Petrey v. Petrey

314 S.W.2d 331, 1958 Tex. App. LEXIS 2050
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 22, 1958
DocketNo. 3530
StatusPublished

This text of 314 S.W.2d 331 (Petrey v. Petrey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Petrey v. Petrey, 314 S.W.2d 331, 1958 Tex. App. LEXIS 2050 (Tex. Ct. App. 1958).

Opinion

TIREY, Justice.

Appellant brought this action for divorce and for an accounting and partition of the property of the parties. The cause proceeded to trial before a jury and after some evidence was tendered, defendant announced to the court that he would not insist upon his cross-action for divorce and the court announced that lie would grant a divorce to the plaintiff. Thereupon, the parties in open court agreed to waive the jury and submitted all of the matters in controversy to the court.

The parties then agreed in open court that the court should appoint a Master in Chancery to determine the market value of the community assets belonging to the plaintiff and defendant, and to determine the debts and liabilities owing by the community estate of plaintiff and defendant, and that such determination would be made by the Master as of August 31, 1957, and that such date was to be considered by the parties as the date for the determination by the Master and by the court of the property rights of the parties in connection with the division of the community estate of plaintiff and defendant.

The court appointed Honorable Andrew Campbell Master in Chancery and the Master duly filed his report, and the court, by agreement of the parties, set a hearing on the Master’s report and all issues involved therein. The hearing was had on the 23rd and 24th of September 1957, and thereafter, on the 25th of October 1957, the court rendered its judgment. We quote the following recitals in the judgment:

“II.
“The court further finds and decrees that a just and right division of the estate of the parties is as follows:
“A. That the reasonable market value of Lots 10, 11 and 18, Block 12, [332]*332Linda Vista Estates in Tarrant County, Texas, is the sum of $13,100.00, and that such property should be partitioned and awarded to defendant, Howard Petrey; and the court further finds that the said property is not the business homestead of plaintiff and defendant since the same is not located in any incorporated or unincorporated city, town or village and is located in a rural area and there exists valid liens against said property of $9,000.00.
“B. That the reasonable market value of the house and lot known as Lot 1, Block 5, Argaud Heights Addition to the Town of Odessa, has a reasonable market value of $1,500.00 and that the same should be partitioned and awarded to the plaintiff, Wilma Petrey.
“C. That the reasonable market value of a certain 1955 Chevrolet automobile, now being used by the plaintiff, is the sum of $700.00, and the same should be awarded to the plaintiff, Wilma Petrey.
“D. That the plaintiff and defendant own certain household goods which are located on a ranch near Hamilton, Texas, and that the use thereof should be awarded to the plaintiff, Wilma Petrey, and that the reasonable market value thereof is the sum of $1000.-00.
“E. The court further finds that there is certain personal property and assets located on the ranch near Hamilton, Texas, described as ‘Ranch Assets,’ which have a market value of $4800.00; and certain personal property and assets, including accounts receivable, cash on hand, machinery and equipment, and choses in action, used in the business of hauling gravel under the name of H. Petrey & Sons, which is the trade name for the defendant, which has the market value of $116,-929.17.
“F. That the community estate owes accounts payable in the sum of $51,360.-31; that the real estate and bank notes payable by the estate are the sum of $23,728.69; due employees Social Security and Withholding Tax is $3,165.-97; due truck excise tax is $3,977.67; equipment notes payable by the estate are $34,282.63; estimated Federal Income Tax for the period from January 1, 1957, to August 31, 1957, is the sum of $5,166.67; making the total liabilities the sum of $121,681.94.
“G. That the market value of the assets, excluding the house and lot in Odessa, Texas, but including the ‘Ranch Assets’ and the assets of H. Petrey & Sons and the real estate located in Tar-rant County, Texas, over and above the liabilities is the sum of $13,147.23 and the court deems it right and just that all of said assets, except those specifically partitioned and awarded to the plaintiff, Wilma Petrey, including the real estate in Tarrant County, be awarded to the defendant, Howard Pe-trey, and that the defendant, Howard Petrey, pay to the plaintiff, Wilma Pe-trey, the sum of $6,573.62 and assume all of the liabilities and debts of the estate.
“H. That in the event it shall be finally determined that the amount of income tax due by the community estate for the period of January 1, 1957, to August 31, 1957, be less than the sum of $5166.67, that defendant, Howard Petrey, shall pay to plaintiff, Wilma Petrey, one-half of such reduced amount.
“I. That there is a claim of the community estate pending in Cause Nos. 2369 and 2370 in the Matter of the Bankruptcy of Doyle Gilbert and Doyle Gilbert Contracting Company, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas at Fort Worth, and the court is unable to determine what, if anything, may be paid upon said claim by the Trustee in Bankruptcy;
[333]*333“It is, therefore, the decree of the court that in the event any payment is made by the Trustee in Bankruptcy to the defendant, Howard Petrey, that one-half of such sum, if any, be paid to the plaintiff, Wilma Petrey, when the same is received.
“HI.
“The court further finds that no part of plaintiff’s separate property has been commingled with the community estate of plaintiff and defendant and that no part of the assets herein described constituted the separate property of the plaintiff, and that the community estate is not indebted in any sum to the separate estate of the plaintiff, Wilma Pe-trey.
“IV.
“The court further finds that the defendant has made a true and correct accounting to the plaintiff of all assets and liabilities of the community estate and has not concealed any assets belonging to the community estate of plaintiff and defendant.
“V.
“The court is of the opinion that it is just and right that each party herein pay her and his own attorney’s fees.
“VI.
“The court further finds that a reasonable fee for the Master in Chancery is the sum of $500.00 and that the Master has incurred reasonable expenses in the sum of $100.00 and that the same should be assessed as costs herein and that it is just and right that the plaintiff pay one-half of the costs and the defendant pay one-half of the costs, and it is so ordered, for which let execution issue.
“It is therefore ordered, adjudged and decreed by the court that the division of the property and the estate of the parties be made as herein set out and that plaintiff, Wilma Petrey, recover judgment against the defendant, Ploward Petrey, in the sum of $6,573.-62, for which let execution issue.”

Plaintiff duly excepted to the judgment entered and gave notice of appeal to this court and has perfected her appeal.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
314 S.W.2d 331, 1958 Tex. App. LEXIS 2050, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/petrey-v-petrey-texapp-1958.