Ronald Clyde Iverson v. Therese Rose Iverson

Court of Appeals of Virginia·Decided April 25, 2000·No. 0314992·Unpublished

Opinion

COURT OF APPEALS OF VIRGINIA

Present: Judges Elder, Lemons ∗ and Senior Judge Cole Argued at Richmond, Virginia

RONALD CLYDE IVERSON MEMORANDUM OPINION ∗∗ BY

v. Record No. 0314-99-2 JUDGE DONALD W. LEMONS APRIL 25, 2000

THERESE ROSE IVERSON

FROM THE CIRCUIT COURT OF MADISON COUNTY John R. Cullen, Judge

Donald K. Butler (Ann Brakke Campfield;

Rae H. Ely; Morano, Colan & Butler; Rae H.

Ely & Associates, on briefs), for appellant.

Annie Lee Jacobs (Tracey C. Hopper; Parker, McElwain & Jacobs, P.C., on brief), for appellee.

Ronald Iverson ("husband") appeals certain portions of a divorce decree entered by the Circuit Court of Madison County. Incorporated into that court's November 4, 1998 decree were the findings of fact and conclusions of law from an opinion letter dated September 10, 1998.

Justice Lemons prepared and the Court adopted the opinion in this case prior to his investiture as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia.

∗∗

Pursuant to Code § 17.1-413, recodifying Code § 17-116.010, this opinion is not designated for publication.

I. BACKGROUND

Therese Iverson and Ronald Iverson married on July 9, 1966 in Chicago, Illinois. Husband owned Iverson Perennial Gardens ("IPG"). Wife worked outside the home from the time of the parties' marriage through 1989, the last six years working for IPG as an employee.

In 1996, husband sold IPG to Hines Horticulture for $10,250,000 plus payments of $75,000 per year pursuant to a three-year consulting agreement, under which husband worked approximately 20-30 days per year and was prohibited from selling plants in the United States for the three-year period beginning August 30, 1996.

The subject of this appeal concerns either the valuation or distribution of the following properties:

1. Edgewood Farm, an 1853 Greek revival home that the Iversons purchased and renovated in Madison County, Virginia. Upon divorce, it was valued at $1,500,000 and was subject to two mortgages totaling $694,793.94. Wife sold Edgewood Farm after the September 10, 1998 opinion letter, but before entry of the final decree on November 4, 1998.

2. Three tracts of land in Illinois, including: a 34.286 acre property located in Lake County and valued at $1,300,000; a 24.59 Lake County property valued at $4,000,000; and a 69.62 acre Kane County property valued at $975,000, less a mortgage balance of $264,080, resulting in $710,920 net equity subject to

division. After the hearing, husband sold a portion of the Kane County property.

3. A villa in St. Martin valued at $900,000.

4. Property in Trenton, South Carolina valued at $65,000, less a mortgage balance of $46,000 resulting in $19,000 net equity subject to division.

Wife filed a Bill of Complaint for divorce on August 2, 1996. In the divorce decree of March 2, 1998, the court reserved jurisdiction to resolve equitable distribution and spousal support. At the time of the hearing, the parties' primary assets derived from the sale of IPG that was invested in Oppenhiemer accounts, the Illinois real estate, a villa in St. Martin and Edgewood Farm.

After taking evidence ore tenus over five days, the court found that the marital assets had a total value of approximately $9,872,000. The trial court ordered that the value of assets not connected with IPG be divided equally between the parties and that assets related to IPG be allocated 65% to husband and 35% to wife. The court further found that husband had wasted certain assets during the parties' separation and charged him with the value of those assets. Husband received net assets (exclusive of tangible personal property) which the trial court valued at approximately $5,903,000, and wife received assets (exclusive of tangible personal property) which the trial court valued at approximately $3,873,000.

On appeal, husband contests certain portions of the decree entered November 4, 1998 by the Circuit Court of Madison County. 1 II. EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION "Fashioning an equitable distribution award lies within the sound discretion of the trial judge and that award will not be set aside unless it is plainly wrong or without evidence to support it." Srinivasan v. Srinivasan, 10 Va. App. 728, 732, 396 S.E.2d 675, 678 (1990); Code § 8.01-680. In matters of equitable distribution, a court must classify the property as separate or marital, assign a value to the property based on the evidence presented by both parties and, finally, distribute the property to the parties, considering the factors present in Code § 20-107.3(E). See Marion v. Marion, 11 Va. App. 659, 665, 401 S.E.2d 432, 436 (1991).

On appeal, husband maintains that the trial court erred by:

(1) valuing the 24.59 acre parcel of land in Lake County, Illinois at $4,000,000; (2) allocating certain tax liabilities to him; (3) failing to consider the liquidity of certain assets; and (4) awarding spousal support without proper consideration of his change in income in 1999, wife's expenses and the income earning character of the assets distributed. Finding no reversible error, we affirm the decree.

1 The finality of that decree was suspended by subsequent orders of the court to allow husband time to transfer real estate and post an appeal bond.

A. Valuation of the 24.59 acre tract at $4,000,000 The trial court accepted wife's expert's opinion that the 24.59 acre Lake County tract was valued at $4,000,000. Approximately 68% of the 24.59 acres is located within the Village of Long Grove and is zoned R-2 (residential) which permits residential use with a maximum density of one lot per two acres. 2 The remaining 7.84 acres is in unincorporated Lake County and is currently zoned C (countryside/agricultural). James Gibbons, a Chicago real estate appraiser, testified as wife's expert in valuation. He testified that these 24.59 acres had a value of $4,000,000 based on a sales comparison valuation approach and other factors. He arrived at this conclusion assuming the highest and best use of the property would require the owner to annex the unincorporated portion into the Village of Long Grove, demolish the existing improvements, and develop the site with a mixed-use commercial development plan commensurate with Long Grove's comprehensive plan. He also based his conclusion in part on sales comparisons, financial statements given by Mr. Iverson to a bank and a farm credit organization, and an offer to purchase.

In reaching the "Fee Simple Market Value" opinion wife's expert stated, "the three commonly-used approaches to value are

2 Long Grove is a small affluent community with an average household income of $160,000 and an average home price of $365,000. Houses built within the past three years have been in the $1,000,000 range.

the Cost, Income Capitalization, and Sales Comparison Approaches. Since the improvements were determined to not have contributory value to the underlying land value, the Cost and Income Approaches were not applicable."

Under "purpose and intended use of appraisal" the expert stated: "The purpose of this appraisal is to estimate the Market Value (as defined on the following page) of the subject property. The intended use of this appraisal is to provide the Client with a Market Value estimate for purposes of a division of marital assets."

"Market Value" is defined in the expert's report as:

The most probable price which a property should bring in a competitive and open market under all conditions requisite to a fair sale, the buyer and seller each acting prudently and knowledgeably, and assuming the price is not affected by any undue stimulus. Implicit in this definition is the consummation of a sale as of a specified date and the passing of title from seller to buyer under conditions whereby:

1. Buyer and seller are typically motivated:

2. Both parties are well informed or well advised, and acting in what they consider their best interests;

3. A reasonable time is allowed for exposure in the open market;

4. Payment is made in terms of cash in U.S.

dollars or in terms of financial arrangements comparable thereto; and

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