Ghebreghiorghis v. Department of Labor & Industries

92 Wash. App. 567
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedJuly 13, 1998
DocketNo. 39209-3-I
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 92 Wash. App. 567 (Ghebreghiorghis v. Department of Labor & Industries) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ghebreghiorghis v. Department of Labor & Industries, 92 Wash. App. 567 (Wash. Ct. App. 1998).

Opinion

Kennedy, C. J.

The Department of Labor and Industries appeals the superior court’s judgment awarding Elsa Ghebreghiorghis industrial insurance benefits as the surviving spouse of Tecle Ghebremichale. The Department contends that the superior court lacked jurisdiction to vacate the decree dissolving Ghebreghiorghis and Ghebremichale’s marriage after Ghebremichale’s death.

Because Ghebremichale died before Ghebreghiorghis moved to vacate the dissolution decree, the superior court lacked jurisdiction to vacate the decree. But even if the superior court had jurisdiction to vacate the decree, Ghebreghiorghis is estopped from now challenging the validity of the decree because she invoked the superior court’s jurisdiction and obtained the affirmative relief that she sought therefrom. Moreover, even disregarding the jurisdictional and procedural defects underlying Ghebreghiorghis’ motion to vacate, the superior court lacked authority to vacate the decree under CR 60(b). Accordingly, we reverse the superior court and reinstate the Board of Industrial Appeals’ decision denying Ghebreghiorghis industrial insurance benefits.

FACTS

Elsa Ghebreghiorghis and Tecle Ghebremichale married [570]*570in Ethiopia in 1971. In 1981, they and their three children emigrated to Dallas, Texas. In 1987, Ghebreghiorghis and the children moved to Seattle, without Ghebremichale.

Shortly thereafter, in October 1987, with the assistance of her nonattorney cousin, Ghebreghiorghis filed a summons and petition for dissolution of marriage in King County Superior Court. In the petition, Ghebreghiorghis reported that she and her husband had recently separated. The petition was apparently signed by both Ghebreghiorghis and Ghebremichale, but Ghebremichale’s signature was not notarized. Ghebremichale did not sign a joinder, an acceptance of service, a waiver of notice, or the summons—in fact, neither party signed the summons.

In January 1988, more than 90 days after the petition was filed, Ghebreghiorghis and her cousin appeared before a King County Superior Court commissioner. The commissioner entered a decree of dissolution. Neither an affidavit of service nor an order of default appear in the superior court record.

After Ghebreghiorghis obtained the dissolution decree, Ghebremichale moved to Seattle. Ghebreghiorghis and Ghebremichale then had a fourth child together. In May 1992, while working at the High Point Grocery in Seattle, Ghebremichale was shot and killed.

In May 1993, Ghebreghiorghis, with the assistance of counsel, moved in King County Superior Court to have the decree of dissolution declared void ab initio. The superior court granted the motion, declaring the decree of dissolution to have been void from its inception. Ghebreghiorghis then filed a claim for industrial insurance benefits with the Department of Labor and Industries, as Ghebremichale’s surviving spouse.

The Department denied Ghebreghiorghis’ claim on the ground that she was not a “beneficiary” at the time of Ghebremichale’s death. Ghebreghiorghis appealed to the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals. After a hearing at which Ghebreghiorghis testified that the dissolution decree was a sham to avoid financial liability for their son’s crimi[571]*571nal activities and that she and Ghebremichale were not divorced in the eyes of their religion, an industrial appeals judge (IAJ) concluded that the dissolution decree was void ab initio. The IAJ issued a proposed decision and order reversing the Department’s determination and awarding Ghebreghiorghis benefits. But the Board rejected the IAJ’s proposed decision and order, concluding that the superior court lacked jurisdiction to declare the decree void ab initio after Ghebremichale’s death. Accordingly, the Board affirmed the Department’s decision to deny Ghebreghiorghis industrial insurance benefits.

Ghebreghiorghis appealed to King County Superior Court. The superior court concluded that its court commissioner lacked jurisdiction to enter the original dissolution decree, rendering the decree void. The court also concluded that it had jurisdiction to vacate the void dissolution decree. Therefore, the court reversed the Board and ordered the Department to pay Ghebreghiorghis industrial insurance surviving spouse benefits. The Department appeals.

DISCUSSION

The Department contends that the superior court lacked jurisdiction to vacate the dissolution decree after Ghebremichale’s death, and thus erred by reversing the Board and awarding Ghebreghiorghis industrial insurance benefits. Alternatively, the Department contends that because Ghebreghiorghis petitioned the superior court to enter the dissolution decree, she is estopped from challenging its validity. Ghebreghiorghis, on the other hand, contends that the superior court had a duty to vacate the decree under CR 60(b).

I. Dwyer v. Nolan

In the seminal case of Dwyer v. Nolan, 40 Wash. 459, 460, 82 P. 746 (1905), the wife sought to have a dissolution decree obtained by her late husband declared void because the court that entered the decree lacked personal jurisdic[572]*572tion over her. The Supreme Court noted that the husband’s death eliminated the controversy’s subject matter, i.e., the husband and wife’s marital status. Id. at 460-61. Therefore, the court held that the superior court lacked jurisdiction to vacate the decree after the husband’s death. Id. at 463.

The record supports Ghebreghiorghis’ contention that the superior court did not have personal jurisdiction over Ghebremichale. That is, he did not have minimum contacts with Washington and, at least arguably, did not consent to the superior court’s jurisdiction by signing the petition without also signing a joinder, acceptance of service, or waiver of notice and by failing to have his signature notarized. See In re Marriage of Markowski, 50 Wn. App. 633, 637 n.2, 749 P.2d 754 (1988). But Ghebremichale died before Ghebreghiorghis filed her motion to vacate the dissolution decree. Therefore, the superior court lacked jurisdiction to vacate the decree under CR 60(b). Barros v. Barros, 26 Wn. App. 363, 365, 613 P.2d 547 (1980) (citing Dwyer, 40 Wash. 459).

The Supreme Court, however, has noted that if presented with a case demonstrating an obvious injustice, it may be required to revisit the harsh and restrictive rule set forth in Dwyer. Osborne v. Osborne, 60 Wn.2d 163, 166, 372 P.2d 538 (1962). The court recently granted review of an unpublished Division I case that relied upon Dwyer v. Nolan and its progeny. See In re Marriage of Himes, No. 37081-2-I (Wash. Ct. App. May 5, 1997) (unpublished), review granted, 133 Wn.2d 1027 (Dec. 5, 1997). But even if the Supreme Court overrules Dwyer, the superior court nevertheless erred by vacating the dissolution decree in this particular case, because Ghebreghiorghis is estopped from questioning the validity of the decree of dissolution of marriage.

II. Estoppel

“[E]ven though a decree is void, a party who procures such a decree or consents to it is estopped to question its validity where [the party] has obtained a benefit [573]

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
92 Wash. App. 567, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ghebreghiorghis-v-department-of-labor-industries-washctapp-1998.