Sandra Winslow v. Fred Winslow (mem. dec.)

Indiana Court of Appeals·Decided September 29, 2016·No. 34A02-1602-DR-421·Published

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D), this FILED Memorandum Decision shall not be Sep 29 2016, 8:18 am regarded as precedent or cited before any CLERK

court except for the purpose of establishing Indiana Supreme Court Court of Appeals

the defense of res judicata, collateral and Tax Court

estoppel, or the law of the case.

ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT ATTORNEY FOR APPELLEE Katherine J. Noel Nicholas K. Gahl Noel Law Gahl Legal Group Kokomo, Indiana Zionsville, Indiana

IN THE

COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA

Sandra Winslow, September 29, 2016 Appellant, Court of Appeals Case No.

34A02-1602-DR-421

v. Appeal from the Howard Circuit Court

Fred Winslow, The Honorable Lynn A. Murray, Appellee. Judge Trial Court Cause No.

34C01-1209-DR-1011

Brown, Judge.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 34A02-1602-DR-421 | September 29, 2016 Page 1 of 19

[1] Sandra Winslow (“Wife”) appeals from the trial court’s decree of dissolution. Wife raises three issues which we consolidate and restate as:

I. Whether the court abused its discretion in valuing certain marital property and dividing the marital property; and

II. Whether the court abused its discretion in denying her request for spousal maintenance.

We affirm.

Facts and Procedural History [2] Wife and Fred Winslow (“Husband”) were married in November 1982. On September 24, 2012, Wife filed a petition for dissolution of marriage. On September 16, 2015, the court held a final hearing at which the parties presented evidence and testimony regarding their incomes and property, including certain real property consisting of approximately sixty-eight acres of farmland which Husband and two of his siblings had inherited, and funds in the parties’ Edward Jones account. The parties submitted proposed findings of fact and conclusions following the hearing.

[3] On December 7, 2015, the court entered a decree of dissolution including findings which relate to the parties’ employment and earnings, social security and pension benefits, health conditions and health care costs, the value of certain real property including the farmland and the former marital residence, the value of and debt associated with various vehicles, the funds in the parties’ accounts, and their personal property and household goods.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 34A02-1602-DR-421 | September 29, 2016 Page 2 of 19

[4] The court found that Husband had a one-third interest in the farmland and that his interest had a value of $43,900. It found that the Edward Jones account had a value of $86,558.50 and that it was funded during the marriage with money Husband received from his father and with sums received by Wife from a settlement in connection with a medical malpractice claim arising from the death of her daughter, and it awarded $60,529.60 of the funds to Husband and $26,028.90 to Wife. The court further found that, as part of the malpractice settlement, Wife received a lump sum cash payment, which was used in part to fund the Edward Jones account and in part was consumed by the parties to their joint benefit during the marriage, and two monthly annuities. It found that the former marital residence was acquired by the parties as a gift or inheritance from Husband’s parents and had a value of $98,300 based upon the assessment of the Howard County Assessor, and it awarded the residence to Wife. The court also found that each party contributed to the martial estate, in part by Husband through gift and inheritance and in part by Wife through structured settlement proceeds, and that, after application of all relevant factors and findings, an equal distribution was fair and equitable.

[5] The court also noted that Wife claimed she was entitled to spousal maintenance and requested the court to order Husband to provide her with health insurance coverage until she is eligible for Medicare. The court concluded: “Here, the Wife is employed part-time and receives income in addition to her wages. There has been no showing she meets the necessary criteria to which the Husband should pay or provide her maintenance under Indiana law. As such,

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 34A02-1602-DR-421 | September 29, 2016 Page 3 of 19 her request for spousal maintenance must be and is denied.” Appellant’s Appendix at 25.

[6] Under the heading of “Decree of Dissolution,” the court identified and distributed the parties’ assets and debts, awarded Wife fifty percent of the coverture portion of Husband’s pension, and ordered Husband to transfer his interest in the former marital residence to Wife. Id. at 25. The court also attached an “Exhibit B” identifying the assets and debts distributed to the parties and their values. Id. at 32. The exhibit shows a value of $43,900 for the farmland distributed to Husband and a value of $86,558.50 for the Edward Jones account with a distribution of $26,028.90 to Wife and $60,529.60 to Husband. The exhibit also shows that the value of Wife’s total net distribution is $153,317.26 and the value of Husband’s total net distribution is $153,317.27. Wife filed a motion to correct errors arguing that the court erred in valuing the farmland, and the court denied her motion.

Discussion

I.

[7] The first issue is whether the trial court abused its discretion in valuing the farmland or in dividing the marital property. When a trial court has made findings of fact, we apply the following two-step standard of review: whether the evidence supports the findings of fact, and whether the findings of fact support the conclusions thereon. Yanoff v. Muncy, 688 N.E.2d 1259, 1262 (Ind. 1997). Findings will be set aside if they are clearly erroneous. Id. Findings are

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 34A02-1602-DR-421 | September 29, 2016 Page 4 of 19 clearly erroneous only when the record contains no facts to support them either directly or by inference. Id. To determine that a finding or conclusion is clearly erroneous, our review of the evidence must leave us with the firm conviction that a mistake has been made. Id. We generally review rulings on motions to correct error for an abuse of discretion. Miller v. Rosehill Hotels, LLC, 45 N.E.3d 15, 18 (Ind. Ct. App. 2015).

[8] Ind. Code § 31-15-7-4 governs the division of property in dissolution actions and requires that the trial court “divide the property in a just and reasonable manner.” Ind. Code § 31-15-7-4(b). The court shall presume that an equal division of marital property between the parties is just and reasonable and may deviate from an equal division only when that presumption is rebutted. Ind. Code § 31-15-7-5. The division of marital property is within the sound discretion of the trial court, and we will reverse only for an abuse of discretion. Hartley v. Hartley, 862 N.E.2d 274, 285 (Ind. Ct. App. 2007) (citation omitted). The trial court’s division of marital property is “highly fact sensitive and is subject to an abuse of discretion standard.” Fobar v. Vonderahe, 771 N.E.2d 57, 59 (Ind. 2002). Also, a trial court’s discretion in dividing marital property is to be reviewed by considering the division as a whole, not item by item. Id. We will not weigh evidence, but will consider the evidence in a light most favorable to the judgment. Id.

[9] It is well-established that all marital property goes into the marital pot for division, whether it was owned by either spouse before the marriage, acquired by either spouse after the marriage and before final separation of the parties, or Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 34A02-1602-DR-421 | September 29, 2016 Page 5 of 19 acquired by their joint efforts. See Ind. Code § 31-15-7-4(a); Beard v. Beard, 758 N.E.2d 1019, 1025 (Ind. Ct. App. 2001), trans. denied. This “one-pot” theory ensures that no asset is excluded from the trial court’s power to divide and award. Thompson v. Thompson, 811 N.E.2d 888, 914 (Ind. Ct. App. 2004), reh’g denied, trans. denied.

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