. In addition, she ascertained that her jewelry had been removed from its jewelry box. She found one of the boxes that had contained part of her jewelry in the Husband’s truck. Several days before the alleged theft, the Husband had removed his items from the Wife’s jewelry box. In addition, the Husband mentioned the possibility that the jewelry could be in the possession of a relative, and that the relative would probably be willing to return it to the parties for money. The parties did not call the police to report the theft, nor were the parties able to place a value on the missing jewelry.
13. The Husband’s bank records indicate that approximately $64,500.00 over his Indiana Packer’s wages was deposited in his account between February 2009 and July 2010. The Husband maintains that his brother Artemio loaned him the money. The clerk copies he tendered in support of this assertion were drawn from an account in Artem-io’s name at Lafayette Bank & Trust. The checks were issued in consecutive numbers to the Husband. This would indicate that the brothers maintained the account for the specific purpose of trying to conceal assets. This finding is supported by the fact that the brother Artemio is an illegal alien who is employed at Wrede and Sons as a common laborer, and that Artemio would not have access to the funds to loan to [Husband]. In addition, the mobile home, whose sale the Husband claimed could have provided the funds was sold well after the loans claimed by the Husband were supposedly made.
17. I.C. 31-15-7-5 provides that an equal division of marital property should be assumed to be just. Neither party rebutted this presumption.
18. In dividing the property, the Court should consider the contributions each party made to its acquisition, and how the parties conducted themselves regarding its disposition or dissipation.
19. Dissipation of marital assets occurs when one of the parties disposes of marital property in a manner that does not benefit the marriage or was made for a purpose entirely unrelated to the marriage. The timing of the transaction is such that if it is clear that the disposing party means to diminish the value of the property in anticipation of the divorce; whether the expenditure was excessive or de minimis; and whether the dissipating party intended to hide, deplete, or divert the marital asset. Hardebeck v. Hardebeck, 917 N.E.2d 694 (Ind.App.2009).
20. The Husband herein transferred two (2) parcels of real estate in May of 2009, approximately two (2) months before the parties separated. He admitted that he made these transactions to keep the Wife from sharing in their value. He had hoped that transferring the Prairie Court property would take that parcel of real estate out of the Court’s jurisdiction, and hence, its disposition.
21. In addition, the Husband transferred the Bluff Street property to his brother, Artemio, in the hope that it would be placed out of the Court’s jurisdiction, and hence, from its disposition.
22. Despite the Husband’s attempts to transfer the Prairie Court real estate to *1089 his daughter, Erika, it was never his intent to make a gift of it to her. He made her leave the property because she had not paid rent to him, and he has since collected rent from other tenants.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
956 N.E.2d 1084, 2011 Ind. App. LEXIS 1841, 2011 WL 4950171, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/estudillo-v-estudillo-indctapp-2011.