In the Matter of the MARRIAGE OF C.A.S. AND D.P.S.

405 S.W.3d 373, 2013 WL 3204314, 2013 Tex. App. LEXIS 7863
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 26, 2013
Docket05-11-01338-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by100 cases

This text of 405 S.W.3d 373 (In the Matter of the MARRIAGE OF C.A.S. AND D.P.S.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In the Matter of the MARRIAGE OF C.A.S. AND D.P.S., 405 S.W.3d 373, 2013 WL 3204314, 2013 Tex. App. LEXIS 7863 (Tex. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

*379 OPINION

Opinion by

Justice FILLMORE.

Daniel Silvey (Daniel) appeals from a divorce decree dissolving the marriage between him and Cynthia Silvey (Cynthia). In three issues, Daniel argues the trial court erred in dividing the marital property, by granting the divorce on fault grounds, and by failing to make sufficient findings of fact. We affirm the trial court’s judgment.

Background

Daniel and Cynthia married in 1999 and separated on March 23, 2009 when Cynthia moved out of the marital home. Cynthia filed for divorce in August 2009 alleging irreconcilable differences but, shortly before trial, filed an amended petition asserting Daniel had committed adultery and seeking a disproportionate share of the community estate. The property division issues were tried to the bench over the course of four nonconsecutive days between April and July 2011.

On July 6, 2011, the trial court sent a letter to the parties stating the divorce was granted on fault grounds and setting out the division of the marital property. On July 22, 2011, Daniel filed a request for findings of fact and conclusions of law pursuant to rules of civil procedure 296 and 297 and, on August 1, 2011, filed a supplemental request for findings of fact and conclusions of law pursuant to section 6.711 of the family code. Daniel filed a motion for new trial on August 5, 2011, a notice of past due findings of fact and conclusions of law on August 12, 2011, and a notice of appeal on October 3, 2011.

On October 13, 2011, the trial court signed a final decree of divorce that specifically divided certain of the community assets and liabilities and ordered that any of the community assets not specifically divided would be divided through alternate selection by Cynthia and Daniel. On November 14, 2011, the trial court made findings of fact and conclusions of law pursuant to section 6.711 of the family code and rules of civil procedure 296 and 297. The trial court found that Daniel had committed adultery and that the divorce was granted on that basis. The trial court also found that Daniel “made a game of this divorce. On the surface it appears that he has made a game of the dissolution of his business, and such conduct on his part constitutes a ‘mockery of the judicial system.’ ” The trial court valued a number of the specifically divided assets, as well as some of the assets that were to be divided by alternate selection. Our review of the trial court’s findings indicates the marital assets that were specifically divided and valued by the trial court equal $1,646,683.10. Cynthia was awarded $1,334,958.10, or eighty-one percent, of these assets, and Daniel was awarded $311,735.00, or nineteen percent, of these assets. The trial court also listed the factors it considered in making a just and right division of the community estate.

On December 12, 2011, Daniel requested the trial court make additional findings, asserting his counsel had not been notified of the trial court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law until December 3, 2011. Daniel specifically requested the trial court make findings as to:

A. Whether adultery of [Daniel] was at fault for causing the break up of the parties’ marriage.
B. Whether the marriage became insupportable because of discord or conflict of personalities that destroyed the legitimate ends of the marital relationship and prevented any reasonable expectation of reconciliation.
*380 C. Whether any conduct of [Daniel] as alleged in paragraph 9 of [Cynthia’s] Second Amended Petition for Divorce supports the award of a disproportionate share of the community estate in favor of Cynthia.

Daniel specifically requested nineteen additional findings relating to these three subjects.

On January 26, 2012, the trial court signed an amended decree of divorce that did not change the division of community property, but awarded Daniel certain property as his separate property. On February 15, 2012, Daniel again requested findings of fact and conclusions of law and, on March 14, 2012, filed a notice of past due findings of fact and conclusions of law. The trial court did not make any additional findings or conclusions.

Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law

In his third issue, Daniel contends the trial court erred by failing to make sufficient findings of fact, by failing to timely mail its findings to counsel, and by failing to make additional findings. 2

Daniel first asserts the trial court’s findings failed to comply with section 6.711(a) of the family code because the findings “omit evaluation findings for a third of the items divided in the decree, including significantly, [Daniel’s] tax liability.” Daniel’s brief contains no further argument pertinent to this complaint, and we question whether it had been adequately briefed. See Tex.R.App. P. 38.1(h), (i). However, we will address the complaint as to the tax liability, the only specific asset or liability raised by Daniel on appeal.

Section 6.711(a) of the family code provides that in a suit for dissolution of marriage, on request by a party, the court shall state in writing its findings of fact and conclusions of law concerning (1) the characterization of each party’s assets, liabilities, claims, and offsets on which disputed evidence has been presented, and (2) the value or amount of the community estate’s assets, liabilities, claims, and offsets on which disputed evidence has been presented. Tex. Fam.Code Ann. § 6.711(a) (West 2006). The trial court apportioned the parties’ 2009 and 2010 tax liability to Daniel. As to the tax liability, Daniel testified he estimated the tax liability for 2009 was $40,000 and for 2010 was $20,000. Cynthia testified she had been told there was a tax debt for 2009 and 2010, but had not been provided any documents to substantiate that claim. Based on the check register, Cynthia believed $240,000 had been paid toward the 2009 tax liability and that there was an additional $75,000 credit carried forward from the 2008 tax return to be applied to the 2009 tax liability. Daniel agreed that approximately $300,000 had been paid toward the 2009 tax liability. Because the amount of the tax liability was undisputed, the trial court was not required to make a finding as to the amount. See Tex. Fam.Code Ann. § 6.711(a); Jackson v. Jackson, No. 03-10-00736-CV, 2011 *381 WL 3373290, at *3 (Tex.App.-Austin Aug. 3, 2011, no pet.) (mem. op.).

Daniel next contends the trial court erred by failing to timely mail its November 14, 2011 findings to Daniel’s counsel and by failing to make additional findings as requested by Daniel on December 12, 2011.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Maribel Hill v. Dwight L. Hill
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2025
George Jeff Zachery, III v. Angela L. Zachery
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2025
Christian Edgley v. Lateisha Ragland
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2025
William Bates v. Melinda Bates
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2024
Latisha Hassen v. Paul Demetriou
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2024
Vivek Veagandula v. Sree Rekha Vedullapalli
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2024
Glenn Lindsey v. Cynthia Lindsey
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2024
Donald Rhodes v. Laura Pena Tamayo
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2024
Roderick Mangum v. Sitonia Mangum
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2023
Jorge A. Resendiz Jr. v. Mandi Marie Martinez
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2023
Diana Xuan Tran v. Vinh Van Hoang
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2023
Manish Mehta v. Hannah Mehta
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2023

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
405 S.W.3d 373, 2013 WL 3204314, 2013 Tex. App. LEXIS 7863, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-the-matter-of-the-marriage-of-cas-and-dps-texapp-2013.