Wilson v. Wilson

987 S.W.2d 555, 1998 Tenn. App. LEXIS 612, 1998 WL 557609
Court of Appeals of Tennessee·Decided September 2, 1998·No. 01A01-9707-CV-00325·Published·Cited by 79 cases

Opinions

OPINION

CANTRELL, Judge.

In a documentary on how to complicate a simple divorce, this case would serve as a highlight film. After the trial court finally entered a final judgment, the parties on appeal argue about the trial judge’s refusal to recuse herself, a pre-nuptial agreement, the division of marital property, the award of attorney’s fees, and certain injunctions involving the custody and visitation with the parties’ minor child. We modify the judgment to give Dr. Oakley a $2,000 credit for her separate property awarded to Mr. Wilson and to make the judgment for attorney’s fees [557] run to Mr. Wilson instead of his lawyer. In all other respects we affirm the judgment below.

I.

Dr. Jennifer Oakley, a Nashville gynecologist, married Larry Wilson, a pilot and flight instructor, on August 29,1989. Both parties had been married before. Dr. Oakley had a five year old son from a former marriage and one of Mr. Wilson’s prior marriages produced one son, who was fifteen in 1989. Mr. Wilson adopted Dr. Oakley’s son in 1991.

Mr. Wilson worked for a company in Smithville until 1991, when he left it to devote all his time to the family. The trial judge found that after 1991, Mr. Wilson was essentially a house husband. The two families apparently blended well together. Dr. Oakley formed a close relationship with Mr. Wilson’s son; Mr. Wilson and his adopted son were constantly together, and a strong bond formed between them.

All of this family bliss ended in 1995 or in the first part of 1996. Dr. Oakley filed a complaint for divorce on June 21, 1996. The initial pleading did not presage the bitterness to come. The complaint simply alleged that the parties were experiencing irreconcilable differences and that she anticipated they would enter into a marital dissolution agreement. Below the surface, however, the relationship had turned ugly. On July 11, 1996 Mr. Wilson filed an answer and counter complaint alleging that Dr. Oakley was guilty of inappropriate marital conduct. He sought custody of the minor child and an equitable division of the marital property. He alleged that Dr. Oakley had set out to destroy his relationship with his adopted son.

Both parties sought various restraining orders, and the court set a hearing for August 22,1996. At that hearing the bitterness took over and set the tone for all of the proceedings that followed. After hearing some of the proof, the court continued the hearing to August 30,1996 but entered an interim order containing the following provisions:

1.That a restraining order issue enjoining and restraining both parties from harassing each other;
2. That a restraining order issue enjoining and restraining either party from wiretapping the parties’ home telephones;
3. That a restraining order issue enjoining and restraining MRS. WILSON from interfering with the child’s visitation with MR. WILSON;
4. That a restraining order issue enjoining and restraining MRS. WILSON from attempting to alienate the affections of the child from MR. WILSON;
5. That a restraining order issue enjoining and restraining the parties from having a gun around the child or in the house;
6. That the child will not sleep with MRS. WILSON but will be in his own bed;
7. That MRS. WILSON shall return MR. WILSON’S automobile and the boat and jet skis to the residence of the parties and that the parties are enjoined and restrained from disposing of these items;
8. That MR. WILSON will take the child immediately following the hearing to have dinner with him and return him home by 8:00 P.M.

The court had orally found at the end of the August 22 hearing that Mr. Wilson should be allowed to take the child to dinner that night and return him to his mother by 8:00 P.M. The parties were strictly enjoined not to discuss the divorce with the child.

The court resinned the hearing on August 30. The charges and counter charges grew in substance and tone. But at the conclusion of the hearing the trial judge entered an order containing the following:

At the conclusion of all testimony, the Court made a finding of fact that Mrs. Wilson has set upon a course of conduct to alienate the child from Mr. Wilson. The Court further finds that the child has been alienated by Mrs. Wilson. The Court further established specific visitation for Mr. Wilson and enjoined the parties from alienating the affections of the child toward either parent and from discussing the divorce case or any past conduct of the parties in the presence of the child.
It is, therefore, ORDERED, ADJUDGED and DECREED that a restrain[558] ing order issue enjoining and restraining the parties from attempting to alienate the affection of the child from either parent.
It is further ORDERED that both parents are enjoined and restrained from discussing this divorce case or custody issues with the child and from discussing any past conduct of the other in the presence of the child.
It is further ORDERED that Mr. Wilson will be specifically enjoined and restrained from insulting or “butt-facing” the child.
It is further ORDERED that Mrs. Wilson will be specifically enjoined and restrained from interfering with Mr. Wilson’s visitation. She will further be enjoined from having her father or other relatives from interfering with this Court ordered visitation. Further, Mr. and Mrs. Wilson will both be enjoined from threatening or physically abusing each other.'
It is further ORDERED that Mr. Wilson will have visitation with the minor child every other weekend from Friday at 6:00 p.m. until Sunday at 6:00 p.m., to commence on Friday, September 6, 1996.
It is further ORDERED that Mrs. Wilson will have visitation over the Labor Day holiday. Mr. Wilson shall have Thanksgiving visitation beginning on Thanksgiving Eve from 8:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. If the child is in school on Thanksgiving Eve, Mr. Wilson will pick him up at school for Thanksgiving Eve dinner and deliver him to Mrs. Wilson to have the child from Thanksgiving Eve through Thanksgiving Day.
It is further ORDERED that the child will be with Mr. Wilson one week before Christmas until 8:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve, at which time the child will be in Mrs. Wilson’s care from 8:00 p.m. Christmas Eve through Christmas Day and the week thereafter.

At this point Dr. Oakley changed lawyers. Both parties filed petitions for contempt, but the contempt proceedings bogged down in procedural difficulties when Dr. Oakley demanded a jury and insisted that a special prosecutor be appointed under Rule 42, Tenn. R.Crim. Proc. The trial judge refused both motions but granted Dr. Oakley an interlocutory appeal under Rule 9, Tenn. R.App. Proc.

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Wilson v. Wilson, 987 S.W.2d 555, 1998 Tenn. App. LEXIS 612, 1998 WL 557609 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1998).

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