Meehan v. Meehan

756 S.E.2d 398, 407 S.C. 471, 2014 WL 1229587, 2014 S.C. App. LEXIS 47
CourtCourt of Appeals of South Carolina
DecidedMarch 26, 2014
DocketAppellate Case No. 2012-212864; No. 5210
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 756 S.E.2d 398 (Meehan v. Meehan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of South Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Meehan v. Meehan, 756 S.E.2d 398, 407 S.C. 471, 2014 WL 1229587, 2014 S.C. App. LEXIS 47 (S.C. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

LOCKEMY, J.

In this appeal from a divorce action, Fredda A. Cathey Meehan (Wife) contends the family court erred in (1) finding the parties’ prenuptial agreement removed its jurisdiction to enforce and interpret the terms pursuant to Gilley v. Gilley, 327 S.C. 8, 488 S.E.2d 310 (1997), (2) ruling the parties agreed that the only issues to be decided were the divorce and child support, and (3) relying upon Rule 2, SCRFC, to deny her motion to amend her complaint to include a request for attorney’s fees. We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand.

FACTS

Wife and Husband were married on September 25, 1992. Prior to their marriage, the parties entered into an agreement which provided in part that “[Husband] and [Wife] agree that the only marital property which they will acquire will be that property which is formally titled in both names. [Husband] and [Wife] agree that property acquired after this marriage shall remain non-marital property, so long as same remains legally titled other than jointly.” Notably, in paragraph 12, the prenuptial agreement stated:

Both parties agree that the Family Court shall not have jurisdiction over any pre-marital property of either party (the HUSBAND’S pre-marital property being shown by [475]*475Exhibit “A”), and over property acquired after the marriage, unless same be titled in joint names, and that this agreement as to the absence of jurisdiction shall be unmodifiable.

Wife and Husband also agreed “to waive alimony from each other,” and Wife agreed she would not make a claim against Husband’s property, including but not limited to bank accounts, personal property, and retirement, “whether acquired before or after the marriage, so long as this property is not titled in both names.” In consideration of the prenuptial agreement, Husband agreed to procure a life insurance policy in the amount of $1,000,000 with Wife as the beneficiary. Husband also agreed that “[u]pon the divorce of the parties, provided that this agreement is upheld by the [Wife], the [Husband] shall pay to the [Wife] the sum of ten thousand and No/100 ($10,000.00) Dollars for each full year that the parties remained married.”

On the date of the parties’ divorce hearing, May 12, 2012, they had been married in excess of nineteen years. Wife sought to enforce the prenuptial agreement and requested Husband pay $190,000 pursuant to the term within the prenuptial agreement stating that Husband would pay her ten thousand for each full year they were married. Husband presented a motion at the beginning of the hearing and argued the family court lacked jurisdiction to enforce the prenuptial agreement. Husband maintained the Wife must pursue the prenuptial’s enforcement in the circuit court.

The family court first found the parties had freely, fairly, and in good faith entered into the prenuptial agreement. The family court then stated that based upon Gilley v. Gilley, 327 S.C. 8, 488 S.E.2d 310 (1997), and the clear language of the parties’ prenuptial agreement, it did not have jurisdiction to enforce the prenuptial agreement. It further found the prenuptial agreement’s provisions were contractual and could only be interpreted and enforced by the circuit court. The family court denied Wife’s motion for reconsideration. This appeal followed.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

“ ‘The family court is a court of equity.’ ” Holmes v. Holmes, 399 S.C. 499, 504, 732 S.E.2d 213, 216 (Ct.App.2012) [476]*476(quoting Lewis v. Lewis, 392 S.C. 381, 386, 709 S.E.2d 650, 652 (2011)). “In appeals from the family court, the appellate court reviews factual and legal issues de novo.” Id. (citing Simmons v. Simmons, 392 S.C. 412, 414, 709 S.E.2d 666, 667 (2011)). “ ‘De novo review permits appellate court fact-finding, notwithstanding the presence of evidence supporting the [family] court’s findings.’ ” Id. (quoting Lewis, 392 S.C. at 390, 709 S.E.2d at 654-55) (alteration in original). “However, this broad standard of review does not require the appellate court to disregard the factual findings of the family court or ignore the fact that the family court is in the better position to assess the credibility of the witnesses.” Id. (citing Pinckney v. Warren, 344 S.C. 382, 387, 544 S.E.2d 620, 623 (2001)). “Moreover, the appellant is not relieved of the burden of demonstrating error in the family court’s findings of fact.” Id. (citing Pinckney, 344 S.C. at 387-88, 544 S.E.2d at 623). “Accordingly, we will affirm the decision of the family court in an equity case unless its decision is controlled by some error of law or the appellant satisfies the burden of showing the preponderance of the evidence actually supports contrary factual findings by this court.” Id.

LAW/ANALYSIS

Jurisdiction

Wife argues the family court erred in finding it did not have jurisdiction to interpret and enforce the prenuptial agreement. She asserts the interpretation and enforcement of the prenuptial agreement were incident to an action requesting an alteration of the marital status, and, thus, Gilley v. Gilley, 327 S.C. 8, 488 S.E.2d 310 (1997), did not apply. We disagree.

“The family court has exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine actions for separate support and maintenance, legal separation, other marital litigation between the parties, and for settlement of all legal and equitable rights of the parties in the actions related to the real and personal property of the marriage.” Gilley, 327 S.C. at 11, 488 S.E.2d at 312 (citing S.C.Code Ann. § 20-7-420(2) (Supp.1995) (current version at S.C.Code Ann. § 63-3-530 (2010))). While we agree the family court in this case would typically have jurisdiction over the issues raised during the parties’ hearing, we must examine [477]*477whether the prenuptial agreement removed the family court’s jurisdiction from some or all of those issues.

When a prenuptial agreement is unambiguous, clear, and explicit, “it must be construed according to the terms the parties have used.” Hardee v. Hardee, 355 S.C. 382, 387, 585 S.E.2d 501, 503 (2003) (citing B.L.G. Enters., Inc. v. First Fin. Ins. Co., 334 S.C. 529, 535, 514 S.E.2d 327, 330 (1999)). “The judicial function of a court of law is to enforce a contract as made by the parties, and not to rewrite or to distort, under the guise of judicial construction, contracts, the terms of which are plain and unambiguous.” Id. (citing S.S. Newell & Co. v. Am. Mut. Liab. Ins. Co., 199 S.C. 325, 332, 19 S.E.2d 463, 466 (1942)). “Property excluded by written contract or antenuptial agreement of the parties is excluded from marital property and is considered nonmarital property.” Gilley, 327 S.C.

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Bluebook (online)
756 S.E.2d 398, 407 S.C. 471, 2014 WL 1229587, 2014 S.C. App. LEXIS 47, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/meehan-v-meehan-scctapp-2014.