Jones v. Jones

486 S.W.2d 927, 1972 Tenn. App. LEXIS 335
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedMarch 20, 1972
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 486 S.W.2d 927 (Jones v. Jones) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jones v. Jones, 486 S.W.2d 927, 1972 Tenn. App. LEXIS 335 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1972).

Opinion

NEARN, Judge.

This is an appeal from the order of the Trial Judge denying appellant’s Petition to Correct Mistake or Omission in Final Decree or to Amend or Modify Final Decree. The appellant is the defendant husband in the original action for divorce.

The failure of the Trial Judge to correct or modify the Final Decree is the error assigned.

The real question presented on appeal is whether or not the Trial Judge had the authority under T.C.A. §§ 20-1512 or 20-1513 to amend or alter the Final Decree under the facts as presented by the Technical Record, which is the only record before us.

The record reveals that on January 12, 1970, a Final Decree of Divorce was entered in this cause awarding a divorce to the appellee, Marian Helen Culp Lee Jones. Provisions were made in the Final Decree for certain real property to be sold, for certain indebtednesses to be paid by defendant, and for alimony in futuro and child support payments to be made by Mr. Jones to Mrs. Jones. On June 15, 1970, a “Consent Order Modifying Final Decree of Divorce” was entered. The consent order of June [929]*92915, 1970, provided, inter alia, that certain real property previously ordered sold by the Court would be divided in kind by consent and agreement and that alimony in futuro payments would cease, but child support payments would continue. On March 3, 1971, the “Petition to Correct Mistake or Omission in Final Decree or to Amend or Modify Final Decree” was filed.

It was alleged in the petition that at the trial of the cause petitioner, petitioner’s attorney, complainant, complainant’s attorney, and the Court were all of the mind that a certain note and mortgage held by the petitioner1 were in the petitioner’s name only and his sole property. That no mention of the note and mortgage was made in the Final Decree as all were under the impression that the note and mortgage were solely in petitioner’s name. Further, that the Court’s award of alimony and child support payments were predicated on the assumption that the petitioner would have the full income from the note to meet his obligations. The petition further alleged that it is now discovered that the note in question is not in petitioner’s name only, but also includes the name of his former wife and that she is now claiming one-half of the monthly note income.

The petition prayed that the Final Decree be amended, corrected or modified to divest out of the complainant and vest in the petitioner any right that complainant might have in the note and mortgage.

By response to the petition, Mrs. Jones attacked the jurisdiction of the Court to grant the relief sought because (a) there is no mistake or omission in the Decree for which there is sufficient matter apparent on the record, the papers in the cause, or entries of the Presiding Judge, and (b) there is not jurisdiction to amend or modify the Final Decree since the time for such amendments has expired and the Decree is final in all respects sought to be changed by the petition. The response denied the impressions and beliefs of the parties as alleged in the petition and demanded strict proof thereof if pertinent.

In the order denying the petition the Court found as follows:

“ * * * That prior to this case coming on for trial petitioner filed in this cause on January 5, 1970, a sworn Affidavit containing his financial statement or financial status. That at the trial of this cause the petitioner, Bermon Caldwell Jones, the petitioner’s attorney and the complainant’s attorney, were all under the mistaken impression that when the petitioner sold his property, the Southerner Motor Lodge in Anderson County, South Carolina, to Doyle L. Min- or, on April 2, 1965, he received as part of the purchase price a promissory note and second mortgage in his name only.
That the Court in adjusting the property and the equities of the parties by divesting certain properties out of the petitioner and vesting same in the petitioner’s ex-wife, complainant Marian Helen Culp Lee Jones, took into consideration all of the assets of the petitioner and petitioner’s wife listed in said financial statement.
That petitioner, Bermon Caldwell Jones, exclusively had been receiving the payment on said Note from April 2, 1965, through December of 1970, at which time petitioner was informed by complainant that her name appeared along with his on the said Note and Trust Deed and requested that the payments on said Note be allotted as one-half to her and one-half to petitioner.
That the Court was under the impression that the said Note and Trust Deed were in the petitioner, Bermon Caldwell [930]*930Jones’ name only, at the trial of this cause, and took this fact into consideration in adjusting the assets of the petitioner. That the Court intended for pe-tioner, Bermon Caldwell Jones, to retain the ownership in the Note and Second Mortgage on the Southerner Motor Lodge in Anderson County, South Carolina.
That the Court is of the opinion that it does not have jurisdiction to grant the relief requested by petitioner under Tennessee Code Annotated Sections 20-1512 and 20-1513. The Court relies on Moore v. [Brannan], 207 Tenn. 478, 341 S.W.2d 382 (1960) and Braden v. Clark, 203 Tenn. 265, 310 S.W.2d 462 (1958).”

The Court then decreed that one-half of the note income which had accumulated pending the hearing of the petition and then being held by Court-appointed Trustee be paid over to Mrs. Jones, and that monthly child support which had accumulated pending the hearing be deducted from Mr. Jones’ share of the fund held by the Trustee and paid to Mrs. Jones.

Counsel for both the appellant and the appellee rely upon T.C.A. Sections 20-1512 and 20-1513. It is the position of the appellant that the Trial Judge is authorized to grant the relief sought in the petition under the authority of these sections of our Code. Counsel for appellee has adopted the view of the Trial Judge, that is, no such authority is granted. The Code sections are as follows:

“20-1512. Correction of judgment.— Any court of record may, at any time within twelve (12) months after final judgment or decree, and while the cause is still in such court, amend any clerical error, mistake in the calculation of interest, or other mistake or omission in the judgment or decree, where there is sufficient matter apparent on the record, the papers in the cause, or entries of a presiding judge by which to amend.
20-1513. Mistake apparent in record. — • Every mistake apparent on the face of the record may be corrected by the court at any term after final judgment, at the discretion of the court, and if it appears to the appellate court to which said record has been certified on appeal that a mistake has apparently been made in the transcribing of said record, the appellate court may remand the record to the clerk below for correction of the mistake.”

We hold that the Trial Judge is not authorized by the aforementioned Code sections to grant the relief sought in the petition. This must be so for there is no error evident on the face of the record or, for that matter, error in “the papers in the cause, or entries of a presiding judge”. Error sought to be corrected pursuant to T.C. A.

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Related

Pennington v. Pennington
592 S.W.2d 576 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1979)
Penland v. Penland
521 S.W.2d 222 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1975)
Newberry v. Newberry
493 S.W.2d 99 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1973)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
486 S.W.2d 927, 1972 Tenn. App. LEXIS 335, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jones-v-jones-tennctapp-1972.