Riemenschneider v. Riemenschneider

30 N.W.2d 769, 239 Iowa 617, 1948 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 384
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedFebruary 10, 1948
DocketNo. 47062.
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 30 N.W.2d 769 (Riemenschneider v. Riemenschneider) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Riemenschneider v. Riemenschneider, 30 N.W.2d 769, 239 Iowa 617, 1948 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 384 (iowa 1948).

Opinions

Bliss, J.

Ad the time of the trial which commenced on October 21, 1946, the parties had each reached the age of fifty-one years. When they were twenty-four years old they were married -at Mason City, Iowa, on July 30, 1919. Shortly afterward they moved in with his mother on the old farm home of his parents on the west side of the town of State Center, in Marshall County, Iowa. The mother moved to State Center the following spring. Before the marriage plaintiff had clerked in *619 a store in State Center. She brought into the home a bedroom suite, and a kitchen table which her father had made. Defendant had some farm equipment, horses, cattle and hogs, and some money. The farm contained 195 acres. Electricity and water from the public utilities at State Center, and hot water heat in the residence, afforded them modern conveniences. Each of them was a capable and industrious worker. They kept hired help on the farm. Plaintiff raised much poultry hatched in incubators on the farm. For some time they kept a large herd of cows and sold milk over a route and to dairies. Much of the defendant’s time was spent in buying, feeding and selling' cattle and hogs for the market. At times they had 200 head of cattle, and hogs enough to run with them.

Four children were born to them. Floy, the first child, was born March 19,1922. She is married and lived near her parents. Wayne was born January 5, 1924. He also is married and lives near by. Don Earl was born March 3, 1926, and is going to school at the University of Iowa. Jean was born August 9, 1928, and is attending the State Teachers College at Cedar Falls.

Defendant, his two sisters, and a nephew, each inherited an undivided one-fourth interest in the home farm occupied by the parties. Just when they came into this inheritance does not appear. On May 26, 1944, defendant received deeds from his sisters to their interests in this home farm and paid each $9,000 therefor. At the time of the trial he owned an undivided three-fourths interest in this farm which plaintiff and he occupied. His nephew, Roscoe Riemenschneider, owns the remaining one-fourth share.

Defendant bought a farm near Rhodes, in Marshall County, Iowa, which he sold prior to the divorce proceedings. The record does not show the size, cost, or selling price. About 1940 or shortly before, he bought what is known as the Allison farm near State Center and about a mile from the home farm. It has good soil and lies perhaps better than the home farm. It was once rather overimproved with buildings for its size, but they are now quite dilapidated. The farm contains 92 acres. The record does not show the purchase price. The son Wayne lives on this farm.

*620 Defendant bad a cousin, William A. Riemenschneider, ten years his senior, who lived at State Center. Their fathers were brothers and their mothers were sisters. In 1932 ,or 1933 defendant and William, from their own resources, bought lots on trackage of the Northwestern and Great Western Railway Companies, in Marshalltown, and erected buildings thereon which they equipped for a meat packing plant. One Ed Tehel, who had some experience in that business, had some interest in or connection with the venture. The business was operated for about two years and then was incorporated under the laws of Iowa on May 20, 1935, as The Marshall Packing Company, and started business as a corporation on July 1, 1935. Defendant was the president, W. A. Riemenschneider, the vice president, and Ed Tehel, the secretary of the corporation. Its authorized capital stock of $50,000 was divided into 500 shares of a par value of $100 each. One issue in the case is the number of shares of stock in the corporation owned by the defendant.

By stipulation of the parties, the court on June 3, 1946, made an order that R-. A. Wester, a certified accountant of Marshalltown, be employed to make an audit and written report thereof upon the properties and business of the Marshall Packing Company as of October 13, 1945, and as of June 1, 1946; and that Rau Appraisal Company, of Chicago, be employed to make an appraisal of all of the tangible and intangible properties of the company. Copies of each report for use of court and counsel were ordered filed with the clerk of the court, and the charges for each were ordered to be paid by defendant.

The parties stipulated that twenty-four items of property, real and personal, belonging, to defendant, in addition to the farm properties and packing- house stock, above noted, were of an aggregate value of $51,177.70.

The court, among other “Findings Of Fact” not complained of, found that defendant had inherited an undivided one fourth of the 195-aere home farm, and had purchased an undivided one half, and was the owner of an undivided three fourths thereof, fully paid for-and'free of incumbrance, other than current taxes, and that it had a market value of $225 an acre, at which the valuation of the inherited part would be $10,968, and of the purchased part approximately $21,936; that the *621 92-acre Allison farm is worth $225 an acre, or $20,770; that the 24 items of miscellaneous personal property, real estate, cash, bonds, etc. were of an agreed valuation of $51,177.70; that the defendant owns 190 shares of stock in the Marshall Packing Company and no more, W. A. Biemenschneider owns 190 shares, Ed Tell el, two shares, J. II. Brennecke, two shares, and the disputed 98 shares are the property of the Marshall Packing Company; that aside from the today’s replacement value of the fixed properties of the company, and the book value of the assets, “there is a dearth of established elements from which to determine the value of the stock. The defendant owns in stock approximately half of the assets of the company and, beyond doubt, they have value. The business is an uncertain one. In my opinion, from the evidence in this case, the Marshall Packing Company is Louie Riemenschneider and, should he step out, it is highly probable that the value of the plant and equipment would shortly be greatly depreciated. There is no testimony as to the market value of the plant and its equipment and there is no testimony from which I can determine the value of the stock. It is not incumbent upon the Court to guess at the value of the stock, nor to fix any value upon it in order to make an equitable allowance to the plaintiff. [Italics supplied.] From the foregoing, exclusive of the Marshall Packing Company stock, the total value of the defendant’s property is approximately the sum of $104,700.00; and, in my opinion, an allowance to plaintiff in property and money to the extent of $37,-000.00, with the costs and expenses of this suit taxed to the defendant, is a fair and equitable division.”

The court directed the attorneys for plaintiff to prepare a decree granting an absolute divorce and custody of Jean and Don Earl, and awarding her the household goods in the nine-room home with finished and furnished basement, at a valuation of $500, and $36,500 in cash of which $16,500 was payable forthwith, and $20,000 on or before June 1, 1947. In addition the defendant to pay plaintiff’s attorney fees in the sum of $1,500, and the costs of the suit including the charge of B. A. Wester for services as accountant in the sum of $600, and a reasonable charge for the Ran Appraisal Company.

*622

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Bluebook (online)
30 N.W.2d 769, 239 Iowa 617, 1948 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 384, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/riemenschneider-v-riemenschneider-iowa-1948.