In re Gidlund

614 N.E.2d 315, 244 Ill. App. 3d 675, 185 Ill. Dec. 181, 1993 Ill. App. LEXIS 455
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedMarch 31, 1993
DocketNo. 1—91—1244
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 614 N.E.2d 315 (In re Gidlund) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Gidlund, 614 N.E.2d 315, 244 Ill. App. 3d 675, 185 Ill. Dec. 181, 1993 Ill. App. LEXIS 455 (Ill. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinion

JUSTICE GREIMAN

delivered the opinion of the court:

The petitioner, Donna Gidlund (Donna), appeals a post-judgment ruling to open up a portion, rather than all, of a dissolution of marriage judgment by reason of the discovery of undisclosed assets and transactions surrounding those assets.

Donna’s petition was brought pursuant to section 2 — 1401 of the Code of Civil Procedure (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch. 110, par. 2 — 1401), and Supreme Court Rule 304(b)(3) (134 Ill. 2d R. 304 (b)(3)) confers jurisdiction upon us to determine whether the trial court’s limited relief was appropriate.

Donna alleges that the trial court (1) should have set aside the entire judgment rather than merely open up a part to determine the parties’ marital interests in additional assets; and (2) should have allowed her to pursue discovery pursuant to the order opening a portion of the judgment.

We affirm the trial court as to the relief allowed because of the great discretion that we repose in a trial court in this regard and provide directions for the parameters of discovery.

Donna and respondent, James Gidlund (James), were married for nearly 38 years. James was engaged in the construction and contracting business. In August 1988, a judgment for dissolution of marriage was entered predicated upon a property settlement agreement entered into between the parties which sought to dispose of all of their assets.

The property settlement agreement provided for disposition to Donna of the marital home; a $30,000 certificate of deposit; vacant lots in Tinley Park, Illinois, and Florida; a 50% interest in two apartment buildings in Lemont, Illinois; $25,750 in cash; $16,400 in payment of her attorney fees and discovery costs; and an equal division of James’ pension rights.

Under the agreement, James was entitled to a vacant lot in Or-land Park, Illinois; a laundromat business; a seven-store commercial strip in Orland Park; a condominium and an equal division of his pension.

At the time of dissolution proceedings, Donna was aware that James had arranged to refinance the mortgage encumbering the two Lemont apartment buildings without her consent and apparently had signed her name to the loan proceeds check from the lender receiving approximately $117,000 from the net proceeds of the refinancing transaction. Upon representation that these proceeds would be used to satisfy Federal income tax obligations, Donna did not trace the disposition of the mortgage funds.

Approximately 14 months after the entry of the judgment for dissolution of marriage, Donna discovered that two years before the dissolution, James had purchased 10 acres of vacant property under the terms of an installment, contract, apparently providing for periodic “land take-outs,” paying $60,000 down and taking title to a portion of the parcel in a land trust. Donna alleges that part of the proceeds of mortgage from the Lemont apartments was used to retire some of the debt under the installment contract and to trigger conveyance of an additional parcel to the land trust.

During the pendency of the dissolution proceedings, James never advised Donna of the existence of his interest in the vacant property, such property being absent from the schedule of real estate attached to the pretrial memorandum filed in the trial court on July 1, 1988. Moreover, James testified that the agreement set forth the assets of the parties although he was aware that the 10-acre parcel was not included.

After Donna learned of the existence of James’ interest in the undisclosed parcel, she filed a timely motion under section 2 — 1401 to vacate the property settlement agreement contained in the judgment of dissolution of marriage, enjoin James from selling or transferring any of his real or personal property, and for leave to initiate oral and written discovery.

Thereafter, on March 22, 1991, the trial court granted Donna’s petition “as to that part of the judgment relating to the undisclosed property” and opened the judgment to determine the parties’ marital interest in the property. The order was silent as to the exercise of injunctive powers and the limitations as to discovery. It is from this order that Donna appeals.

Donna first argues that the entire property agreement between the parties needs to be opened and thereafter recast due to a fraudulent nondisclosure of marital assets.

Nothing in our law requires such a result. Donna, in her reply brief, expressly concedes that “the case law construing Section 2— 1401 provides ample authority for a Court to modify a judgment for dissolution of marriage,” citing Roth v. Roth (1970), 45 Ill. 2d 19, 256 N.E.2d 838.

In Roth, our supreme court determined that a decree of divorce procured through fraud may be vacated or modified under proceedings brought pursuant to section 2 — 1401. Roth, 45 Ill. 2d 19, 256 N.E.2d 838 (relief sought under decree pursuant to a petition under section 72 of the Civil Practice Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1967, ch. 110, par. 72), which was substantially reenacted as section 2 — 1401 of the Code of Civil Procedure (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch. 110, par. 2— 1401)); accord In re Marriage of Frazier (1990), 203 Ill. App. 3d 847, 561 N.E.2d 160; In re Marriage of Reines (1989), 184 Ill. App.

3d 392, 540 N.E.2d 394; Leach v. Leach (1975), 26 Ill. App. 3d 241, 325 N.E.2d 19; Garmisa v. Garmisa (1972), 4 Ill. App. 3d 411, 280 N.E.2d 444.

Moreover, in marital dissolution cases, the law favors amicable settlement of property entered into by the consent of the parties and incorporated into the judgment of dissolution. (Horwich v. Horwich (1979), 68 Ill. App. 3d 518, 520, 386 N.E.2d 620; Gaddis v. Gaddis (1974), 20 Ill. App. 3d 267, 270, 314 N.E.2d 627.) Such favorable treatment confers all presumptions in favor of the validity of the settlement when a party seeks to vacate or modify a property settlement incorporated in a divorce decree. In re Marriage of Riedy (1985), 130 Ill. App. 3d 311, 313, 474 N.E.2d 28, citing Lagen v. Lagen (1973), 14 Ill. App. 3d 74, 302 N.E.2d 201; Garmisa, 4 Ill. App. 3d 411, 280 N.E.2d 444.

Plaintiff cites Ridgway v. Ridgway (1986), 146 111. App. 3d 463, 497 N.E.2d 126, and Bellow v. Bellow (1976), 40 Ill. App. 3d 442, 352 N.E.2d 427, where the courts correctly exercised their discretion and vacated the entire property settlement agreements.

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Related

In Re Marriage of Gidlund
614 N.E.2d 315 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1993)

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Bluebook (online)
614 N.E.2d 315, 244 Ill. App. 3d 675, 185 Ill. Dec. 181, 1993 Ill. App. LEXIS 455, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-gidlund-illappct-1993.