Gary Wayne Robertson v. Lori Vanhooser Robertson - Concurring

Court of Appeals of Tennessee·Decided November 9, 1998·No. 03A01-9711-CV-00511·Published

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS

AT KNOXVILLE FILED November 9, 1998

Cecil Crowson, Jr.

Appellate C ourt Clerk

GARY WAYNE ROBERTSON, ) C/A NO. 03A01-9711-CV-00511 )

Plaintiff-Appellee, )

)

)

)

)

v. ) APPEAL AS OF RIGHT FROM THE ) HAMILTON COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT )

)

)

)

)

LORI VANHOOSER ROBERTSON, )

) HONORABLE W. NEIL THOMAS, III, Defendant-Appellant. ) JUDGE

For Appellant For Appellee

LEROY PHILLIPS, JR. SHERRY B. PATY Phillips & Caputo Paty, Rymer & Ulin, P.C. Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga, Tennessee

O P I N IO N

AFFIRMED IN PART

MODIFIED IN PART REVERSED IN PART REMANDED Susano, J.

This is a divorce case. The trial court granted Lori

Vanhooser Robertson (“Wife”) a divorce on the ground set forth at T.C.A. § 36-4-101(3)1; awarded the parties joint custody of their 16-year-old son; ordered Gary Wayne Robertson (“Husband”) to pay Wife child support of $387 per month plus 21% of part of Husband’s future increases in net income; awarded Wife rehabilitative alimony of $250 per month for 12 months, beginning with the month of October, 1997; divided the parties’ property and debts; denied Wife’s request for attorney’s fees; and made other decrees not relevant to a resolution of the issues now before us. Wife appealed, raising issues that present the following questions for our review:

1. Is the trial court’s division of the parties’ marital assets and marital debts equitable?

2. Did the trial court err in awarding joint custody rather than joint custody with primary custody in Wife?

3. Did the trial court err in deviating from the Child Support Guidelines?

4. Is Wife entitled to periodic alimony in futuro rather than the rehabilitative alimony awarded by the trial court?

5. If rehabilitative alimony is appropriate, is the trial court’s award of $250 per month for 12 months adequate?

1 T.C.A. § 36-4-101(3) provides as follows:

The following are causes of divorce from the bonds of matrimony:

* * *

(3) Either party has committed adultery.

* * *

6. Is Wife entitled to an award against Husband for her reasonable attorney’s fees, both at the trial level and on this appeal?

I. Division of Property and Debts

A trial court is vested with broad discretion in dividing marital property. Kincaid v. Kincaid, 912 S.W.2d 140, 142 (Tenn.App. 1995). The exercise of that discretion will not be disturbed on appeal unless “the distribution lacks proper evidentiary support or results from an error of law or a misapplication of statutory requirements and procedures.” Thompson v. Thompson, 797 S.W.2d 599, 604 (Tenn.App. 1990). A trial court’s task is to divide marital property in an equitable fashion, see T.C.A. § 36-4-121(a)(1), giving due regard to the factors set forth at T.C.A. § 36-4-121(c).

“Trial courts have the authority to apportion marital debts in the same way they divide the marital estate,” i.e., in an equitable manner. Mahaffey v. Mahaffey, 775 S.W.2d 618, 623 (Tenn.App. 1989). If equitable, debts should follow the assets to which they are related. Mondelli v. Howard, 780 S.W.2d 769, 773 (Tenn.App. 1989).

The evidence in this case pertaining to property and debts, practically all of which was stipulated or otherwise agreed to by the parties, reflects the following regarding the parties’ marital property and marital debts:

Marital residence, less mortgage (net value) $26,300 Husband’s TVA retirement 43,823 1986 Ford Bronco 3,200 1994 Toyota Camry LE, less debt (net value) (1,623)

1984 GMC S-15 truck 1,800 Furnishings with Wife 3,915 Furnishings with Husband 3,255 “Rusty” the dog - no value given _______

$80,670

Less: Other debts 68,983

Net marital estate $11,6872 =======

The trial court divided the marital property and marital debts as follows:

Wife

Marital residence subject to mortgage $26,300 1994 Toyota Camry LE subject to debt (1,623)

Furnishings with Wife 3,915 Portion of other debts (22,081)

$ 6,511

=======

Husband

Husband’s TVA retirement $43,823 1986 Ford Bronco 3,200 1984 GMC S-15 truck 1,800 Furnishings with Husband 3,255 “Rusty” the dog Portion of other debts (46,902)

$ 5,176

=======

As is obvious from the above, the parties were burdened with substantial debt. The trial court carefully assigned the parties’ various obligations so as to match them with the assets to which they were associated. The parties’ debts that were not related to specific assets were divided in a fashion that gave due regard to how and why the debts were created.

2 While the trial court found a net marital estate of $16,428, the figure used in this opinion -- $11,687 -- tracks the essentially undisputed facts.

Wife asked the trial court to award her the house, and the court complied with her request. She asked for the full equity in the house in lieu of her interest in the TVA retirement. She suggested that the TVA pension be awarded to Husband. While Husband was awarded two vehicles, one of them -- the Bronco -- was not operable.

Wife complains that Husband received a disproportionate share of the marital assets; but this fact, while true, begs the question. The real issue is whether the trial court equitably divided the net assets of the parties, i.e., marital assets less marital debts. It is abundantly clear that the division of the net assets is fair and equitable to Wife. This is particularly true in view of the fact that Husband was “saddled” with $46,902 of the parties’ “other debts” of $68,983. This equitable distribution to Wife can also be seen in the fact that she received 55.7% of the net marital assets.

The evidence does not preponderate against the trial court’s division of marital property and marital debts. See Rule 13(d), T.R.A.P. We find no abuse of the trial court’s discretion.

II. Custody

The trial court awarded the parties joint custody of their minor3 child, Joshua David, who was 16 years old as of June 2, 1997, the date of the hearing below. As of that date, Joshua

3 At the time of the hearing, the parties’ other child -- Christopher Joseph -- was 21 years old and had attended Auburn University for three years.

had been passed to his junior year in high school. The trial court’s judgment on the subject of custody is limited to the following:

The parties are granted joint custody of their minor child, Josh Robertson and the parties shall share the responsibility of caring for their minor child and shall cooperate with each other in this regard for the best interest of the parties’ minor child.

The judgment does not address the subject of the child’s primary residence or visitation times with the other parent.

In this case, it is clear that the parties’ minor child had lived with Wife from the date of the parties’ separation up to the date of the hearing. There is no proof in the record indicating that this is going to change.4 In view of this, and in order to memorialize the situation as it existed at the time of the hearing, we agree with Wife that the trial court’s judgment should be modified, effective the date of its entry -- October 8, 1997 -- to reflect that the parties are awarded joint custody with primary residential custody being with Wife. In view of the chid’s age, we do not believe it is necessary or appropriate, in this case, to set forth the specifics of the child’s visitation with Husband. There is reason to believe, based on the record before us, that father and son can and will find a “comfort level” as to their time together. There is

4 We recognize that the trial court’s judgment states that “the parties shall share the responsibility of caring for their minor child,” but there is no reason to believe that the child will, in fact, spend half of his time with Husband. The Guidelines focus on where a child is actually living, and not on the legal label -- such as joint custody -- decreed by a court. See Tenn.Comp.R. & Regs., ch. 1240-2-4-.02(6).

nothing in the record to indicate that Wife is inclined to interfere with this relationship, and she is admonished not to do so.

III. Child Support

On the subject of child support, the judgment provides, in pertinent part, as follows:

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