Garrett v. Garrett

CourtCourt of Appeals of South Carolina
DecidedNovember 15, 2005
Docket2005-UP-580
StatusUnpublished

This text of Garrett v. Garrett (Garrett v. Garrett) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of South Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Garrett v. Garrett, (S.C. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

THIS OPINION HAS NO PRECEDENTIAL VALUE.  IT SHOULD NOT BE CITED OR RELIED ON AS PRECEDENT IN ANY PROCEEDING EXCEPT AS PROVIDED BY RULE 239(d)(2), SCACR.

THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA
In The Court of Appeals


Joann Garrett, Respondent/Appellant,

v.

Leroy Garrett, Jr., Appellant/Respondent.


Appeal From Charleston County
 Jocelyn B. Cate, Family Court Judge


Unpublished Opinion No. 2005-UP-580
Heard October 5, 2005 – Filed November 15, 2005


AFFIRMED IN PART,
REVERSED IN PART
AND REMANDED


Cynthia Barrier Castengera, of Newland and David Dusty Rhoades, of Charleston, for Appellant-Respondent.

Gregory Samuel Forman, of Charleston and Walter S. Ameika, of Charleston, for Respondent-Appellant.

PER CURIAM:  In this cross-appeal, Leroy Garrett, Jr. (“Husband”) argues the family court erred in:  (1) awarding Joann Garrett (“Wife”) thirty-five percent of the marital estate; (2) failing to require Wife to list the values of her life insurance; (3) refusing to require that Wife reimburse Husband for utilities Wife was ordered to pay; and (4) awarding Wife a portion of her attorney’s fees.  Wife argues the family court erred in:  (1) including the second mortgage as marital debt; and (2) valuing the marital home.  We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand.

FACTS

Husband and Wife were married in New York on June 29, 1981.  The parties’ son, Johnathan, was born September 9, 1981.  The family lived in New York, with Husband and Wife maintaining separate bank accounts and finances, until Husband’s retirement in late 1992.  At that time, Husband moved to Charleston, South Carolina, and purchased a home.  At the end of the school year, Johnathan moved to South Carolina to live with Husband.  Although she visited Husband and Johnathan in South Carolina, Wife remained in New York for nearly two more years until she was eligible for an early retirement at her job.  Wife moved to South Carolina into the house with Husband and Johnathan in late 1994.  It is undisputed that Husband purchased the marital home and furnishings without any financial contribution from Wife.  The parties continued to maintain separate finances, with Husband paying all the bills and Wife buying groceries.  

During the parties’ marriage, Wife made allegations of domestic abuse.  The first occurred in New York in 1981, but the parties remained together.  The final allegation of domestic abuse occurred in December 2001, when the parties argued and Wife alleged that Husband threatened her.  The parties’ son, Johnathan, intervened in that incident, and the police were called.  Husband was arrested, and the parties maintained separate residences from that point on.  Criminal charges were filed against Husband regarding the domestic incident, and the charges were still pending at the time of the final divorce hearing. 

On January 22, 2002, Wife filed an action for separate maintenance and support, alleging Husband was abusive.  She sought a restraining order against Husband, alimony, use of the marital home, equitable apportionment of the marital assets and debts, and attorney’s fees.  Husband answered, denying the abuse.  After a temporary hearing, Wife was awarded exclusive use of the marital home, with Husband paying the mortgage, taxes, and insurance payments associated with the home.  Wife was ordered to pay any of the remaining expenses associated with the home.  Both parties were restrained from bothering the other, and each party was ordered responsible for their own attorney’s fees. 

The final hearing on the matter was held on February 4, 2003, and March 18, 2003.  Prior to the hearing, the family court allowed Husband to amend his answer and counterclaim to include a request for a divorce based upon one year of separation and a counterclaim of condonation as to any allegations of abuse.  After hearing the matter, the family court granted the parties a divorce based upon the statutory ground of one year’s separation and denied Wife’s request for alimony.  The court specifically found that Wife did not seek a divorce based upon physical cruelty and that she failed to meet her burden of proving physical cruelty.  The court awarded Husband the marital home.[1]  Considering the first mortgage on the home, the court determined that the home had $47,215 in equity.  The court refused to consider the $43,000 second mortgage on the home as marital debt, finding Wife did not benefit from the second mortgage.  Husband was awarded sixty-five percent of the marital estate and Wife was awarded thirty-five percent.  In effectuating this distribution, Husband was ordered to pay Wife $45,485.37.  Husband was also ordered to pay $4,477.50 of Wife’s attorney’s fees.   

Upon Husband’s motion to alter or amend the order, the family court modified the order to include the second mortgage as marital debt.  Thus, the equity in the marital home was reduced by $43,000 and Wife’s cash payout was reduced to $7,692.77.  On August 20, 2003, Wife filed a motion to alter or amend the amended order, arguing that the court erred in considering the second mortgage and that Wife was entitled to alimony, considering the low monetary award she would be receiving in the distribution.  During the pendency of Wife’s motion, Husband filed a notice of appeal on August 26, 2003.  Wife also filed a notice of appeal on September 11, 2003.  Wife filed a motion with this court to remand the matter to the family court to hear her motion to alter or amend.  This court granted the motion to remand, and the family court denied Wife’s motion to alter or amend on January 28, 2004.  The parties then proceeded with their respective appeals. 

STANDARD OF REVIEW

In appeals from the family court, this court has authority to find the facts in accordance with our own view of the preponderance of the evidence. Woodall v. Woodall, 322 S.C. 7, 10, 471 S.E.2d 154, 157 (1996).  However, this broad scope of review does not require us to disregard the findings of the family court.  Stevenson v. Stevenson, 276 S.C. 475, 477, 279 S.E.2d 616, 617 (1981).  We are mindful that the family court, which saw and heard the witnesses, was in a better position to evaluate their credibility and assign comparative weight to their testimony.  Bowers v. Bowers, 349 S.C. 85, 91, 561 S.E.2d 610, 613 (Ct. App. 2002).

LAW/ANALYSIS

I. Husband’s Appeal

Husband argues the family court erred in awarding Wife thirty-five percent of the marital property, failing to require that Wife list her life insurance values, failing to require that Wife reimburse Husband for utilities, and awarding Wife a portion of her attorney’s fees.  We address each argument separately below.

A. Equitable Distribution

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Garrett v. Garrett, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/garrett-v-garrett-scctapp-2005.