Pfeifer v. Pfeifer

862 S.W.2d 926, 1993 Mo. App. LEXIS 1536
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 1, 1993
DocketNo. 18570
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 862 S.W.2d 926 (Pfeifer v. Pfeifer) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pfeifer v. Pfeifer, 862 S.W.2d 926, 1993 Mo. App. LEXIS 1536 (Mo. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinion

CROW, Judge.

On September 10, 1991, Donald Lee Pfeifer filed a petition to dissolve his marriage to Sandra Sue Pfeifer, whom he had wed No[928]*928vember 3, 1962. Donald1 and Sandra signed a separation agreement January 15, 1992. Later that day, Donald appeared in the trial court with his lawyer. Sandra did not appear — she had filed nothing in response to Donald’s petition. The trial court heard testimony by Donald and entered a decree dissolving the marriage. The decree approved the separation agreement, incorporated it into the decree, and ordered the parties to perform its provisions.

Nine months later, on October 14, 1992, Donald filed a motion praying the trial court to hold Sandra in contempt because she refused to execute a quitclaim deed to him for the marital real estate he was to receive pursuant to the separation agreement and decree.

Sandra countered with a motion to set aside the separation agreement and decree per Rule 74.06(b).2

On November 30, 1992, the trial court heard evidence on Sandra’s motion. At the conclusion of the hearing, the trial court entered an order denying the motion. The order reads, in pertinent part:

The Court finds that [Sandra] has failed to meet her burden of proof to set aside the property settlement agreement and judgment entered herein on January 15, 1992.
Further, the Court finds that there is no just cause for delay and designates this Order as a final and appealable Order.3

Sandra appeals. Her sole point relied on is:

The court erred in failing to set aside the property settlement and judgment entered thereon ... as [Sandra] met her burden of proof of showing she signed the property settlement because of the misconduct and fraud, both extrinsic and intrinsic of [Donald], as follows: (1) he concealed and kept from [Sandra] the total financial situation of the parties (2) he made promises to [Sandra] that he would take care of her, and (3) he threatened her with bankruptcy, the loss of the family farm, and the ruination of her sons, if she contested the dissolution.

The point presents three numbered allegations of fact. We address them in the order presented.

As to allegation “(1),” Sandra points out the separation agreement did not provide for division of all marital property, specifically: (a) cattle, (b) bank accounts, and (c) a pending lawsuit by Donald against a real estate broker. Additionally, says Sandra, the agreement did not contain a provision whereby she affirmatively waived maintenance.

Before addressing allegation “(1),” we. consider whether the failure of the separation agreement, and consequently the decree, to dispose of items “(a),” “(b)” and “(c)” in the preceding paragraph affects the decree’s finality. That question is answered by State ex rel. McClintock v. Black, 608 S.W.2d 405 (Mo. bane 1980). There, some seven months after entry of a decree of dissolution, the ex-wife filed a motion to vacate it, contending certain marital property had not been distributed by the decree, hence it was not final. The Supreme Court of Missouri held:

[O]nce the time for appeal has run, the order of the trial court, although it has failed to divide all of the marital property, is res judicata and final as to the property with which it has dealt....
[W]e suggest that [the ex-wife] file in the trial court a separate proceeding seeking equitable relief....

Id. at 406-07.

In the instant case, the trial court stated at the November 30, 1992, hearing that Sandra may proceed in equity to obtain a division of the marital property omitted by the separation agreement and decree. Applying McClintock, we hold the dissolution decree is final, thus we must decide whether the trial court, for the reasons assigned by Sandra, erred in refusing to set it aside.

[929]*929As observed in Lin v. Lin, 834 S.W.2d 224, 227 (Mo.App.S.D.1992), our review of this judge-tried case is governed by Rule 73.01(c) as construed by Murphy v. Carron, 536 S.W.2d 30 (Mo. banc 1976). The trial court’s order will be sustained unless there is no substantial evidence to support it, unless it is against the weight of the evidence, unless it erroneously declares the law, or unless it erroneously applies the law. Id. at 32[1].

At the November 30, 1992, hearing, Sandra was shown Respondent’s Exhibit 5, a one-page document dated January 11, 1992. She identified it as a “paper” Donald gave her (inferably on January 11, 1992) showing the parties’ assets and debts. Exhibit 5 shows debts totaling $424,882 and assets totaling $371,650. Among the assets are 259 head of cattle. Sandra does not contend the parties owned any cattle other than those. This evidence is sufficient to support a finding that Donald did not conceal any cattle from Sandra or misrepresent anything to her about the cattle.

Regarding bank accounts, we gather from the evidence that there were four. Three were at Sac River Valley Bank; one was at Tri-County State Bank. It is inferable from Sandra’s testimony that she knew about all four before she signed the separation agreement.

One of the accounts at Sac River Valley Bank was in the names of Donald and Sandra. Sandra admitted in the trial court that she had access to that account. Another account at that bank was in the name “Pfeifer Farms.” The third account at that bank, as best we can determine from the transcript,4 was in the name “Sandy’s Restaurant.” Sandra testified she had no knowledge of what was in the latter two accounts; however, there was no evidence that Donald misrepresented anything to her about either account or blocked her from obtaining information about them.

Donald testified Sandra was authorized to write checks on the Sandy’s Restaurant account and the Pfeifer Farms account. Although Donald’s testimony is imprecise, we understand the Pfeifer Farms account was a corporate account. Donald and Sandra owned a one-third interest in the corporation; the remaining interests were owned by two of their adult sons.

The account at Tri-County State Bank was in Donald’s name alone. He opened it April 12, 1990. Donald testified he had begun selling real estate and was depositing his earnings in that account. He explained he had a “$115,000 land debt that was due in a year” on the parties’ farm (their only real estate), and was trying to set aside money to pay the debt and save the farm. According to Donald, “[T]he only way I could save some money was to keep Sandy from writing cheeks.” Donald identified bank statements which, he said, showed insufficient funds check charges for his and Sandra’s account at Sac River Valley Bank for the months of May, June, and July, 1991. Donald recounted, “[S]he was spending tons of money, and ... I couldn’t keep up.”

Sandra was told by Tri-County State Bank that information about Donald’s account could be released to her if she obtained authorization from him. She did not ask him for it.

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Bluebook (online)
862 S.W.2d 926, 1993 Mo. App. LEXIS 1536, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pfeifer-v-pfeifer-moctapp-1993.