Falor v. Falor

840 S.W.2d 683, 1992 Tex. App. LEXIS 2955, 1992 WL 240595
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedSeptember 30, 1992
Docket04-91-00554-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 840 S.W.2d 683 (Falor v. Falor) 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
Falor v. Falor, 840 S.W.2d 683, 1992 Tex. App. LEXIS 2955, 1992 WL 240595 (Tex. Ct. App. 1992).

Opinion

OPINION

REEVES, Chief Justice.

This appeal challenges the validity of a court ordered property settlement and permanent injunction. The wife, appellee, was awarded more than fifty percent of the community property. Additionally, a part of the wife’s property settlement was secured through two liens against the husband’s real property which he claims is his separate property homestead. Finally, a permanent injunction enjoined the husband from contacting his wife except when exercising his visitation rights with their children.

The appellant asserts six points of error: (1) there was no evidence of community equity in the homestead; (2) there was insufficient evidence of community equity in the homestead; (3) the trial court was wrong for securing the wife’s property settlement interest through a lien on the hus *685 band’s homestead because she had no equity in the land which was his separate property; (4) the permanent injunction against the husband is invalid because the order is neither supported by the pleadings nor by any evidence; (5) no evidence supports the finding that the husband wasted community assets; and (6) the property award was an abuse of discretion.

We affirm in part and reverse and remand in part. The permanent injunction is dissolved.

FACTS

Stuart and Sandra Falor were married November 29, 1975. They divorced November 14, 1990; the trial court issued a property settlement, and a child support and custody order. Sandra Falor requested a new trial because, she alleged, her husband was violating the order; she asked the court to reconsider the property division. A new trial was granted to reconsider the property settlement only. A final divorce decree was issued August 19,1991.

The appellant asserts no evidence points of error. In reviewing these points we will consider only the evidence and inferences that tend to support the trial court’s finding while disregarding all evidence and inferences to the contrary. Stafford v. Stafford, 726 S.W.2d 14, 16 (Tex.1987); Alm v. Aluminum Co. of America, 717 S.W.2d 588, 593 (Tex.1986); Garza v. Alviar, 395 S.W.2d 821, 823 (Tex.1965). Additionally, the appellant asserts an insufficient evidence point of error. In considering a factual sufficiency point, we will consider and weigh all the evidence and reverse for a new trial only if the challenged finding is so against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence as to be manifestly unjust, shocking to the conscience, or clearly demonstrates bias. Pool v. Ford Motor Co., 715 S.W.2d 629, 635 (Tex.1986); Cain v. Bain, 709 S.W.2d 175,176 (Tex.1986); In re King’s Estate, 150 Tex. 662, 244 S.W.2d 660, 661 (1951).

The first three points of error concern a house and eleven acres of land. The Falors decided to build a house on land which at that time was owned by Stuart Falor’s parents. Stuart Falor’s father, a general contractor, was to construct the house. Consequently, Stuart and Sandra Falor executed a $72,000.00 Builder’s and Mechanic’s Lien Contract (Builder’s Lien) with Stuart Falor’s father on August 18, 1983.

On August 19, 1983, Stuart Falor’s father sold ten acres of land in a contract that named only Stuart Falor; this land surrounded a one acre tract of land. The purchase was possible through a $20,000.00 Texas Veterans Land Program loan that named only Stuart Falor. The effective date of the contract was September 9,1983.

On August 25, 1983 Stuart Falor’s parents granted him the one acre tract via a Deed of Gift, citing as consideration “love and affection.” The home was built on this one acre of land.

The Falors financed the $72,000.00 Builder’s Lien with a $55,000.00 loan from the Seguin Savings Association (Seguin Savings); both Sandra and Stuart signed the note and deed of trust. Stuart Falor’s father subsequently assigned his Builder’s Lien to Seguin Savings. The father testified at trial that the difference between the Builder’s Lien and the Seguin Savings’ note was a gift to Stuart Falor which was financed by the sale of the ten acre plot of land.

The final divorce decree awarded Stuart Falor the house and eleven acres of land. Sandra Falor was awarded two separate cash awards of $7,500.00 and $2,500.00. This $10,000.00 cash award was to be evidenced by a three year note secured by a Deed of Trust executed by Stuart Falor on the one acre and ten acre tracts of land. The trial court stated in its findings of fact and conclusions of law that Sandra Falor had an equitable interest in the real property for the following reasons: (1) Stuart Falor wasted community property; and (2) she had a right of reimbursement for community funds used to reduce the real property mortgages.

The trial court found that Stuart Falor wasted approximately $28,000.00 of community assets for non-community purposes. Consequently, the court awarded a dispro *686 portionate share of the community property to Sandra Falor.

Lastly, the trial court enforced a permanent injunction against Stuart Falor: he is “restrained from going to or near the residence or place of employment ... or any other place where [Sandra Falor] may be, except to exercise his rights of visitation with the children.”

HOMESTEAD LIEN

The appellant, Stuart Falor, contends the trial court erred by securing the appellee’s property settlement interest through a lien on the husband’s real property for the following reasons: (1) there was no evidence of community equity in the homestead; (2) there was insufficient evidence of community equity in the homestead; and (3) it is improper to enforce a lien against separate property homesteads to secure a general money judgment.

Property possessed by either spouse during or on dissolution of marriage is presumed to be community property. Tex. Fam.Code Ann. § 5.02 (Vernon Supp.1992). Sandra Falor had no obligation to prove a community interest in the homestead since the character of the homestead was presumed community. Instead the burden rested upon the appellant to overcome the community presumption by proving that the homestead was his separate property. McKinley v. McKinley, 496 S.W.2d 540, 543 (Tex.1973). Because the homestead was presumed to be community property, no evidence was required to prove community equity in the homestead. Therefore, the appellant’s no evidence and insufficient evidence points of error are overruled.

The appellant alleges that it is improper to enforce a lien against his separate property homestead to secure a general money judgment.

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Bluebook (online)
840 S.W.2d 683, 1992 Tex. App. LEXIS 2955, 1992 WL 240595, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/falor-v-falor-texapp-1992.