In Re Marriage of Kaseburg

108 P.3d 1278
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedMarch 22, 2005
Docket31263-8-II
StatusPublished
Cited by26 cases

This text of 108 P.3d 1278 (In Re Marriage of Kaseburg) 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
In Re Marriage of Kaseburg, 108 P.3d 1278 (Wash. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

108 P.3d 1278 (2005)

In re the MARRIAGE OF Kenneth R. KASEBURG, Appellant, and
Rochelle D. Kaseburg, Respondent.

No. 31263-8-II.

Court of Appeals of Washington, Division 2.

March 22, 2005.

*1280 Thomas Ted Osinski, Jr., Stephan Dwight Downing, Attorneys at Law, Tacoma, WA, for Respondent.

Brendan Finucane Patrick, Attorney at Law, Seattle, WA, for Appellant.

VAN DEREN, J.

¶ 1 Kenneth R. Kaseburg challenges the trial court's $150,000 award to Rochelle Kaseburg for her community interest in the former family home and its findings that he committed fraud, waste, and other financial misconduct. He asserts that (1) the trial court did not have authority to award the judgment because it was based solely on a fraud claim that was not pleaded; (2) Rochelle[1] waived her claims because she did not challenge the foreclosure proceedings that extinguished the debt and the parties' interest in the family home; and (3) sufficient evidence does not support the court's findings of fraud and financial misconduct. We reverse the award and vacate the trial court's findings of fraud, waste, and financial misconduct concerning the debt owed to Ken's parents for extensive financial assistance to the community for the former family home. We also deny the wife's request for attorney fees.

FACTS

A. Background

¶ 2 Ken and Rochelle were married in 1989 when Ken was working as a pilot and Rochelle was a flight attendant. With the financial help of Ken's parents, the couple purchased two homes: one in Seattle's Normandy Park neighborhood and a "fixer-upper" in Seahurst. They were eventually sold, both at a loss.

¶ 3 Ken and Rochelle consistently borrowed money from Ken's parents for both living expenses and remodeling their Normandy Park home. Then in 1994, Ken was severely injured on the jet way. He was out of work for two years and received disability compensation for most of this time.

¶ 4 In 1994, Ken purchased a vacant lot on Snag Island to build a dream home. Between 1995 to 1997, the couple developed the lot. Ken supervised the construction, which was financed almost entirely by loans from Ken's parents, although the Normandy Park property was also sold at a loss to help pay for some construction costs. Upon its completion the home had 4,000 square feet of living space, two separate garages, and expensive details, including unique kitchen cabinetry and stonework.

*1281 ¶ 5 Ken, Rochelle, and their two children moved into the Snag Island home in October 1996. In October 1997, the couple executed an $850,000 promissory note and a deed of trust on the Snag Island home in favor of Ken's parents in recognition of the loans the couple had received from 1989 to 1997. A central purpose of the note was to protect Ken's parents' investment in the home and to limit recovery against Rochelle and Ken from any potential lawsuit arising from an accident on Lake Tapps, which fronted their property. Ken's parents did not record the note or deed of trust when they were executed.

¶ 6 Ken returned to work as a commercial pilot in 1997; however, his health problems caused him to work less than anticipated. Consequently, Ken and Rochelle continued to borrow from Ken's parents for living expenses. In 1998 and 1999, Ken and Rochelle took out additional commercial loans for their living expenses.

¶ 7 In the fall of 2000, Ken and Rochelle briefly separated. Ken's father threatened to call the October 1997 promissory note but changed his mind when the couple reconciled. Rochelle later testified that this was the first time that she learned the promissory note was for $850,000. Ken and Rochelle separated for the final time in May 2002.

B. Dissolution Trial

1. Pre-trial events

¶ 8 Ken petitioned to dissolve the marriage and Rochelle signed a joinder on May 22, 2002. The joint petition requested that the court award any interest in the Snag Island home to Ken and that he be required to pay a variety of debts and liabilities, including the $850,000 debt owed to his parents. In January 2003, Rochelle questioned the October 1997 promissory note's accuracy through discovery on the $850,000 debt.

¶ 9 Ken's parents initiated a foreclosure action under chapter 61.24 RCW on the note and deed of trust in early 2003. In April 2003, Rochelle was served a notice of default of the foreclosure proceedings on the Snag Island home. The last paragraph of the foreclosure default notice stated, "RECOURSE TO COURTS: You or your successor(s) in interest have recourse to the courts to contest the alleged default on any proper ground." Ex. 62 (emphasis added). In June 2003, Rochelle also received notice of trustee's sale of the Snag Island home. Rochelle did not contest the foreclosure proceedings.

¶ 10 The dissolution trial was expected to occur in June or July 2003; however, it was continued to September 2003.[2] On June 3, 2003, Ken filed pretrial ER 904 exhibits that included Ken's parents' check registers showing the many checks they wrote to Ken and Rochelle from 1989 to 1997.[3]

¶ 11 On September 12, 2003, ten days before the dissolution trial started on September 22, 2003, the Snag Island home was foreclosed. The non-judicial foreclosure sale was held according to the Deed of Trust statute. Chapter 61.24 RCW. Ken's parents were the successful bidders and they took title of the property.

2. Trial Proceedings

¶ 12 By the time of trial in September 2003, the couple had no real property and few other assets to divide. They prepared elaborate and detailed lists dividing the personal property, which the court adopted. The net value of the marital estate was approximately $95,000. The Snag Island home belonged to Ken's parents because the foreclosure action was final more than a week before the dissolution trial. Ken's pretrial information form stated that there was, "[n]o real property [to distribute] due to foreclosure." 1 Clerk's Papers (CP) at 18.

*1282 ¶ 13 At trial, Ken intended to focus on his proposed parenting plan and Rochelle's allegations of domestic violence. Although Rochelle's opening statement addressed the same issues, she also asserted that Ken had exerted oppressive control of the couple's finances and that the October 1997 promissory note was fraudulent and inflated, entitling her to a $500,000 judgment against Ken for concealment of the value of the Snag Island home.

¶ 14 Rochelle's counsel stated,

[Rochelle] was originally led to believe [the October 1997 promissory note] was for $350,000, and it turned out to be $850,000, on a piece of property that cost $146,000 when it was purchased. I do not believe that you will see any evidence presented to this Court by Mr. Kaseburg or others that will demonstrate how or why that figure was arrived at, other than their belief that that's what its value was. The truth of the matter is that there was never an attempt to refinance, to secure financing [for the Snag Island home].
My client had been warned "If you leave this marriage, you will be financially ruined["], and that's what the attempt is being made here today.
My client through her testimony and the testimony of others will attempt to show this Court that fraud took place with regard to this property on Snag Island, and I fully well understand the elements of fraud, but I believe they can be shown.

1 Report of Proceedings (RP) at 15-16.

¶ 15 Ken moved to strike Rochelle's fraud allegation regarding the note.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
108 P.3d 1278, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-marriage-of-kaseburg-washctapp-2005.