Rickard v. Rickard

818 S.W.2d 711, 1991 Mo. App. LEXIS 1641
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 25, 1991
DocketNo. 17319
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 818 S.W.2d 711 (Rickard v. Rickard) 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
Rickard v. Rickard, 818 S.W.2d 711, 1991 Mo. App. LEXIS 1641 (Mo. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinion

MONTGOMERY, Judge.

This case is the continuation of an action for dissolution of marriage between Ruth Rickard and Cliff L. Rickard.1 Ruth and Leapy were married September 20, 1967, and separated August 21, 1983. On January 12, 1985, the trial court (a) dissolved the marriage of the parties; (b) set apart non-marital property to each party; (c) determined the nature and extent of marital property valued at $340,986, awarding all of it to Leapy; (d) ordered Leapy to pay Ruth $180,000 in cash, for her “interest in the marital property”; (e) ordered Leapy to pay Ruth $500 monthly maintenance and $7,000 as “additional attorney fees.” Both parties appealed.

In Rickard v. Rickard, 708 S.W.2d 344 (Mo.App.1986), we affirmed that portion of the decree which dissolved the marriage and, in all other respects, the decree was reversed. The case was remanded for retrial on remaining issues because Hoffmann v. Hoffmann, 676 S.W.2d 817 (Mo. banc 1984), adopted the “source of funds” rule. Sumners v. Sumners, 701 S.W.2d 720 (Mo. banc 1985), held the source of [713]*713funds rule applied to a dissolution of marriage action which was tried prior to the publication of the Hoffmann opinion and was pending on appeal at the time of that publication. Like Sumners, we remanded because the record had not been developed sufficiently to permit application of the source of funds rule.

Retrial of the remaining issues took place on June 27, 1990. On November 16, 1990, the trial court entered its “Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law, and Judgment.”

The judgment of the trial court:
(a) Awarded Leapy all marital property in Petitioner’s Exhibit 220 (valued at $2,763,470.60), except a 1978 Chevrolet pickup (valued at $2,000) which was awarded to Ruth;
(b) Ordered Leapy to pay Ruth $500,000 “as her share of the marital property”;
(c) Awarded Ruth, as her non-marital property, those items in Petitioner’s Exhibit 46 (valued at $1,190);
(d) Awarded Leapy, as his non-marital property, those items in Petitioner’s Exhibit 241 (valued at $575,278.26);
(e) Awarded no maintenance to either party;
(f) Ordered Leapy to pay Ruth $25,000 for attorney fees and expenses of litigation;
(g) Taxed costs against Leapy.

Leapy appeals from the judgment of November 16, 1990. His brief presents six assignments of error.

In his first point, Leapy maintains the decree is null and void. He reasons that the case was remanded to give the parties an opportunity to develop the record in order to apply the “source of funds” rule in Hoffmann. But, prior to trial, § 452.330, RSMo Supp.1989, was revised in 1988 which nullified the source of funds rule. Since the purpose for remand was nullified, the proceedings in the trial court were null and void. We disagree.

In Rickard, supra, we affirmed the dissolution of marriage and the remainder of the decree was reversed. Certainly, the reason for the reversal was Hoffmann, supra. However, our mandate to the trial court required a decision on the remaining issues such as maintenance, attorney fees, and classification and distribution of property. The decree of November 16, 1990, fulfilled that requirement.

Leapy points us to Enyeart v. Shelter Mut. Ins. Co., 784 S.W.2d 205 (Mo.App.1989). There the issue was whether the trial court, on remand, followed the appellate decision under the doctrine of law of the case. Enyeart, supra, relied on State ex rel. Curtis v. Broaddus, 238 Mo. 189, 142 S.W. 340, 342 (Mo.1911), quoting this portion:

‘It will be perceived, however, that while this court reserves, as it must, the right to re-examine its former decision in the same case, upon the same state of facts, that right is not accorded to the lower court. If this court makes a mistake, either as to the law or the facts of the case, as may happen, inasmuch as the court is composed of human judges, it has the power— fortunate that it is so — to correct that mistake by reversing itself on a second appeal; but it by no means follows that the trial court or the Court of Appeals has the same right in this regard. On a point, once decided by this court, comes before either the circuit court or the Court of Appeals and further proceedings in the same case, neither of the court’s last named has jurisdiction to overrule this court * * *
The same proposition has been recently restated by Judge Shangler of this court in Davis v. J.C. Nichols Company, 761 S.W.2d 735, 737 (Mo.App.1988) as follows:
‘The initiatives open to a trial court on remand are as rendered in the mandate and opinion of the appellate court [citing]. Where a remand is with directions, a trial court is bound to render judgment in conformity with the mandate [citing]. The trial court is without power to modify, alter, amend or otherwise depart from the appellate judgment. Its proceedings contrary to [714]*714the directions of the mandate are “null and void” [citing].’

Enyeart, 784 S.W.2d at 208.

Our mandate to the trial court was followed, and its proceedings were not contrary to our direction. Following our directions, a decree was entered after retrial disposing of the remaining issues. Whether Hoffmann, supra, was overruled by § 452.330.2(5), RSMo Supp.1989, need not be decided, and we decline to do so. Our duty is to review the case pursuant to Rule 73.01 and Murphy v. Carron, 536 S.W.2d 30 (Mo. banc 1976), to ensure the trial court properly declared and applied the law. Leapy does not argue that the trial court erroneously declared or applied the law. He states, in effect, that the trial court, after remand, retained a valid decree regarding division of property with only the option to modify or affirm it. He is incorrect, and this point is denied.

The next point is that the trial court erred by determining the date for valuation of the property was the date of retrial (June 27, 1990), rather than the date of dissolution of marriage (January 12, 1985). In particular, Leapy claims the parties stipulated to the exact extent and value of all property in the earlier trial which was binding on retrial.

We first discuss the stipulation in the earlier trial. On August 16, 1984, Leapy and Ruth stipulated: [relevant portions]

The parties hereby stipulate and agree that the following items are true, constitute competent evidence, and may be accepted by the court without further proof:
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Bluebook (online)
818 S.W.2d 711, 1991 Mo. App. LEXIS 1641, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rickard-v-rickard-moctapp-1991.