Garrett v. Gordon

2013 OK CIV APP 96, 314 P.3d 264, 2013 WL 5979630, 2013 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 87
CourtCourt of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedJune 12, 2013
DocketNo. 109957
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 2013 OK CIV APP 96 (Garrett v. Gordon) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Garrett v. Gordon, 2013 OK CIV APP 96, 314 P.3d 264, 2013 WL 5979630, 2013 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 87 (Okla. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

JOHN F. FISCHER, Presiding Judge.

T1 Plaintiff/Appellant Delmar Garrett1 (Delmer) appeals the September 13, 2011, Journal Entry Order of the district court denying his Motion to Vacate Void Judgment, Vacate Partition Order, and Emergency Motion to Stay Sheriffs Sale. The judgment sought to be vacated was entered in a divorcee suit in which Delmer was named as a party. Because the judgment roll in the divorce proceeding shows that the district court had personal jurisdiction over Delmer at the time the judgment was entered, he is bound by the terms of that judgment. Therefore, the district court correctly denied Delmer's motion to vacate and we affirm.

BACKGROUND

T2 The dispute at issue in this appeal concerns the ownership of two tracts of real property located in Washington County, Oklahoma, a forty-acre tract and a tract of approximately two acres included in the forty acre tract (collectively, the Property). In a divorcee proceeding between Defendant/Ap-pellee Carlotta Gordon (Gordon) and Defendant Dwayne Garrett (Dwayne) styled, Carlotta Colene Garrett n/k/a Carlotta Gordon v. Dwayne Marvin Garrett, filed in Washington County, Case No. FD-94-469, (the Divorcee Action) the district court determined that the Property was marital property. In its Journal Entry of Judgment, Final Decree for Dissolution of Marriage (by Default) (the 2006 Decree), entered on February 27, 2006, and filed September 6, 2006, the district court awarded Gordon one-half of her former husband's interest in the Property.

T 3 Dwayne appealed the property division order in the 2006 Decree in Carlotta Colene Garrett n/k/a Carlotte, Gordon v. Dwayne Marvin Garrett, No. 103,841 (Okla.Civ.App. May 283, 2008). Although this Court affirmed the district court's decision, in consideration of Dwayne's argument that he did not own the Property, we stated:

As-a companion to this argument, Garrett asserts that the true property owner is a necessary party to this Divorce Action. He does not cite 12 0.98.2001 § 2019, the statute requiring joinder of persons necessary for adjudication of the matter, or point to any place in the record where the district court was asked to join his father. However, even if this argument were preserved for appeal, it is unpersuasive. Garrett does not argue that the district court lacked jurisdiction over him or his property, nor could he. 48 O.S. Supp.2006 § 121. Further, the district court's Judgment and Decree is effective only as to those who are parties to the case. Fent v. Oklahoma Natural Gas Co., 1994 OK 108, ¶ 15, 898 P.2d 126, 183 (issue preclusion operates to bar from relitigation both correct and erroneous rulings but it cannot be made binding on anyone unless the party against whom the earlier decision is interposed had "full and fair opportunity" to litigate [267]*267the critical issue in the earlier case). There is no decision in this record that the Judgment and Decree purports to reliti-gate with respect to the ownership of this property. Nonetheless, if Garrett does not own this property, as he contends, the district court's Judgment and Decree does not affect the rights of the true property owner, who may bring an action to establish ownership. 12 0.8.2001 § 1141.

Carlotta Colene Garrett n/k/a Carlotta Gordon v. Dwayne Marvin Garrett, No. 108,841, *5, n. 1 (Okla.Civ.App. May 23, 2008).2

T4 On October 28, 2009, Delmer filed a Petition in the district court of Washington County, Case No. CS-2009-925 in which he sought to quiet title to the Property. Gordon and Dwayne, among others, were named as defendants. Delmer alleged that he was the owner of the Property, that his title was derived from deeds conveying the Property to his wife, Ruth Garrett and his son, Dwayne Garrett in 19983, that he and Ruth maintained the Property as their homestead continuously for a period in excess of fifteen years, and that they paid the property taxes on the Property from 1994 through 2010. Delmer alleged Ruth's interest in the Property was passed to her heirs at law upon her death, and identified such heirs as himself, and their sons Dwayne and Delmar Gene Garrett. Attached to the Petition was an Affidavit by Dwayne disclaiming any interest in the Property.

T5 Gordon filed an answer and counterclaim to Delmer's petition arguing his claims were barred by the doctrines of res judicata and collateral estoppel. Gordon argued the court in the divorcee proceeding determined that the Property was marital property subject to equitable division and awarded one-half of the Property to her and the other half to Dwayne. Gordon further argued this ruling was affirmed on appeal. Based upon such rulings, Gordon claimed she and Delmer were tenants in common, each owning an undivided one-half interest in the Property. For her counterclaim, Gordon sought partition of the Property.

T 6 The district court took judicial notice of the Washington County divorcee proceeding wherein Gordon was awarded an undivided one-half interest in the Property and the subsequent appeal. The district court found that Gordon was a tenant-in-common with Delmer. The district court ordered the Property partitioned in an order filed January 5, 2011. Delmer, now acting pro se having "relieved [his former counsel] of his duties," objected to the partition alleging a violation of his right to due process.3 Gordon subsequently filed a motion for order for sheriff's sale, to which Delmer filed a timely objection. Delmer continued to assert sole ownership of the Property and to object to the proceedings claiming that he was never served with process in the Divorcee Action. On June 1, 2011, the district court ordered the Property sold at sheriff's sale.

T7 Delmer retained new counsel and filed a combined motion to vacate the 2006 Decree, to vacate the partition order and an emergency request to stay the sheriff's sale. Delmer's motion to vacate argued that the 2006 Decree entered in Washington County Case No. FD-94-469 was void as against him [268]*268for lack of service of process. Additionally, Delmer argued the Decree should be invalidated as to his interest in the Property, because he was never given notice of any pre-trial conferences nor warned of the consequences of his failure to attend the same. Based on his contention that the 2006 Decree was void as to any purported disposition of his interest in the property, Delmer argued that the district court erred in ordering partition of the Property.

18 The district court heard oral argument on Delmer's motion but denied the motion in its entirety. It is from the district court's Journal Entry Order filed September 13, 2011, denying Delmer's motion to vacate the 2006 Decree, the order of partition and his request for an emergency stay of the sheriffs sale that Delmer filed the present appeal.4 Our disposition of the two motions to vacate renders consideration of any error in the district court's ruling on Delmer's request for a stay of the sheriff's sale unnecessary.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

19 Although within the time to do so, Delmer did not file a petition to vacate the 2006 Decree in that action pursuant to 12 ©.98.2001 § 1033. Nonetheless, a void judgment may be challenged by motion in a separate proceeding. Norman v. Trison Dev. Corp., 1992 OK 67, ¶ 10, 832 P.2d 6, 10. Delmer's motion to vacate the 2006 Decree in this quiet title action is, therefore, a collateral attack on that judgment. Booth v. McKnight, 2008 OK 49, 70 P.3d 855. As such, appellate review is limited to the judgment roll.

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Bluebook (online)
2013 OK CIV APP 96, 314 P.3d 264, 2013 WL 5979630, 2013 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 87, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/garrett-v-gordon-oklacivapp-2013.