In Re Marriage of Lopp

370 N.E.2d 977
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 28, 1977
Docket1-676A89
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 370 N.E.2d 977 (In Re Marriage of Lopp) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals 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 Lopp, 370 N.E.2d 977 (Ind. Ct. App. 1977).

Opinion

370 N.E.2d 977 (1977)

In re the MARRIAGE OF Judith Gayle LOPP, Respondent-Appellant, and
James D. Lopp, Jr., Petitioner-Appellee.

No. 1-676A89.

Court of Appeals of Indiana, First District.

December 28, 1977.
Rehearing Denied February 6, 1978.

*978 Rodney H. Grove, David V. Miller, Jeffery L. Lantz, Evansville, for respondent-appellant; Grove, Miller & Lantz, Evansville, of counsel.

Jack N. Vanstone, Rice & Vanstone, Evansville, for petitioner-appellee.

LYBROOK, Judge.

Respondent-appellant, Judith Gayle Lopp, appeals from a judgment by the court determining that the marriage of James Daniel Lopp, Jr. (Husband) and Judith Gayle Lopp (Wife) is dissolved and that husband shall have custody of the one child born from the marriage, James Daniel Lopp, III. Appellant-wife presents the following issues for our review:

(1) Whether the court abused its discretion and committed reversible error by admitting into evidence a tape recording of conversations obtained by a wiretap installed by husband-appellee?
(2) Whether the court committed reversible error by admitting into evidence a deposition taken by appellee where appellant allegedly had no notice nor was afforded the right to cross-examine defendant?
(3) Whether the court erred in overruling appellant's motion to rescind the agreed provisional order?
(4) Whether the court abused its discretion in granting appellee-husband temporary and permanent custody of the parties' minor child?
(5) Whether the court abused its discretion in its allegedly disproportionate division of the parties' property and denying appellant attorney fees and cost for appeal?

The facts most relevant to these issues reveal that appellant-wife and appellee-husband, an attorney, were married on January 9, 1971. The couple became involved in a domestic crisis and they separated on September 22, 1975. They have not cohabited since their separation. Wife and Husband had one child, James Lopp, III. Wife had custody of her two children from a previous marriage.

On the day of their separation, September 22, 1975, Husband confronted Wife with tape recordings of telephone conversations allegedly between Wife and various other parties. Husband took physical custody of the couple's child on this date, and moved out of the residence of the parties.

The following day Wife went to her husband's law office. Her husband's father, also an attorney, informed her that if she did not consent to give her husband temporary custody of their child until this conflict was resolved, he would phone her former husband, inform him of the tapes and their contents, and she could possibly lose custody of all three of her children. Thereafter she signed an agreed provisional order that reads in part as follows:

"Comes now the Husband in the above matter and files his petition for custody of parties' minor child, and comes now the Wife and the parties agree as follows:
1. That the Husband shall have the care, custody and control of the parties' minor child, James Daniel Lopp, III, provided, however, the Wife shall have the temporary custody of said child at reasonable times.
And the Court now approves the agreement of the parties and the same is now so ORDERED.
* * * * * *
*979 I have read the above order and being advised of my rights to an attorney, freely and voluntarily consent and approve said order.
/s/ Judy Lopp Wife"

On September 29, 1975, after Wife talked to an attorney, a petition was filed which asked for temporary custody of the parties' child, adequate support, possession of the parties' home, and an order restraining Husband from interfering with her quiet enjoyment of the home.

On September 30, 1975, after a meeting between Wife, Husband, his father and her attorney, the court approved the following order and certified it into the record:

"Comes now the husband and by his attorney, Glenn A. Grampp, and comes now the wife by her attorney, David Kelley, and the wife's petition coming on for hearing, the parties agree as follows:
1. That the husband shall have the care, custody and control of the parties' minor child, James Daniel Lopp, III, provided however, the wife shall have the privilege of seeing and visiting the parties' minor child, one day a week from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
2. That the husband shall pay to the wife, the sum of seventy-five dollars ($75.00) each week for her support and maintenance pending this matter, first payment to be made Friday of this week, October 3, 1975 and a like sum each Friday thereafter pending this matter.
3. That the wife shall have the privilege of occupying the residence pending this matter and that the husband shall pay the utilities as they become due and payable, local telephone calls only.
4. That the wife is restrained from removing any property from the residence.
5. That the husband is to have reasonable access to the house for the purpose of inspection and the wife is to provide the husband with a house key.
6. That the wife is to have the use and possession of a certain Ford Station Wagon.
7. That the wife shall not incur or create any debts chargeable to the husband including but not limited to charge or credit accounts for her own person or any other person.
8. That the husband should pay the wife's attorney, David Kelley, the sum of three hundred dollars ($300.00), one-half of said sum to be paid within thirty (30) days from the date of this order and the balance to be paid within sixty (60) days from the date of this order.
9. That this Court shall retain jurisdiction of this cause, subject matter and persons herein.
This agreement is entered into freely and voluntarily without coercion or duress and with the wife being advised by her attorney, and having full knowledge of all the facts.
And the court now approves the agreement of the parties and the same is now so ordered."
* * * * * *

The evidence at trial reveals that Husband attached a self-activating tape recorder to his home phone on September 20, 1975, and thus recorded all telephone conversations. The evidence at trial further reveals certain events that Judge Lowdermilk of this court described in the case In Re The Marriage of Judith Gayle (Forman) Lopp, Appellant and James F. Forman, Appellee (1977), Ind. App., 362 N.E.2d 492.

On December 22, 1975, the court issued its judgment and findings for Husband on his Petition for Dissolution and denied Wife's Cross-Petition for Dissolution of Marriage. The court gave custody of James Lopp, III, to Husband. From this determination, Wife appeals.

I.

The first issue for our consideration is whether the court abused its discretion and committed reversible error by admitting into evidence a tape recording of conversations obtained by a wiretap installed by Husband.

*980 As a threshold issue we must determine if the wiretap conducted by Husband comes within the ambit of the questioned Federal Wiretap Statute. 18 U.S.C.A.

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