Marriage of Muller v. Muller

2013 OK CIV APP 90, 311 P.3d 1247, 2013 WL 5712381, 2013 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 81
CourtCourt of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedSeptember 19, 2013
DocketNo. 109546
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 2013 OK CIV APP 90 (Marriage of Muller v. Muller) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Marriage of Muller v. Muller, 2013 OK CIV APP 90, 311 P.3d 1247, 2013 WL 5712381, 2013 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 81 (Okla. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

JOHN F. FISCHER, Presiding Judge.

1 Petitioner/Appellant Anabella Gonzalez Muller aka Anabella Gonzalez (Gonzalez) appeals the decision of the district court dismissing her Amended Petition for Annulment against Timothy Al Muller (Muller). We vacate the district court's dismissal of Gonzalez's claim for an annulment pursuant to 12 O.S. Supp.2009 § 2009(B) and remand for trial on Gonzalez's annulment action.

BACKGROUND

12 Muller and Gonzalez were married in February 2008. Prior to the marriage, Muller and Gonzalez executed a Premarital Agreement in which each party set forth his and her separate property. Gonzalez filed her Petition for Dissolution of Marriage in March 2009 and attached a copy of the Premarital Agreement seeking to establish entitlement to her separate property. Gonzalez requested that certain property she acquired during the marriage with her separate premarital funds, including real property, be declared separate property. Gonzalez further requested that a loan of $20,000 which she gave to Muller be repaid before the dissolution of the marriage. In Muller's Answer, he did not dispute any of the allegations set forth in Gonzalez's Petition.

{ 3 In July 2010, Gonzalez filed an Application to Amend Petition, in which she alleged: "That the Petitioner has recently discovered that she was induced into the marriage with the Respondent by Respondent's fraud. That the marriage of the parties was based upon fraud committed by the Respondent upon the Petitioner." (R. 15). In her Amended Petition filed in September 2010, Gonzalez sought: "An annulment of the marriage of the parties based upon fraud committed by the Respondent to induce her to marry, all as set forth in Petitioner's Application to Amend Petition." (R. 19). In the alternative, Gonzalez sought dissolution of the marriage. Muller did not file an Answer to Gonzalez's Amended Petition or request a more definite statement of her allegations of fraud. In the Domestic Pretrial Conference Order, Gonzalez listed annulment as one of the issues to be litigated at trial. Gonzalez also listed multiple witnesses and exhibits in support of her allegations of fraudulent inducement to marry against Muller. The parties participated in a Pretrial Conference in November 2010.

T4 At the outset of the trial conducted in April 2011, before allowing the introduction of evidence, the district court denied Gonzalez's request for an annulment finding as follows:

The Court did its research on the issue of the pleading of a fraud allegation. In Title 12 Section 209 [sic], entitled "Pleading of Special Matters," Section B refers to fraud, mistake, condition of the mind. And it states that, "In all averments of fraud or mistake, the circumstances constituting fraud shall be stated with particularity, and the malice, intent, and motives and other conditions of the mind with a person need to be and appear generally."
When we look at the Amended Petition filed with this Court on September 29th, 2010, Paragraph 1A, the Petitioner states [1249]*1249that she is requesting an annulment of the marriage or of the parties based upon fraud committed by the Respondent to induce her to marry him. Nowhere does it state with particularity what the fraud is. Therefore, the Court is going to deny her request to proceed on an annulment of the marriage based on fraud since it was not stated with particularity and in accordance with the statutes. Therefore, we are back to dissolution of the marriage.

(R. 74, Transeript of Proceedings, p. 12, lines 8-25, p. 13, lines 1-2). Gonzalez presented an Offer of Proof outside the presence of the judge, wherein Gonzalez alleged Muller misrepresented his financial status and assets to induce her into marriage. Gonzalez contended the issue of annulment was discussed at the Pretrial Conference and neither the district court nor Muller requested a bill of particulars regarding the fraud allegations.

T5 During trial, Gonzalez attempted to introduce evidence of a lawsuit filed against Muller, wherein one count involved the tort of deceit. The district court refused to admit any exhibits concerning such lawsuit. During Muller's testimony, he was questioned about the listing of assets he attached to the premarital agreement. Muller admitted that the listing of assets was not true. During rebuttal, Gonzalez identified the specific entries on Muller's listing of assets that were inaccurate.

1 6 Gonzalez introduced copies of multiple protective orders filed against Muller by a former spouse and child and one by another different woman to establish his prior history of domestic violence upon women. Gonzalez introduced another exhibit containing criminal cases filed against Muller each involving moral turpitude. Because Muller failed to object to such exhibits on the Pretrial Conference Order, the district court admitted such evidence.

T7 Gonzalez made an amended offer of proof at the conclusion of the evidence concerning evidence of Muller's criminal history, including a history of domestic violence. Gonzalez asserted she would not have married Muller had she known of his criminal history. Gonzalez also presented the exhibit containing evidence of the lawsuit filed against Muller that the district court exelud-ed from evidence. Gonzalez suggested the prior lawsuit against Muller for deceit was similar to the deceit committed by Muller to induce her into marriage. Gonzalez again asserted no request was ever made by any party at the Pretrial Conference requesting any further specifics on her allegations of fraud against Muller.

T8 The district court granted Muller and Gonzalez a decree of dissolution of marriage. The district court awarded each party the real and personal property in their possession at the time of the decree. The district court concluded the real property purchased by Gonzalez during the marriage was her sole and separate property. The district court concluded the loan at issue was from Gonzalez's separate business to Muller's separate business and was not a marital asset or debt, and thus outside the court's jurisdiction. The district court found Muller's protective order against Gonzalez was frivolously filed and denied the same. The district court further granted Gonzalez a final protective order against Muller. Gonzalez instituted the present appeal alleging the district court erred in dismissing her Amended Petition for Annulment.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

T9 The Oklahoma Supreme Court in Gay v. Akin, 1988 OK 150, ¶ 6, n. 13, 766 P.2d 985, 989 stated that a dismissal based upon: "failure to plead fraud with sufficient particularity, as required by 12 O.S. Supp. 1984 § 2009(B), is treated as a dismissal for failure to state a claim." Appellate courts review a district court's dismissal for failure to state a claim de movo. Miller v. Miller, 1998 OK 24, ¶ 15, 956 P.2d 887, 894.

ANALYSIS

110 The Oklahoma Supreme Court considered the issue of fraudulent inducement to marry and declared:

An action for damages for fraudulent inducement to marry has been recognized in Oklahoma with respect to both void and valid marriages. Like other fraud-based actions, a claim for fraudulent inducement [1250]*1250to marry must allege all the elements of common law fraud.

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Bluebook (online)
2013 OK CIV APP 90, 311 P.3d 1247, 2013 WL 5712381, 2013 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 81, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/marriage-of-muller-v-muller-oklacivapp-2013.