McDonald v. McDonald

607 So. 2d 984, 1992 La. App. LEXIS 3417, 1992 WL 312836
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedOctober 29, 1992
DocketNo. 91-995
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 607 So. 2d 984 (McDonald v. McDonald) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McDonald v. McDonald, 607 So. 2d 984, 1992 La. App. LEXIS 3417, 1992 WL 312836 (La. Ct. App. 1992).

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

This is an appeal from a community property partition judgment.

The parties were married on February 19, 1972. According to testimony, a petition for separation was filed and a judgment of separation was rendered. The judgment of divorce was rendered on August 6,1984. A petition for partition of the community property was filed on September 17, 1986. Judgment was rendered and written reasons assigned on November 15, 1990, as follows:

WRITTEN REASONS FOR JUDGMENT
This matter having come before the Court on hearing for Partition of Community Property on the 12th day of March, 1990, and having been taken under advisement by the Court at that time, the Court now renders these Written Reasons for Judgment:
George McDonald is to receive the following:
The home, 52% complete as of March 18, 1986, which lies on his separate property_ $31,953.00
Tools_ 1,000.00
1984 truck_ 5.000.00
TOTAL (movables and immovables) $37,953.00
Mayona McDonald is to receive the following:
Immovable property located in Calcasieu Parish containing two (2) acres more or less_ 6,000.00
Reimbursement owed by George Mills McDonald to the community for one-half of the value of funds used to construct improvements on his separate property_ 15,976.50
Livestock containing approximately forty (40) head of cattle_ 10,000.00
One registered appaloosa horse_ 800.00
One three-wheel Honda_ 800.00
One 1977 truck_ 500.00
[986]*986250.00 One 1979 automobile_
250.00 Furniture located in home-
$34,576.50 TOTAL (movables and immovables)

The Court notes that neither party has listed any net liabilities. Additionally, this Court recognizes Mayona Lou McDonald’s interest in George Mills McDonald’s Citgo retirement and Thrift plans. Such interest is to be determined according to the formula set forth in Sims v. Sims, 358 So.2d 919 (La.1978), which is as follows:

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Therefore, Mayona Lou McDonald is hereby recognized as having an interest according to the above cited formula in any Citgo retirement plan in favor of George Mills McDonald and an interest in any annuity or lump sum payment paid by Citgo to Mr. McDonald.

The Court further finds that Mr. McDonald has a net community asset of $37,-953.00, while Mrs. McDonald has $34,-575.50 in net community assets. To equalize the community assets, George Mills McDonald is ordered to pay Mayona Lou McDonald the sum of $3,400.00, payable in monthly installments of $170.00 for twenty (20) months, with such payments to begin on December 1, 1990 and due on the first day of each successive month until paid.

Court costs are hereby ordered divided equally between the parties.

A written judgment will be signed upon presentation.

/s/ Billy H. Ezell Billy H. Ezell, District Judge

Plaintiff-Appellant, George Mills McDonald, appeals and places at issue the calculation of the total value of the community assets and the valuation and classification of certain properties.

COMMUNITY ASSETS

Mr. McDonald asserts that the trial judge erred in calculating the total value of community assets.

We agree. The trial judge allocated certain movables and immovables to each party. The record as a whole indicates that the trial judge determined the properties listed in the judgment to be community assets. Thereafter, he awarded Mrs. McDonald the approximate difference between the allocations. The payment award of $3,400 to Mrs. McDonald was made in order to equalize the net community assets received by each party in accordance with R.S. 9:2801. However, as a matter of law, the awarded amount does not result in an equal net distribution because the payment awarded should have been half the difference between the net allocations.

Furthermore, examination of the record reveals that the partially completed home and reimbursement owed from the separate patrimony of Mr. McDonald were improperly treated as assets of the community-

Both parties admit that community funds were expended for the partially completed home located in Beauregard Parish. The record as a whole indicates that the trial judge determined that the Beauregard Parish real estate is the separate property of Mr. McDonald. There is no dispute on appeal as to the separate nature of the Beauregard Parish property.

C.C. art. 2366 states, in pertinent part, the following:

[987]*987Buildings, other constructions permanently attached to the ground, and plantings made on the separate property of a spouse with community assets belong to the owner of the ground.

The partially completed home located on the Beauregard Parish property is therefore the separate property of Mr. McDonald. C.C. art. 2366 further states:

Upon termination of the community, the other spouse is entitled to one-half of the amount or value that the community assets had at the time they were used.

Mrs. McDonald is entitled to be reimbursed for her share of the community funds spent to improve Mr. McDonald’s separate estate. See Breaux v. Breaux, 555 So.2d 1001 (La.App. 3rd Cir.1990). Comment (b) to C.C. art. 2358.1 states the following:

(b) Article 2358.1 does not mean that reimbursement shall be made only after the community is partitioned. It means that reimbursement shall not be made from the total net value of the community; it shall be made from the share in the community of the spouse who owes reimbursement or from his separate property. Cf. C.C. Art. 2366. (emphasis added)

Accordingly, the trial court award of $3,400 is reversed. Further, the value of the partially completed home and the reimbursement owed Mrs. McDonald were improperly listed as community assets. The reimbursement must be made by Mr. McDonald from his separate estate.

SUFFICIENCY OF THE EVIDENCE

Mr. McDonald contends that the trial judge erred by including separate property of the appellant in the community assets. Mr. McDonald first alleges that livestock were erroneously included in the community assets. He specifically asserts that the existence and value of 40 head of cattle were never established.

The record reveals that the only evidence presented to establish the existence, nature, quantity, and value of livestock is the controverted and unsubstantiated testimony of Mrs. McDonald. After reviewing the record in its entirety, the evidence is insufficient to establish whether or not during the community property regime cattle were purchased or donated, or that cattle inherited by Mr. McDonald were replaced by their offspring during the community regime. Furthermore, since the evidence presented is insufficient to establish the existence of cattle, the issue of the value or quantity of said cattle need not be addressed.

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Bluebook (online)
607 So. 2d 984, 1992 La. App. LEXIS 3417, 1992 WL 312836, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcdonald-v-mcdonald-lactapp-1992.