Jennifer R. Quinn v. Daniel P. Quinn

62 N.E.3d 1212, 2016 Ind. App. LEXIS 395, 2016 WL 6351468
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 28, 2016
Docket49A02-1509-DR-1321
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 62 N.E.3d 1212 (Jennifer R. Quinn v. Daniel P. Quinn) 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
Jennifer R. Quinn v. Daniel P. Quinn, 62 N.E.3d 1212, 2016 Ind. App. LEXIS 395, 2016 WL 6351468 (Ind. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

PYLE, Judge.

Statement of the Case

[1] In this contentious dissolution action, Jennifer R. Quinn (“Mother”) argues that the trial court erred in: (1) awarding custody of the parties’ son to Daniel P. Quinn (“Father”); (2) calculating child support; and (3) distributing the parties’ property. Concluding that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in awarding custody of the parties’ son to Father or in calculating child support, we affirm those portions of the dissolution order. However, we find that the trial court abused its discretion in distributing the parties’ property because it did not include the value of all of the parties’ assets in the marital pot. We therefore affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand with instructions for the trial court to redistribute the parties’ property without the necessity of a hearing.

[2] Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded.

Issues

I.Whether the trial court abused its discretion in awarding custody of the parties’ son to Father;
II. Whether the trial court abused its discretion in calculating child support;
III. Whether the trial court abused its discretion in distributing the parties’ property;

Facts

[3] Mother and Father were married in 1993. The parties’ daughter, C.Q. (“C.Q.”), was born in 1994; their daughter, M.Q. (“M.Q.”), was born in 1996; and their son, D.Q. (“D.Q.”), was born in 2002. In January 2013, Mother left her family and moved into an apartment. She apparently took out the apartment lease in Father’s name without his knowledge. Two weeks later, Mother returned to the parties’ home, and Father would not let her in the house. Mother called the police, who arrived at the house and told Father he would have to leave. Father explained what Mother had done, and the police officers informed Mother that it was she who would have to leave. The following day, Mother had Father served with a protective order, which apparently required him to vacate his home and prohibited him from contacting Mother. 1 Father moved into the apartment that Mother had leased in his name.

[4] In February 2013, Father filed a petition for dissolution. He subsequently learned that Mother had opened several credit card accounts and accrued substantial debt without his knowledge. Three months later, in May 2013, the parties entered into a preliminary agreement, which awarded physical custody of the children to Mother and parenting time in accordance with the parenting time guidelines to Father. Father was ordered to pay $260.00 per week in child support as well as $26.00 per week towards a *1215 $2,958.00 child support arrearage. Mother was given exclusive possession of the marital residence and ordered to pay the first mortgage and utilities. Father was ordered to pay the second mortgage as well as private school tuition for M.Q. and D.Q. In addition, each party was ordered to pay one-half of the minimum monthly payment on several outstanding credit card balances.

[5] Three months later, in August 2013, Father filed a petition seeking custody of M.Q. as well as a modification of child support. A few weeks later, Mother filed a contempt petition alleging that Father had refused to pay child support as set forth in the preliminary agreement. Almost a year later, Mother filed a second petition for contempt related to the payment of M.Q.’s private school tuition. Thereafter, the pending motions were continued multiple times, both parties changed counsel,-and the parties attempted mediation but did not reach an agreement. In November 2014, M.Q. voluntarily moved in with Father following her eighteenth birthday.

[6] The trial court held the dissolution hearing in January and March 2015. Before witnesses began testifying at the hearing, Mother pointed out that she had filed a request for findings of fact and conclusions pursuant to Trial Rule 52. Testimony at the hearing revealed that during the course of the marriage, Father had been the children’s primary caretaker. He explained that he had gotten up early with the children to review for tests, made breakfast, taken the children to school, picked them up from school or aftercare, taken them home, fixed dinner, cleaned the house, and helped them with their homework. Father also attended the children’s class parties and chaperoned their field trips. In addition, Father testified that he and D.Q. had always been especially close.

Father explained that in the past, he and D.Q. had “[done] everything together,” such as getting haircuts, going to the grocery store, and just “hang[ing] out.” (Tr. 47). Father had coached D.Q. in every sport he had ever played since he was three years old.

[7] Father further explained that although Mother did not work when the children were ■ young, she was too busy talking on the telephone or shopping to participate in the children’s activities. She did not help the- children do their homework or prepare for tests because she believed that was the “teacher’s job.” (Tr. 43).

[8] Father also explained that in the two years since Mother had had' him served with a protective order, he had not been able to participate in the children’s activities, including D.Q.’s sports, as he had in the past. For example, Father was at football practice in the summer of 2013 when the police showed up and led Father off the field past the team and their parents. He was handcuffed in the parking lot, taken to jail, and charged with invasion of privacy. Apparently Mother had shown up at the practice, and- the police' told Father that he should have left the practice as soon as Mother arrived. Further, in January 2015, shortly before the dissolution hearing, Father was coaching his son’s basketball team when Mother walked in and told D.Q. to leave. The police walked in immediately thereafter and told Father to leave the premises. Father was told that he should have left the building as soon as he saw Mother walk in the door.

[9] Father further explained that he had observed the impact that the separation had on his son and requested custody of D.Q. Specifically, Father testified that “[f]or the first year when I did get to see him he would sit on my lap and cry all the time. And now—he was with me this past *1216 weekend and he’s doing better but he still cries and he always sits on my lap.” (Tr. 48). Father continued that D.Q. was thirteen years old and “a big kid ... but ... I tuck him into bed every night I have him, he kisses me hello, he kisses me goodbye, we hug all the time. Very—extremely close”. (Tr.48).

[10] Father asked the trial court to dismiss the protective order. He- explained that he had never physically or emotionally abused Mother. Rather, according to -Father, Mother had been mentally and physically abusive to both Father and the children. Father explained that he never once raised his hand to her. Instead, he turned his back and just let her hit him. Father expressed his concerns about Mother’s mental health and explained that Mother “[flew] off the handle daily. She [did] whatever she [could] to keep me and my children apart.” (Tr. 47).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
62 N.E.3d 1212, 2016 Ind. App. LEXIS 395, 2016 WL 6351468, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jennifer-r-quinn-v-daniel-p-quinn-indctapp-2016.