Pancake v. Pancake

2013 Ohio 2294
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 3, 2013
Docket12-COA-038
StatusPublished

This text of 2013 Ohio 2294 (Pancake v. Pancake) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pancake v. Pancake, 2013 Ohio 2294 (Ohio Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

[Cite as Pancake v. Pancake, 2013-Ohio-2294.]

COURT OF APPEALS ASHLAND COUNTY, OHIO FIFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

JAMES S. PANCAKE JUDGES: Hon. William B. Hoffman, P. J. Plaintiff-Appellant Hon. John W. Wise, J. Hon. Craig R. Baldwin, J. -vs- Case No. 12-COA-038 ALONA O. PANCAKE

Defendant-Appellee OPINION

CHARACTER OF PROCEEDING: Civil Appeal from the Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations Division, Case No. 09-DIV-160

JUDGMENT: Affirmed

DATE OF JUDGMENT ENTRY: June 3, 2013

APPEARANCES:

For Plaintiff-Appellant For Defendant-Appellee

CATHERINE D. GOLDMAN RENEE J. JACKWOOD WELDON, HUSTON & KEYSER JACKWOOD LAW OFFICE 76 +North Mulberry Street 132 East Liberty Street Mansfield, Ohio 44902 Wooster, Ohio 44691 Ashland County, Case No. 12-COA-038 2

Wise, J.

{¶1} Appellant James S. Pancake appeals from his judgment entry of divorce

from Appellee Alona O. Pancake in the Ashland County Court of Common Pleas,

Domestic Relations Division. The relevant procedural facts leading to this appeal are as

follows.

{¶2} Appellant James and Appellee Alona were married in May 2004 in Forest

Lake, Minnesota. When they first met in 2003, appellant was approximately forty-two

years old, while appellee, then a citizen of Ukraine, was twenty-one years old and spoke

very little English. She has since become a naturalized United States citizen.

{¶3} Two children were born of the parties’ marriage. At the times pertinent to

this matter, appellant was self-employed as a dealer of granite products, while appellee

was employed full-time at a frozen foods company. On August 29, 2009, appellant filed

an action for divorce against appellee in the Ashland County Court of Common Pleas,

Domestic Relations Division.

{¶4} The case proceeded to evidentiary hearings before a magistrate over the

course of five days, concluding on June 6, 2011.

{¶5} On January 30, 2012, the magistrate filed a sixty-three page decision

addressing the various contested issues in the divorce. Among other things, the

magistrate set child support at $1,051.58 per month per child, assuming a provision of

health insurance for the children. The court also ordered appellant to pay appellee

spousal support of $1,000.00 per month for six years, effective August 31, 2010, with no

retention of jurisdiction. Said spousal support was ordered to be terminated upon the

death of either party, or remarriage or cohabitation by appellee. Ashland County, Case No. 12-COA-038 3

{¶6} Appellant filed objections to the decision of the magistrate on February 13,

2012.

{¶7} The trial court reviewed the matter and issued a judgment entry on July

19, 2012 adopting the decision of the magistrate, except that an additional $1,386.00

was deducted as an ordinary and necessary business expense from appellant’s self-

employment income for child support purposes.

{¶8} A final decree of divorce was filed on September 25, 2012.

{¶9} On October 24, 2012, appellant filed a notice of appeal. He herein raises

the following five Assignments of Error:

{¶10} “I. THE TRIAL COURT COMMITTED AN ABUSE OF DISCRETION IN

THE CALCULATION OF APPELLANT'S CHILD SUPPORT OBLIGATION BY: (A)

FAILING TO INCLUDE ALL OF APPELLANT'S ORDINARY AND NECESSARY

BUSINESS EXPENSES IN CALCULATING HIS INCOME, AND (B) INCLUDING A

NONRECURRING ‘SHAREHOLDER LOAN’ TO APPELLANT AS INCOME.

{¶11} “II. THE TRIAL COURT COMMITTED AN ABUSE OF DISCRETION IN

AWARDING SPOUSAL SUPPORT BY: (A) FAILING TO INCLUDE ALL OF

APPELLANT'S ORDINARY AND NECESSARY BUSINESS EXPENSES IN

CALCULATING HIS INCOME, (B) INCLUDING A NONRECURRING ‘SHAREHOLDER

LOAN’ TO APPELLANT AS INCOME, (C) AWARDING AN UNREASONABLE

AMOUNT OF SPOUSAL SUPPORT, AND (D) ORDERING AN UNREASONABLE

DURATION FOR SPOUSAL SUPPORT.

