Heustess v. Kelley-Heustess

259 P.3d 462, 2011 Alas. LEXIS 91, 2011 WL 3802663
CourtAlaska Supreme Court
DecidedAugust 26, 2011
DocketS-13375
StatusPublished
Cited by25 cases

This text of 259 P.3d 462 (Heustess v. Kelley-Heustess) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Alaska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Heustess v. Kelley-Heustess, 259 P.3d 462, 2011 Alas. LEXIS 91, 2011 WL 3802663 (Ala. 2011).

Opinions

OPINION

CHRISTEN, Justice.

I. INTRODUCTION

Raising over 50 separate points in this second appeal, Allen Heustess challenges the superior court's rulings on child support, property distribution, and attorney's fees. We affirm almost all of the superior court's rulings, with the following exceptions: (1) Because the record does not support the superior court's finding regarding Allen's income for 1995 and because the superior court did not deduct federal income tax liability from Allen's gross income in its child support calculations for the years 1991 to 1996, we reverse the court's calculation of the child support arrearage; (2) because the superior court may have considered Allen's vexatious litigation conduct when it divided the marital estate and also considered it when it enhanced the award of fees against Allen, we remand the superior court's property division for additional findings; (3) we vacate the portion of the general fee award that is based on the parties' relative economic cireum-stances so it can be reconsidered after the court recalculates Allen's child support ar-rearage and reconsiders the overall property division. But we affirm the superior court's order enhancing the award of fees in Bonnie's favor, and we affirm the remaining rulings of the superior court in all respects.

II. FACTS AND PROCEEDINGS

This is the second time this case has come to our court. The facts were discussed in greater detail in our first opinion Heustess v. Kelley-Houstess (Heustess I),1 and are therefore only summarized here. Briefly, the parties are the parents of a son born in December 1991. Bonnie purchased a home in Chugiak in 1993 and she and Allen began living together in September 1997. Allen did not financially support the parties' child until the parties started living together. Bonnie and Allen married in June 1999. In October 2002 the house Bonnie purchased before marrying Allen was refinanced and Allen's name was added to the title. The proceeds from the refinance were mostly used to pay off marital debt, but one of Allen's pre-mari-tal debts was also satisfied with the funds. The couple separated in late 2002 and Bonnie filed for divorcee in October 2004.

The case was tried in the superior court in July 2005. Findings of fact, conclusions of law, and a decree of divorcee were entered in [467]*467September 2005. The court awarded the family home to Bonnie and land in Palmer to Allen. The court found that the home was partially transmuted into marital property and valued it as of the date of separation. The marital estate was divided 60/40 in Bonnie's favor. The court ordered Allen to pay child support and granted sole legal and physical custody of the parties' son to Bonnie. Bonnie was also awarded $10,000 in attorney's fees.

In the first appeal, we held that the award of child support for the period before the parties married violated Allen's right to due process because Bonnie did not request this support until her rebuttal testimony.2 We also determined it was error to find that only one-third of the equity in the marital home was transmuted into marital property and to value the house as of the date of the parties' separation rather than as of the date of trial. We vacated the property division and remanded the case to the superior court. Our decision acknowledged that an unequal division of the marital estate might be justified, but we instructed the superior court to consider rental income Bonnie received from a separate unit in the marital residence that she rented to third parties after the date of separation.3 We also cautioned that the superior court should not "weight[ ] the scale against Allen" even though he misled Bonnie into refinancing the house shortly before the parties' separated.4 Because we vacated the property division, we also vacated the superi- or court's award of attorney's fees. We instructed the court to follow the established two-step process for awarding attorney's fees on remand and allowed for the possibility that the court might increase its fee award based on Allen's vexatious litigation conduct.

On remand, Allen filed a motion to dismiss Bonnie's claim for child support for the period 1991 to 1997, arguing that the statute of limitations barred this claim. The superior court denied the motion to dismiss and held an evidentiary hearing on the remaining issues in January 2008. In March 2008 the superior court granted Bonnie's motion to supplement the record with three exhibits and in October 2008 the superior court issued its second set of findings of fact and conclusions of law. The court valued the marital estate at $178,127 and awarded Bonnie 68% of it. Bonnie received $36,000 in personal property, the marital residence, and the land in Palmer. The court awarded Allen the remainder of the marital estate. It also concluded that Allen owed Bonnie a child support arrearage totaling $57,569.40. The value of the property in Bonnie's possession exceeded her share of the marital estate by $12,646. Rather than ordering Bonnie to pay this amount to Allen, the superior court reduced Allen's child support arrearage by $12,646.

In April 2009 the superior court awarded $31,807.50 in attorney's fees to Bonnie-$25,000 based on the parties' relative economic cireumstances and $6,307.50 based on Allen's bad faith conduct and vexatious litigation.

Allen raises over 50 issues on appeal.5

III STANDARD OF REVIEW

Child support awards are reviewed for abuse of discretion; we do not set aside these awards unless a review of the record as a whole leaves us with a definite and firm conviction that a mistake has been made.6 We review the equitable allocation of property for abuse of discretion and will not reverse a superior court's allocation unless it is clearly [468]*468unjust.7 We review "legal determinations relevant to property division and child support based on an independent judgment standard.8 We review findings of fact for clear error.9 A finding is clearly erroneous if "we are left with a definite and firm conviction that the trial court has made a mistake." 10

We review de novo a superior court's decision to deny a motion to dismiss.11 We will uphold an award of attorney's fees absent abuse of discretion12 and will not reverse a fee award unless it is "manifestly unreasonable."13

IV. DISCUSSION

A. - Child Support

1. The superior court did not err when it ruled that Bonnie's claim for child support is not barred by the statute of limitations.

Allen argues that the superior court erred by denying his motion to dismiss Bonnie's claim for child support for the period from 1991 to 1997 because the 10-year statute of limitations in AS 09.10.100 bars the claim. Bonnie contends that the statute of limitations does not bar the claim because AS 09.10.140 tolls the statute of limitations during a child's minority.

Generally, the "failure to file a complaint within the statute of limitations is grounds for a Civil Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss." 14

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
259 P.3d 462, 2011 Alas. LEXIS 91, 2011 WL 3802663, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/heustess-v-kelley-heustess-alaska-2011.