In Re the Marriage of Schroeder

209 N.W.2d 24, 1973 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 1078
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedJuly 3, 1973
Docket55621
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 209 N.W.2d 24 (In Re the Marriage of Schroeder) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re the Marriage of Schroeder, 209 N.W.2d 24, 1973 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 1078 (iowa 1973).

Opinion

MASON, Justice.

Ann Elizabeth Schroeder, petitioner-wife, appeals from trial court’s final decree entered in dissolution of marriage proceedings decided under the provisions of chapter 598, The Code, 1971.

March 16, 1970, Mrs. Schroeder had filed a petition in equity seeking a divorce, temporary support, permanent alimony, an equitable distribution of property, custody of two minor children of the parties and support payments under chapter 598, The Code, 1966 which was repealed by the Second Session of the Sixty-third General Assembly, effective July 1, 1970. In accordance with an agreement of the parties the matter was submitted under the provisions of the new dissolution of marriage proceedings which now appears as chapter 598, The Code, 1971.

Hearing on the dissolution proceedings commenced March 29, 1971. In its decree filed June 30, the trial court ruled there had been a breakdown of the marital relationship to the extent the legitimate objects of matrimony had been destroyed and there remained no reasonable likelihood the marriage could be saved. Section 598.17, The Code, 1971.

The court therefore decreed dissolution of the marriage, awarded custody of the elder son, Jeffrey, to petitioner and the younger boy, Kevin, to respondent, Dennis J. Schroeder, and adjusted the rights and obligations of the parties by making an award of property settlement and an allowance of alimony, child support and attorney fees.

Shortly thereafter petitioner filed a motion to enlarge the court’s findings and to modify the decree, seeking custody of Kevin and additional support payments. Respondent also moved to have the court modify its decree asserting he would be financially unable to comply with the obligations imposed on him.

Following a hearing on the motions on July 28, 1971, trial court enlarged its findings of fact and accordingly filed its amendment to the prior judgment and decree August 9.

I. On appeal petitioner claims the court erred in determining the property division and the rights and obligations of the parties. This language from In re Marriage of Williams, 199 N.W.2d 339, 346 (Iowa 1972), defines this court’s function on appeal :

“In equity it is our duty in a de novo review to examine the whole record and adjudicate rights anew on those propositions properly presented, provided issue has been raised and error, if any, preserved in the course of trial proceedings. * * * [citing authority] While weight will be given to findings of trial court this court will not abdicate its function as triers de novo on appeal. * * * [citing authority].”

Section 598.21, The Code, 1971, provides :

“Alimony — custody of children — changes
“When a dissolution of marriage is decreed, the court may make such order in relation to the children, property, parties, and the maintenance of the parties as shall be justified.
*26 “Subsequent changes may be made by the court in these respects when circumstances render them expedient.”

After graduating from high school, respondent worked for John Deere for about one year and then obtained employment with the J. C. Penney Company in Du-buque. Since that time he has continued to work for J. C. Penney and has attained the position of department manager. His annual salary is $10,500. Approximately five percent of that salary is paid into the company’s retirement plan. If respondent retires at age 65 he would receive about $518 per month from the retirement fund.

At the time of the marriage in 1951, petitioner, also a high school graduate, was employed by the J. C. Penney store. After marriage, petitioner worked at Roshelc Brothers for about two and a half years. She did not again seek gainful employment until 1969, when she worked at the Telegraph-Herald newspaper accumulating an earning total of about $4000. However, it became physically impossible for her to continue her work and she quit the job in 1971. Petitioner testified she could secure employment after dissolution of the marriage but preferred to remain at home with the boys.

In 1955 the parties purchased a home on Green Street in Dubuque for $10,750. A down payment of $2700 was made on the home, $500 of which was received from petitioner’s mother as a loan, $250 was loaned from other parties and the remainder came from petitioner’s savings. The parties remained in this home until 1966 when they purchased a lot and built their present home at 1884 Carter Road in Du-buque. The home on Green Street was sold for about $15,500 from which the parties realized $10,000 in cash in hand to be applied to the cost of their new home. Respondent borrowed $2300 from his retirement fund to further finance the home. In addition, $1800 inherited by petitioner was used to purchase the home and new furniture. At the time of trial the fair market value of the home was approximately $25,000 and it was encumbered to the extent of $6100.

Petitioner and respondent were both 50 years of age at the time of trial. Together with their personal residence, the parties jointly owned 30 shares of J. C. Penney Company stock with a value of $60 per share; five United States savings bonds valued at $25 per share; a 1968 Ford automobile with an approximate value of $1600; and household goods and furnishing (no estimated value).

Respondent had a bank checking account of $250 at the time of trial and owned three life insurance policies which have a total face value of $8000.

Petitioner, on the other hand, apparently had neither assets nor liabilities other than attorney fees at the time of trial.

Since the petition was filed in March of 1970, petitioner stated she received payments totaling about $2200 from respondent until the trial. Respondent testified he gave petitioner approximately $3100 during this period for child support, mortgage payments, property taxes, utilities and additional cash and clothing for the children.

Petitioner testified she has never received treatment for mental illness and there is no indication either of the parties, or the children, suffer from any kind of physical impairment or illness.

In its final amended judgment and decree the court dissolved the marriage and awarded petitioner custody of both children.

Based on the foregoing factual background and the additional finding that respondent was without the necessary “resources with which to provide payment for support of [petitioner] and her children from and after April 15, 1971, and the sum of $350 provided [under the original judgment] for [petitioner’s] legal expense, as well as his own expenses in defense of this action,” the trial court provided as follows;

*27 (1) That respondent should pay petitioner $200 per month for support of the children through April 15, 1980, unless both children become deceased, married or self-supporting.

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Related

In Re the Marriage of Johnson
299 N.W.2d 466 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1980)
In Re the Marriage of Zoellner
219 N.W.2d 517 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1974)
Conaway v. Conaway
217 N.W.2d 625 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1974)

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Bluebook (online)
209 N.W.2d 24, 1973 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 1078, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-the-marriage-of-schroeder-iowa-1973.