{¶12} “III. THE TRIAL COURT COMMITTED AN ABUSE OF DISCRETION IN

THE DIVISION OF PROPERTY BY AWARDING APPELLEE THE ENTIRE $25,000.00 Ashland County, Case No. 12-COA-038 4

CASH CONTENTS OF THE PARTIES' SAFETY DEPOSIT BOX AND INEQUITABLY

OFFSETTING THAT AWARD WITH AN AWARD TO APPELLANT OF A PHANTOM

$10,000.00 TO $25,000.00 OF OTHER SAFETY BOX CASH THAT WAS FOUND TO

EXIST CONTRARY TO THE MANIFEST WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE.

{¶13} “IV. THE TRIAL COURT COMMITTED AN ABUSE OF DISCRETION BY

FAILING TO IDENTIFY ALL OF THE DEBTS OF THE PARTIES AND EQUITABLY

ALLOCATE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR PAYMENT.

{¶14} “V. THE TRIAL COURT COMMITTED AN ABUSE OF DISCRETION BY

ITS AWARD OF ATTORNEY FEES TO APPELLEE IN THE AMOUNT OF $5000.00.”

I.

{¶15} In his First Assignment of Error, appellant contends the trial court erred in

calculating his annual income for purposes of the child support worksheet. We disagree.

{¶16} In Booth v. Booth (1989), 44 Ohio St.3d 142, 541 N.E.2d 1028, the Ohio

Supreme Court determined that the abuse-of-discretion standard is the appropriate

standard of review in matters concerning child support. In order to find an abuse of

discretion, we must determine that the trial court's decision was unreasonable, arbitrary,

or unconscionable and not merely an error of law or judgment. Blakemore v. Blakemore

(1983), 5 Ohio St.3d 217, 219, 450 N.E.2d 1140. Furthermore, as an appellate court, we

are not the trier of fact. Our role is to determine whether there is relevant, competent,

and credible evidence upon which the factfinder could base his or her judgment.

Tennant v. Martin–Auer, 188 Ohio App.3d 768, 936 N.E.2d 1013, 2010–Ohio–3489, ¶

16, citing Cross Truck v. Jeffries (Feb. 10, 1982), Stark App. No. CA–5758, 1982 WL

2911. Ashland County, Case No. 12-COA-038 5

{¶17} R.C. 3119.01(C)(7) defines “gross income” as, with certain statutory

exceptions, “ *** the total of all earned and unearned income from all sources during a

calendar year, whether or not the income is taxable, and includes income from salaries,

wages, overtime pay, and bonuses to the extent described in division (D) of section

3119.05 of the Revised Code; commissions; royalties; tips; rents; dividends; severance

pay; pensions; interest; trust income; annuities; social security benefits, including

retirement, disability, and survivor benefits that are not means-tested; workers'

compensation benefits; unemployment insurance benefits; disability insurance benefits;

benefits that are not means-tested and that are received by and in the possession of the

veteran who is the beneficiary for any service-connected disability under a program or

law administered by the United States department of veterans' affairs or veterans'

administration; spousal support actually received; and all other sources of income.” R.C.

3119.01(C)(7) also states in pertinent part that gross income “includes *** self-

generated income; and potential cash flow from any source.”

{¶18} R.C. 3119.01(C)(13) defines “self-generated income” as “gross receipts

received by a parent from self-employment, proprietorship of a business, joint

ownership of a partnership or closely held corporation, and rents minus ordinary and

necessary expenses incurred by the parent in generating the gross receipts. ***.” R.C.

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2006 Ohio 4615 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2006)
Carroll v. Carroll, Unpublished Decision (12-13-2004)
2004 Ohio 6710 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2004)
Tennant v. Martin-Auer
936 N.E.2d 1013 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2010)
Wolfe v. Wolfe
350 N.E.2d 413 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1976)
Cherry v. Cherry
421 N.E.2d 1293 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1981)
Blakemore v. Blakemore
450 N.E.2d 1140 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1983)
Briganti v. Briganti
459 N.E.2d 896 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1984)
Seasons Coal Co. v. City of Cleveland
461 N.E.2d 1273 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1984)
Rand v. Rand
481 N.E.2d 609 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1985)
Booth v. Booth
541 N.E.2d 1028 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1989)
Kunkle v. Kunkle
554 N.E.2d 83 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1990)

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2013 Ohio 2294, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pancake-v-pancake-ohioctapp-2013.