Freeman v. Freeman

497 S.W.2d 97, 1973 Tex. App. LEXIS 2194
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided June 20, 1973·No. 813·Published·Cited by 7 cases

Opinion

TUNICS, Chief Justice.

This is an appeal from a decree in a divorce action wherein the sole complaints made concern the awards of property between the parties. After the nonjury trial of the case a judgment was rendered granting the divorce, awarding custody of the minor children to the wife, requiring that child support be paid by the husband in the amount of $400 per month for the minor children until the youngest reaches 18 years of age, awarding fees to the wife’s attorneys and making division of the parties’ separate and community property. From the judgment Patti J. Freeman perfects this appeal.

Essentially appellant’s points of error are concerned with the trial court’s division of the property in four respects. First, appellant urges no evidence, insufficient evidence and great weight points of error respecting the trial court’s finding the husband’s corporate retirement plan to have a present value of $13,071.88. Second, the same evidence points of error are raised as to the court’s finding the husband’s United States Air Force retirement benefits to have a present value of $23,123.10. Third, the trial court erred in considering as of separate value, the shares in a corporation and also in awarding to appellant certain realty owned by that corporation. Fourth, appellant complains of *99 the trial court’s division of the property as a whole as being inequitable and failing to take account of the parties’ earning capacities and fault.

David James Freeman, the husband, was employed as an engineer by Tenneco, Inc. He had procured from his employer a letter dated September 29, 1972 showing the current status of his interests in employee benefit plans. The parties stipulated that the letter be introduced as evidence. It included the following language:

“*Retirement Income Plan — This is a deferred income plan that provides financial assistance after attaining normal retirement at age 65. Present cash balance of this plan equals $39,348.89 and is available to you only upon termination of employment or attaining normal retirement age. Your projected monthly benefit at age 65 is presently $900.23/month.”

The letter had been typed reciting, “Present cash value of this plan equals $39,348.89 . . . .” The typed word “value” was stricken out and the word “balance” written in with a pen. In evidence is an annual statement dated December 31, 1971 and furnished by the company to the appellee wherein it is recited, “Your retirement income cash value is $35,723.80.”

The husband called as a witness a certified public accountant who testified that he had experience in the calculation of the present values of sums payable in the future. He was asked on direct examination to “compute the present value of the sum of $39,348.89, discounted at six and a half percent, payable at age sixty-five.” (The husband was 49 years old.) In response to that request the witness testified that discounted at six and a half percent the present value was $14,098.61 and discounted at seven and a half percent it was $12,045.14. The trial judge filed findings of fact which included a finding that the present value of the community interest in the retirement plan was $13,071.88, splitting the difference between the two figures given by the witness. All of the interest in the retirement plan was acquired during the marriage. The trial court’s judgment decreed that the wife be paid $10,000 out of this retirement plan’s payments when those payments are made. The remaining interest in the benefits was awarded to the husband.

Appellant’s first point of error states that the trial court erred in its finding as to the present value of the community interest in the husband’s retirement plan. That point is sustained. The accountant’s testimony, which was followed by the trial judge in making his finding, was erroneous in that it was based on a false assumption. The witness assumed that at age 65 the husband was going to be paid $39,348.89 referrable to the present value of his retirement plan. That is not what the husband will be paid. He will be paid a monthly pension, $900.23 of which will be attributable to the present value of his pension plan. Furthermore the evidence shows he could quit his job at any time and draw in cash the present balance. If he quits or dies before 65 a cash sum will be paid to him or his estate, $39,348.89 of which had accrued at the date of the letter. The accountant’s testimony on cross-examination shows that he did not consider those factors when he, on direct examination, testified as to present value. On cross-examination he testified:

“Q If he were to quit today and get $39,000, if he could under this plan, would your testimony still be the same?
A In other words—
Q Except that it would be taxable as of the present time ?
A That is correct, my testimony would not be.
Q What would it be if he quit today and got $39,348.89, whatever this letter says?
A I would say it would be that, less whatever tax.”

*100 The trial judge erred in his finding of fact as to the value of the pension plan. Under the record before this Court and the trial court that community asset prima fa-cie had a value of $39,348.89. There may be other facts which would require an adjustment of that value, but those facts are not in the record. No one proved all of the provisions of the pension plan adopted by Tenneco, Inc. The accountant’s suggestion that the $39,348.89 should have deducted from it the amount of income tax that would be paid upon it if it were withdrawn in cash is not acceptable. That suggestion assumes that it is to be withdrawn in cash and the husband’s testimony is that that will not be done. Under the testimony it is the husband’s intention that the present value of the pension plan will be withdrawn by the husband at the rate of $900.-23 per month after he reaches 65 years of age. There also exists the possibility that the husband will die before he reaches 65, in which event the value will be paid to his estate or his legatees. Under either of those circumstances it is probable that the tax payable upon it will be less than would be the amount of income tax payable if it were now withdrawn in a lump sum. While it would be proper in computing the present value to make a reasonable deduction for the present value of taxes that may become payable in the future the amount of that deduction would probably be less than the income tax payable if it were withdrawn now.

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Freeman v. Freeman, 497 S.W.2d 97, 1973 Tex. App. LEXIS 2194 (Tex. Ct. App. 1973).

497 S.W.2d 97 (Freeman v. Freeman) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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