Viera v. Viera

331 S.W.3d 195, 2011 Tex. App. LEXIS 195, 2011 WL 95150
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 12, 2011
Docket08-08-00333-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by38 cases

This text of 331 S.W.3d 195 (Viera v. Viera) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Viera v. Viera, 331 S.W.3d 195, 2011 Tex. App. LEXIS 195, 2011 WL 95150 (Tex. Ct. App. 2011).

Opinion

OPINION

RIVERA, Justice.

In this divorce action, Brenda Liz Viera, Appellant, appeals the trial court’s division of the marital estate and the designation of Carmelo Manuel Viera, Appellee, as joint managing conservator of their minor children, alleging that the trial court abused its discretion. We affirm.

BACKGROUND

Brenda and Carmelo were married in March 2005, and two children were born of the marriage. Approximately two-and-one-half years later, on October 17, 2007, Carmelo petitioned for divorce, and Brenda filed her response and cross-petition. Each party alleged insupportability and cruelty as grounds for divorce, and each sought designation as joint managing conservator of their children. Before the final divorce hearing, the following documents were filed with the trial court.

Inventory

Community Estate Assets

Brenda did not file with the trial court an inventory and appraisement regarding any community or separate estate assets or liabilities; however, Carmelo did. In his verified inventory and appraisement of *199 assets, liabilities, and community and separate estates, which contained only recitals and no supporting documentation, Carmelo identified as belonging to the community estate a residence with an alleged fair market value of $146,898 as of January 16, 2008, bearing a mortgage of more than $128,000, and having a net equity of approximately $3,879. 1 As to cash and accounts with financial institutions, Carmelo identified a joint checking account with Brenda having an account balance of $265, and a bank account bearing Carmelo’s name alone with a balance of $100, for a cash total of $365.

Carmelo identified two retirement benefits among the community’s assets. The first was a thrift savings plan (TSP) to which Carmelo assigned a community value interest of $1,443 as of January 16, 2008. 2 According to Carmelo’s inventory, the TSP account had a balance of $24,184 as of September 30, 2007, two weeks before he filed for divorce, and was encumbered by a $10,000 loan. 3 Carmelo’s inventory states that his creditable service regarding the TSP commenced in March 1996, nine years before he married Brenda. No financial documents were offered in support of Carmelo’s representations regarding the TSP.

Carmelo’s Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) pension comprised the second component of his retirement benefits. In his inventory, Carmelo identified the starting date of his creditable service for the FERS pension as February 2006, eleven months after he married Brenda. Carmelo did not submit with his inventory either a value for his FERS pension nor financial evidence showing the value of the FERS account.

A 2004 motorcycle was also listed in the inventory and was noted as being in Brenda’s possession. Carmelo listed the fair market value of the motorcycle as $6,000, noting that no equity existed in the vehicle, which had a loan balance of $16,000. 4 Community Estate Liabilities

As part of the community liabilities, Carmelo identified that he and Brenda were both named on eleven accounts for which they owed creditors a total of $38,112. Carmelo’s attorney fees were noted to be $4,550, while Brenda’s were listed as unknown. Carmelo also listed an unknown balance for a deficiency related to the financing of a 2003 Honda minivan, which had been repossessed.

Proposed Distributions

Brenda

In her proposed distribution of community assets and debts, Brenda asked that the community property be divided by awarding her $6,973 cash allegedly withdrawn by Carmelo, $4,000 to match the equity in the home, and one-half of Carmelo’s TSP in an amount of $12,092, all to be awarded from the TSP, for a total of $23,065.76. Brenda proposed that Carmelo be awarded $4,000 equity in the residence, and the remainder of $1,119 from *200 his TSP. She also asked that the trial court award all debts against Carmelo.

Carmelo

In his proposed division of community assets, Carmelo sought the marital residence, which he valued at $3,879, after deducting the mortgage owed and a 10 percent cost related to selling the home. Carmelo requested that funds in the checking accounts be distributed to him. As to his TSP, Carmelo requested that he be awarded the entirety of what he had claimed to be the community property interest in that account, $1,443. He also sought to receive all of the community estate portion of his FERS pension, which Carmelo quantified as 22 percent of the total FERS account but for which he failed to submit any evidence of value.

Carmelo proposed that $6,000 from the proceeds of the sale of a 2004 motorcycle be distributed to Brenda. 5 According to Carmelo’s calculations, the value of the community assets were $11,689 and as a result of his proposed division, Carmelo would receive $5,689 of the community assets and Brenda would receive $6,000 of the community assets. As to the community liabilities, Carmelo proposed that he be ordered to pay all of the debt identified in his inventory, as well as his attorney fees, which had increased to $6,400, and the remaining $8,000 balance owed on the repossessed Honda minivan. Under his proposal, Carmelo would be responsible for paying $52,513 of the community liabilities. Carmelo requested that Brenda be ordered to pay only her own attorney fees in the sum of $4,000, and none of the community debt.

Separate Property

Brenda did not identify or claim any separate property. Carmelo not only claimed that $12,742 of the TSP belonged to his separate estate, but also asserted that 78 percent of his FERS pension was his separate property. Carmelo failed to present any tracing evidence in support of his contention that these two components of his retirement benefits, in whole or in part, were of a separate characterization.

Final Hearing

A final divorce hearing was conducted on September 8, 2008. Before any testimony was presented, counsel for both parties informed the trial court that Brenda and Carmelo had agreed to joint managing conservatorship with Brenda to establish the residence of the children. Carmelo’s counsel informed the trial court that the primary issues for the trial court were relocation of Brenda and the children to Puerto Rico, and division of the liabilities and assets of the marital estate, which was described as essentially negative.

Both Brenda and Carmelo testified at the hearing. The evidence showed that although Brenda had a bachelor’s degree in transportation management, she had not worked or pursued employment during all or part of the marriage due, in part, to her limited English-speaking abilities and because of her strained relationship with her mother-in-law, with whom she did not wish to leave their children.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
331 S.W.3d 195, 2011 Tex. App. LEXIS 195, 2011 WL 95150, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/viera-v-viera-texapp-2011.