Maxwell Lomax v. Tara Johnson Lomax

172 So. 3d 1258, 2015 Miss. App. LEXIS 416, 2015 WL 4741210
CourtCourt of Appeals of Mississippi
DecidedAugust 11, 2015
Docket2014-CA-00865-COA
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 172 So. 3d 1258 (Maxwell Lomax v. Tara Johnson Lomax) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Maxwell Lomax v. Tara Johnson Lomax, 172 So. 3d 1258, 2015 Miss. App. LEXIS 416, 2015 WL 4741210 (Mich. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinion

BARNES, J„

for the Court:

¶ 1. Maxwell (Max) and Tara Johnson Lomax were married on October 25, 2013. The couple, who had a troubled relationship prior to the marriage, separated less than three months later, on January 11, 2014. There were no children born of the marriage, and the couple acquired no real property during the marriage.

¶ 2. Tara filed a complaint for divorce on February 7, 2014, alleging habitual cruel and inhuman treatment or, in the alternative, irreconcilable differences. Max contested the divorce. Tara amended her complaint on April 16, 2014, claiming Max was addicted to illicit drugs.

¶ 3. After a hearing on the matter on May 23, 2013, the DeSoto County Chancery Court granted the divorce on the ground of habitual cruel and inhuman treatment. Although the chancellor concluded that the couple had no marital property, he determined that the couple had incurred $5,000 in debt, which included $2,000 expended for Max’s business leads and $3,000 for wédding expenses. He ordered Max to pay Tara $3,500 toward that debt within forty-five days of the order. Tara was awarded the engagement ring given to her by Max, along with the couple’s two vehicles, as she held sole title to both of them.

¶ 4. Max filed a post-trial motion, arguing there was insufficient proof to support a divorce of the ground of habitual cruel and inhuman treatment, and that the award of the engagement ring to Tara was in error. The chancellor denied the motion. On June 20, 2014, Max appealed. 1 Finding no error, we affirm.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

¶ 5. In domestic-relation cases, our review is limited to whether the chancery court’s findings were “manifestly wrong or clearly erroneous, or the court applied the wrong legal standard.” Jackson v. Jackson, 114 So.3d 768, 773 (¶ 10) (Miss.Ct.App.2013). If there is substantial evidence in the record to support the chancery court’s findings of fact, we will not reverse its decision on appeal. Henrichs v. Henrichs, 32 So.3d 1202, 1205 (¶ 8) (Miss.Ct.App.2009).

I. Whether the chancery court erred in granting the divorce on the ground of habitual cruel and inhuman treatment.

¶ 6. Max claims that the chancery court should not have granted Tara a divorce on the ground of habitual cruel and inhuman treatment, which encompasses conduct that either:

(1) endangers life, limb, or health, or creates a reasonable apprehension of such danger, rendering the relationship unsafe for the party seeking relief, or (2) is so unnatural and infamous as to make the marriage revolting to the nonoffend-ing spouse and render it impossible for that spouse to discharge the duties of marriage, thus destroying the basis for its continuance.

*1261 Harmon v. Harmon, 141 So.3d 37, 41 (¶ 14) (Miss.Ct.App.2014) (quoting Smith v. Smith, 90 So.3d 1259, 1262 (¶ 10) (Miss.Ct.App.2011)). Such conduct must constitute more than mere unkindness, lack of affection, or incompatibility. Id. (citing Jackson v. Jackson, 922 So.2d 53, 56 (¶ 4) (Miss.Ct.App.2006)). Furthermore, “[t]he cruel treatment must be routine and continuous.” Jackson, 922 So.2d at 56 (¶ 4) (citing Moore v. Moore, 757 So.2d 1043, 1047 (¶ 16) (Miss.Ct.App.2000)).

¶ 7. At the hearing, neither party disputed they had a tumultuous relationship prior to their marriage that had resulted in physical altercations, with one incident involving police intervention. However, Max claimed there was no ground for divorce, as he had never physically assaulted Tara during their marriage, and he wanted to seek marriage counseling rather than divorce. Tara, on the other hand, stated that Max had physically abused her on a consistent basis after the marriage. She submitted photographic evidence of injuries (multiple bruises, a busted lip, and a cut forehead) to her face and body. Tara claimed that the injuries depicted in the photos were inflicted during the marriage, and she could not continue to stay married to Max.

Q. You heard [Max] say that he, quote, absolutely did not strike you after y’all got married. Was that true?
A. No.
Q. The photographs that you have, are those the only times that you were injured and you took photos, or were there other times that you didn’t take photos.
A. There were other times.
Q. Do you feel safe in that house?
A. No.

¶ 8. Evidence of emotional abuse was also presented through text messages sent from Max to Tara, concerning her weight fluctuation, among other matters. During direct examination, Tara testified that the texts were “just a sampling. I mean, I’ve suffered so much emotional abuse from him[,] along with physical abuse. It’s just unreal .... throwing things at me when he loses his temper, hitting me. I mean ... he’s a loose cannon. He’s violent. He cusses me out. He, you know, insults me.” Tara further testified that two marriage counselors, from whom the couple had sought assistance, had advised them to divorce.

¶ 9. Max claims that the chancery court erroneously “denfied]” relevant evidence regarding fights between Max and Tara that occurred prior to the marriage. He refers to his testimony regarding two separate altercations, and DeSoto County Deputy Sheriff James Gray’s testimony that he investigated one of the domestic incidents between Tara and Max. He claims this testimony disproves Tara’s statement that her injuries occurred during the marriage. We find no merit to Max’s argument; the record clearly indicates that both Max and Gray were allowed to testify regarding the pre-mar-riage altercations between the parties. The chancery court merely concluded that Deputy Gray’s testimony was not relevant because the parties did not dispute that the pre-marriage argument took place. Furthermore, Deputy Gray was unable to confirm that the photographic evidence reflected any of the injuries he saw on Tara that evening.

¶ 10. Consequently, we find there was ample evidence to support the chancellor’s judgment, granting a divorce on the ground of habitual cruel and inhuman treatment.

II. Whether the chancery court erred in its equitable distribution of marital property.

¶ 11. The main point of contention in the divorce and the determination of *1262 marital property concerned the chancery court’s award of the engagement ring to Tara. The chancellor concluded that Tara was entitled to keep the ring, which had previously belonged to Max’s mother, since Max had given the ring to Tara as an inter vivos gift prior to the marriage. Max argues that the parties had an oral agreement that if the marriage did not work out, the ring would be returned to his mother. At the hearing, Max testified that his mother’s ring was given to Tara under the condition that once Max could afford another stone for the ring setting they had purchased, she would return the ring.

¶ 12.

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Bluebook (online)
172 So. 3d 1258, 2015 Miss. App. LEXIS 416, 2015 WL 4741210, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/maxwell-lomax-v-tara-johnson-lomax-missctapp-2015.