In Re Marriage of Reines

540 N.E.2d 394, 184 Ill. App. 3d 392, 132 Ill. Dec. 654, 1989 Ill. App. LEXIS 686
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedMay 12, 1989
Docket1-86-2010
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 540 N.E.2d 394 (In Re Marriage of Reines) 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 Marriage of Reines, 540 N.E.2d 394, 184 Ill. App. 3d 392, 132 Ill. Dec. 654, 1989 Ill. App. LEXIS 686 (Ill. Ct. App. 1989).

Opinion

JUSTICE PINCHAM

delivered the opinion of the court:

This is an appeal by Carol J. Reines, petitioner, from an order of the circuit court denying her motion to vacate or modify the judgment of dissolution of petitioner’s marriage to Edward Reines, respondent, as the judgment pertains to the disposition of the marital property. The circuit court entered the judgment of dissolution pursuant to a prove up and the presentation of petitioner and respondent’s property settlement agreement, which agreement was incorporated in the judgment of dissolution. Petitioner moved to vacate or modify the judgment of dissolution on the grounds that material facts relating to respondent’s assets were not disclosed to her, that petitioner was in effect represented by respondent’s attorney, rather than by independent counsel, and that the trial court would not have otherwise entered the judgment had it known of the undisclosed material facts of respondent’s assets. On the basis of the following, we reverse the trial court’s order denying petitioner’s motion to vacate the judgment.

The Reines’ marital settlement agreement provided in pertinent part as follows:

“WHEREAS, the husband and wife each having made full disclosure to the other of all their assets:
WHEREAS, the husband and wife wish to enter into this Marital Settlement Agreement dealing with all property rights, child custody and support, maintenance and attorney’s fees;
Therefore, in consideration of the foregoing premises and the following premises:
IT IS AGREED:
* * *
ARTICLE II
WAIVER OF MAINTENANCE
The husband and wife in consideration of the mutual promises and undertakings set forth in this agreement, agree to waive against the other any and all claims for maintenance whether past, present or future.
ARTICLE IV
CHILD CUSTODY AND SUPPORT The husband will pay to the wife, as and for the support of the minor children the sum of $530 per month. In addition the husband will pay all medical, dental and optical expenses for the minor children. The wife shall have the sole care, custody, education and control of the minor children *** with the husband to have liberal rights of visitation.
ARTICLE V
REAL ESTATE
The parties now own two parcels of real estate in joint tenancy located at 1509 North Kolin Avenue in Chicago being a two flat building and 6808 West Ardmore, Chicago, Illinois which is a single family home. The income from the Kolin property will be used first to pay the mortgages on both properties and monies in excess of said mortgages will be divided equally by the parties. The wife shall have the sole and exclusive right to reside in the Ardmore property. That both properties are to remain in joint tenancy. If said properties are sold either party shall have the first right to purchase the property. The wife shall have the right to reside in the Ardmore property until the children are emancipated.
ARTICLE VI
MUTUAL WAIVER
The husband and wife hereby waive any and all claims against the other for maintenance, homestead, dower, and all other property rights, whether real, personal, or mixed, whether now owned or hereafter acquired including but not limited to any rights to the proceeds of any life insurance policies on the life of either party. Other than those rights and provisions hereto contained and reserved in this Marital Settlement Agreement each party is forever barred and foreclosed from asserting any of the aforesaid rights, which they have agreed to waive against the other.” (Emphasis added.)

Following the dissolution of the marriage, petitioner, a secretary, moved to vacate or modify the judgment of dissolution as it pertained to the disposition of property and further sought a rule to show cause against respondent, a police officer, for allegedly failing to comply with the support provisions of the judgment of dissolution. In her petition to vacate or modify the judgment of dissolution, petitioner stated that she and respondent had retained the same attorney and that respondent had prepared a draft of the property division and directed the attorney to draft an agreement according to respondent’s wishes. Petitioner alleged that she had not been informed of, nor had she received full disclosure of, all of respondent’s assets when she entered into the marital settlement agreement.

Petitioner’s section 2 — 1401 petition (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1985, ch. 110, par. 2 — 1401) alleged that the property settlement agreement signed by the parties failed to consider the various properties owned by them, or to designate marital as opposed to nonmarital property, or special equities, that the court was not advised of the facts which would lead to specific findings of the property classification; that substantial property and important facts were omitted from the agreement and were not referred to after prove up so that the court was unable to make any disposition with respect thereto.

The section 2 — 1401 petition further alleged that the marital settlement agreement was “manifestly unfair” to petitioner because respondent was thereby allowed to retain possession of a $9,000 boat without a similar credit to her; that respondent retained his undisclosed credit union account, his undisclosed pension and profit-sharing plans, undisclosed bonds and other undisclosed investments he purchased through payroll deductions, while no interest or equivalent provision was given petitioner for any of these undisclosed assets of respondent.

The section 2 — 1401 petition also alleged that no provision was made for various life insurance policies maintained by petitioner or for the college education of the parties’ two teenage children. Also, according to the petition, a portion of the rental income earned on the two-flat apartment building, which was a gift from petitioner’s grandmother, was used to pay part of the mortgage payments on the marital residence, but petitioner received no recognition or benefit in the property settlement agreement for the nonmarital or special equitable interest she had in these two properties.

Petitioner also contended in her petition that she and respondent made separate oral agreements which were not reflected in the marital settlement agreement to the effect that petitioner and respondent were each responsible for payment of one-half of the remaining balance on the mortgage payments on the single-family marital dwelling which the rental income from the two-flat apartment building did not cover, and that respondent agreed to pay any repair costs arising on the single-family marital dwelling, but that respondent breached each of these oral agreements.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
540 N.E.2d 394, 184 Ill. App. 3d 392, 132 Ill. Dec. 654, 1989 Ill. App. LEXIS 686, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-marriage-of-reines-illappct-1989.