Hawgood v. Hawgood

294 N.E.2d 681, 33 Ohio Misc. 227, 62 Ohio Op. 2d 427, 1973 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 242
CourtCuyahoga County Common Pleas Court
DecidedJanuary 12, 1973
DocketNo. D-24296
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 294 N.E.2d 681 (Hawgood v. Hawgood) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hawgood v. Hawgood, 294 N.E.2d 681, 33 Ohio Misc. 227, 62 Ohio Op. 2d 427, 1973 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 242 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1973).

Opinion

Maxwell, J.

This matter came on to be heard on plaintiff’s motion to enforce a separation agreement claimed to have been agreed upon between the parties.

The facts are not in dispute inasmuch as defendant offered no testimony and plaintiff’s testimony stands uncon-troverted as follows:

1, The plaintiff husband filed an action for divorce [228]*228against the defendant wife on August 17, 1971, the record indicating the parties had separated.

2. The defendant wife filed her answer and counterclaim thereafter.

S,Numerous discussions were had between the parties and counsel thereafter in an effort to work out a separation agreement and resolution of the financial matters between the parties.

4. On or about February 4, 1972, the then counsel for defendant, William J. Kraus, at defendant’s instance and request, forwarded a letter to counsel for plaintiff, Charles D. Leach, outlining the terms of a separation agreement as she had discussed them with Henry Hawgood, the brother of the plaintiff.

5. In August 1972, attorney Timothy McMahon became associated with plaintiff’s counsel, Charles D. Leach, in this matter.

6. On August 15, 1972, counsel for plaintiff met with counsel for defendant, Timothy McMahon, and they discussed the terms of a separation agreement, as proposed by counsel for defendant, based on the said February 4, 1972, letter, and these were reduced to writing and outlined on two pages of yellow, lined, legal paper.

7. Thereafter, counsel for plaintiff advised counsel for defendant that the terms proposed by him were agreeable as contained on the two pages of yellow, lined, legal paper.

8. On August 22, 1972, the then counsel for defendant, William J. Kraus, met with defendant and after a review of the proposed terms as contained on the yellow, lined paper, she approved in writing the terms of the separation agreement to be entered into with her husband, and placed her initials on each of the two yellow, lined, legal papers.

9. Thereafter, attorney Kraus contacted plaintiff’s counsel and advised him that defendant had agreed to the terms of a separation agreement and that an understanding existed between them, and that he would prepare a formal separation agreement consistent therewith.

10.. Attorney Kraus did prepare a formal separation agreement in conformance with the terms as outlined on [229]*229the two pages of yellow, lined, legal paper and submitted them to opposing counsel for plaintiff’s signature and return to him.

11. The plaintiff did sign the formal separation agreement and the original and two copies were returned by his counsel to attorney William J. Kraus.

12. The defendant, thereafter, reviewed the formal agreement signed by the plaintiff with attorney Kraus, hut she refused to sign the same.

13. Thereafter, defendant released her then lawyer, attorney Kraus, and engaged new counsel.

14. Plaintiff, then, brought his motion to enforce the separation agreement and, at or about the same time, defendant moved to require plaintiff to pay an arrearage of temporary alimony.

15. At the hearing on the motion, defendant, through her new counsel, objected to testimony by her previous counsel, William J. Kraus, called as a witness by plaintiff, as to the letter of February 4, 1972, and the two-sheet, yellow, lined, legal paper of August 18, 1972; she also objected to the jurisdiction of the court and moved the motion be stricken for failure to file a brief accompanying same.

16. Plaintiff filed neither an answer to the motion of the defendant, nor any pleading seeking to strike same.

Legal Issues

1. Does this court have jurisdiction to consider a motion to enforce a separation agreement?

2. Is the testimony of attorney Kraus admissible as to:

(a) The letter he wrote to attorney Leach under the date February 4, 1972, outlining terms and conditions of a proposed separation agreement forwarded on instructions of his client, the defendant wife?

(b) The two page, yellow, lined, legal paper, outlining terms of the proposed separation agreement under the date August 18, 1972, and approved by the initials of his client, the defendant wife?

(c) That which occurred with respect to the proposed separation agreement between attorney Kraus and counsel for plaintiff?

[230]*230■ (d) That which occurred with respect to the proposed separation agreement between attorney Kraus and the defendant wife, his client?

•. . 3, Was there an oral separation agreement entered into between the parties?

4. If so, is the oral agreement as reduced to writing enforceable by this court?

Each of these propositions will be separately discussed.

I. Does this court have jurisdiction to consider a motion to enforce a separation agreement?

It is a fundamental rule of law that a court will make every effort to encourage the settlement of litigation.

This fundamental proposition is well stated in 15 American Jurisprudence 2d 938, Compromise and Settlement, Section 4, which states, in part:

11 Policy of law to encourage compromise and settlement. The law favors the resolution of controversies and uncertainties through compromise and settlement rather than through litigation. This view is applicable in courts of equity as well as in courts of law. The courts have considered it their duty to encourage rather than to discourage parties in resorting to compromise as a mode of adjusting conflicting claims. In pursuance of the policy of the law to encourage the settlement of controversies out of court, the courts have treated a party’s offer of compromise as an effort to obtain peace rather than as an admission of the validity of another party’s claim, and an unaccepted offer of compromise is inadmissible as evidence of such an admission. * * *”

It is also a fact that the legislature did enact R. C. 3103.06, which permits a husband and wife to enter into a separation agreement.

The language of the statute is as follows:

“A husband and wife # * may agree to an immediate separation and make provisions for the support of either of them and their children during the separation.”

By reason of the foregoing, the court finds that it does have jurisdiction, both under common law and by statute, fo enforce a separation agreement. Plaintiff’s motion ob[231]*231jecting to the jurisdiction of the court is not well taken and is therefore overruled.

Plaintiff also moved to strike the motion of defendant for failure to file a brief. The evidence disclosed that counsel for the plaintiff forwarded defendant’s counsel a letter which included a list of legal authorities upon which defendant intended to rely at the time of the hearing. Eule 11(B) of the rules of this court only requires the filing of “a list of citations of the authorities” on which the moving party relies. Such a list was furnished to the plaintiff. If plaintiff had any objection in this regard,, he had the right under Eule 11(C) to file a motion to dismiss or offer reasons in opposition prior to the date of the hearing of this matter, but this plaintiff and his counsel failed to do.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
294 N.E.2d 681, 33 Ohio Misc. 227, 62 Ohio Op. 2d 427, 1973 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 242, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hawgood-v-hawgood-ohctcomplcuyaho-1973.