Roberts v. Roberts

542 So. 2d 517, 1989 WL 14532
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 15, 1989
Docket88-CA-692, 88-CA-693
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 542 So. 2d 517 (Roberts v. Roberts) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Roberts v. Roberts, 542 So. 2d 517, 1989 WL 14532 (La. Ct. App. 1989).

Opinion

542 So.2d 517 (1989)

Kathleen Griffin ROBERTS
v.
William V. ROBERTS, Jr.
In re William V. ROBERTS, Jr. and Kathleen Griffin Roberts (his spouse).

Nos. 88-CA-692, 88-CA-693.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit.

February 15, 1989.
Rehearing Denied May 17, 1989.

*518 Lowe, Stein, Hoffman & Allweiss, Robert C. Lowe, Terence L. Hauver, New Orleans, for appellant.

Cronvich, Wambsgans & Michalczyk, Richard M. Michalczyk, Metairie, for appellee.

Before CHEHARDY, C.J., and GAUDIN and DUFRESNE, JJ

CHEHARDY, Chief Judge.

Kathleen Griffin Roberts appeals from a judgment judicially partitioning community property. Both parties further appeal from a permanent alimony judgment rendered at the same time.

On appeal Kathleen Roberts asserts the trial judge erred in his classification and valuation of certain community assets and liabilities; in the amount awarded to William Roberts for his reimbursement claim; and in omitting community rental income from the partition judgment. Mrs. Roberts further contends the trial judge erred in failing to accumulate past-due pendente lite alimony.

Mr. Roberts answered the appeal filed by Mrs. Roberts. He contends the alimony award should be reversed.

In her first assignment of error, Mrs. Roberts argues a remand is necessary to determine the value at the time of trial of the property located on Lookout Place in Slidell, Louisiana, and L & A Road in Metairie, Louisiana. She also contends a remand is required to determine the possible existence and whereabouts of certain bank deposits mentioned casually in the testimony, but not listed on either of the parties' descriptive list.

The evidence at the trial which was related to the value of the properties was presented by the testimony of the parties and a 3½-year-old appraisal. Mr. Roberts stated the Lookout Place property had a value of $73,000 based on its purchase price of $62,000 and $11,000 in improvements. Mrs. Roberts testified the house and land were worth $91,000 based on the purchase price of $56,000, plus $35,000 in *519 improvements. No appraisal was submitted for this piece of real estate.

The property located on L & A Road was owned 90% by the community and 10% by Mr. Roberts' business associate. It included two pieces of land with buildings which were originally used in Mr. Robert's business, Bill Roberts, Inc., now defunct. Both Mr. and Mrs. Roberts valued those pieces of property at around $300,000. However, Mr. Roberts submitted an appraisal as of July 1983 which valued the properties at $337,000-90% of which totalled $269,600.

In the judgment the trial judge valued the Lookout Place at $73,000 and the L & A Road real estate at $269,600. Mrs. Roberts states these values were erroneous because the law requires the trial judge to value assets of the community as of the date of trial. LSA-R.S. 9:2801, Pitre v. Pitre, 501 So.2d 344 (La.App. 3 Cir.1987). Since no appraisal was presented of the value on the date of trial, she contends the issue must be remanded for this evidence.

R.S. 9:2801 provides the rules for judicially partitioning the community property when the spouses cannot agree. R.S. 9:2801(4)(a) mandates the trial judge to:

"Value the assets as of the time of trial on the merits, determine the liabilities and adjudicate the claims of the parties."

In paragraph (3) of the article, the court is given discretion to appoint experts as it deems proper, including for the purpose of appraisals.

In this case, neither Mr. Roberts nor Mrs. Roberts nor the trial judge found it necessary to obtain current appraisals, although the opportunity existed for any or all to do so. The trial judge properly chose from the best evidence and Mrs. Roberts cannot now complain of the result. We find no error therefore in the trial judge's valuation of the real estate located on Lookout Place and L & A Road.

In the next issue, Mrs. Roberts asserts that testimony during the trial gave rise to a suspicion there existed one or more bank accounts not accounted for by Mr. Roberts. She contends Mr. Roberts mentioned a Greater New Orleans Homestead account which may have had a balance of $48,000 at the time the separation was filed and the community terminated in October 1983. She further asserts it was proven he had a balance of $42,143 in a Gulf Federal Savings and Loan account in December 1982, the month prior to the physical separation. In addition, Mrs. Roberts claims Mr. Roberts' testimony indicated there may have been two other unreported accounts in Security Homestead and First National Bank.

After reviewing the record, we agree there exists some confusion regarding the various accounts, both joint and those which were obtained after the judicial separation became effective on October 11, 1983. And in fact, Mr. Roberts admitted that as to the Gulf Federal account a balance remained in December 1982 but he could not state with certainty what happened to the money. However, it appears that the funds in the Gulf Federal account disappeared during the existence of the community, which would preclude a requirement for accounting unless there was evidence of fraud or bad faith. (See LSA-C.C. arts. 2354 and 2369.) At any rate, the testimony shows Mr. Roberts was adequately cross-examined on the question of the accounts, and a remand would serve no other purpose than to give Mrs. Roberts an improper retrial of the issue.

Next, Mr. Roberts contends the judgment should be amended in respect to the following 12 items:

1. The termination date of the community;

2. The valuation and classification of a 1980 Mercedes-Benz 450SL partitioned to Mr. Roberts;

3. The value placed on three Oriental rugs partitioned to Mrs. Roberts;

4. The amount awarded Mrs. Roberts as her interest in the Bill Roberts, Inc. Pension and Profit Sharing Plans;

5. The partition to Mrs. Roberts of $56,000 used by her prior to the termination of the community, (First National Bank of Commerce *520 Money Market Account No. XX-XX-XXX);

6. The value of a check received by Mrs. Roberts for flooding of the Slidell property;

7. The valuation of a Pelican Homestead Savings Account No. XX-XXXXXXXX partitioned to Mr. Roberts;

8. The value of a First Bank of Slidell Account No. XXX-XXX-X partitioned to Mr. Roberts in the amount of $65,000;

9. The omission of community rental income from the judgment;
10. The classification of a "Ditch Witch" and Motorola radios;
11. The amount of mortgage balances partitioned to Mr. Roberts;
12. The amount of Mr. Roberts reimbursement claim.

The first item Mrs. Roberts requests amendment of is the termination date of the community. The trial judge stated in his reasons for judgment that he was adjusting Mr. Roberts' claim for reimbursement to conform with the community termination on January 4, 1984. Mrs. Roberts asserts, and we agree, that the community terminated on October 11, 1983, the date the separation petition was filed. The January date reflects the date the separation was granted but once the separation was granted, the community ended retroactively to the date the petition was filed. LSA-C.C. art. 155.

While we find the trial judge used the wrong date, we note he may have done so inadvertently because the October date was acknowledged and recognized by counsel and the judge during the trial.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
542 So. 2d 517, 1989 WL 14532, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/roberts-v-roberts-lactapp-1989.