Seymour v. Seymour

960 So. 2d 513, 2006 WL 3072011
CourtCourt of Appeals of Mississippi
DecidedOctober 31, 2006
Docket2005-CA-00668-COA
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 960 So. 2d 513 (Seymour v. Seymour) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Seymour v. Seymour, 960 So. 2d 513, 2006 WL 3072011 (Mich. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

960 So.2d 513 (2006)

Phillip Michael SEYMOUR, Appellant,
v.
Karen Ellen SEYMOUR, Appellee.

No. 2005-CA-00668-COA.

Court of Appeals of Mississippi.

October 31, 2006.
Rehearing Denied April 3, 2007.

*515 William E. Tisdale, attorney for appellant.

*516 Thomas Wright Teel, Biloxi, attorney for appellee.

Before KING, C.J., CHANDLER and ROBERTS, JJ.

KING, C.J., for the Court.

¶ 1. The Harrison County Chancery Court granted Karen Ellen Seymour a fault-based divorce from Phillip Michael Seymour on the grounds of adultery. Phillip appeals the judgment, raising the following issues, which we quote verbatim.

I. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED AND EXCEEDED THE STATUTORY GUIDELINES FOR CHILD SUPPORT BY REQUIRING THE APPELLANT TO PAY CHILD SUPPORT AND ONE-HALF OF THE MINOR CHILDREN'S PAROCHIAL SCHOOL TUITION.
II. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED BY NOT DIVIDING THE SEYMOUR & SONS SEAFOOD, INC. STOCK EQUALLY AS PER THE STIPULATION OF THE PARTIES.
III. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN VALUING THE SEYMOUR & SONS SEAFOOD, INC. STOCK AND ASSIGNING THE FULL VALUE OF SAME TO THE APPELLANT WHEN DIVIDING THE MARITAL ASSETS.
IV. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN DIVIDING THE MARITAL ASSETS OF THE PARTIES.
V. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED BY GRANTING EXCESSIVE PERIODIC ALIMONY TO THE APPELLEE.
VI. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN AWARDING ATTORNEY'S FEES TO THE APPELLEE.

FACTS

¶ 2. Karen and Phillip were married on December 9, 1989. Karen gave birth to their first child in 1991. In 1994, the Seymours welcomed twin daughters. All three girls attend parochial school.

¶ 3. Phillip is treasurer and part owner of Seymour & Sons Seafood, Inc. (Seymour & Sons), a seafood processing business in D'Iberville, Mississippi. He also earns extra income as a plumber. The chancellor found that Phillip earns in excess of $50,000 per year. Karen is a homemaker and a secretary at Sacred Heart Elementary School, where she earns $18,000 per year. Sacred Heart is also where the twins attend school.

¶ 4. Phillip admitted to having affairs with two different women in 1997. Thereafter, he and Karen began attending marriage counseling. However, in 2003, Phillip began having another affair with his best friend's wife, which resulted in his separation from Karen. On November 3, 2003, Karen filed for divorce. The divorce hearing was held on November 15 and 16, 2004, and the judgment of divorce was entered on February 22, 2005. The chancellor awarded Karen legal and physical custody of the three minor children and ordered Phillip to pay $800 per month in child support. Phillip was also ordered to pay one-half of the children's tuition and to maintain their health insurance. The court divided and distributed the marital property, awarded Karen $1,000 per month in periodic alimony, and awarded Karen $2,000 in attorney's fees.

ANALYSIS

Standard of Review

¶ 5. A chancellor's findings, especially in the areas of divorce and child support, will not be disturbed on appeal unless manifestly *517 erroneous. Fancher v. Pell, 831 So.2d 1137, 1140(¶ 15) (Miss.2002).

I. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED AND EXCEEDED THE STATUTORY GUIDELINES FOR CHILD SUPPORT BY REQUIRING THE APPELLANT TO PAY CHILD SUPPORT AND ONE-HALF OF THE MINOR CHILDREN'S PAROCHIAL SCHOOL TUITION.

¶ 6. Phillip argues that the court's order requiring him to pay $800 per month in child support plus one-half of the children's parochial school tuition, $262 per month, exceeds the statutory guidelines. The child support guidelines provide that twenty-two percent of the non-custodial parent's adjusted gross income is an appropriate award for the support of three children. Miss.Code Ann. § 49-19-101(Rev.2003). The chancellor determined that Phillip's adjusted gross income was $3,637 per month based on his 2004 tax filings. This figure does not include the unreported income Phillip earns from plumbing jobs, but was the figure used to calculate child support in the amount of $800 per month.

¶ 7. School tuition is considered a part of child support. Halle v. Harper, 869 So.2d 439, 441(¶ 8) (Miss.Ct.App.2004) (citing Southerland v. Southerland, 816 So.2d 1004, 1006(¶ 11) (Miss.2002)). An order requiring school tuition payment must be reasonable in light of the parents' income. Id. Since Phillip was ordered to pay twenty-two percent of his reported adjusted gross income plus one-half of the girls' parochial school tuition, the chancellor was required to make specific findings of fact to justify deviation from the child support guidelines. Id. (citing Miss.Code Ann. § 43-19-101(2) (Rev.2004)). In the order denying the Phillip's motion to reconsider, the chancellor made the following findings to support deviation from the child support guidelines: (1) Phillip earns in excess of $50,000 per year when bonuses and cash income received from plumbing jobs are included, (2) the order to pay $800 per month in child support was based only on Phillip's reported income from Seymour & Sons Seafood, (3) the children had always attended parochial school, and (4) Phillip's mistress is a teacher at the public school where the twins would attend if they were taken out of parochial school. The chancellor found that were the twins required to attend the same school in which Phillip's mistress taught, it would cause undue stress and conflict for them.

¶ 8. We find that the chancellor's findings were sufficient to support an award of twenty-two percent of Phillip's reported adjusted gross income plus one-half of the children's parochial school tuition. This issue fails.

II. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED BY NOT DIVIDING THE SEYMOUR & SONS SEAFOOD, INC. STOCK EQUALLY AS PER THE STIPULATION OF THE PARTIES.

III. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN VALUING THE SEYMOUR & SONS SEAFOOD, INC. STOCK AND ASSIGNING THE FULL VALUE OF SAME TO THE APPELLANT WHEN DIVIDING THE MARITAL ASSETS.

¶ 9. Seymour & Sons was incorporated in 1984. Phillip owns 11,000 shares of stock in Seymour & Sons. Although Phillip is the treasurer of Seymour & Sons, he presented no evidence at trial to show the value of the company, the value of company stock, nor the number of outstanding shares. However, in his Rule 8.05 financial statement, Phillip estimated that his 11,000 shares were worth *518 $157,500. At the beginning of trial, Phillip testified that he was willing to give Karen one-half of the stock regardless of its value. Karen's attorney then stated that if Phillip was stipulating that he would given Karen half of the shares, they would accept. The court then asked whether Phillip was stipulating that he would give Karen half of the shares, and Phillip answered in the affirmative. A photocopy of Phillip's stock certificate was later entered into evidence at trial. The second page of the exhibit stated that transfer of the certificate was governed by provisions of an agreement dated December 26, 1987. The agreement had not been located by the time of trial. It was subsequently determined that Seymour & Sons was a closely held corporation, and that a restriction on the transfer of shares existed. It was also determined that family member shareholders receive salary but no dividends.

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960 So. 2d 513, 2006 WL 3072011, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/seymour-v-seymour-missctapp-2006.