Wilson v. Wilson

507 S.W.2d 916, 1974 Tex. App. LEXIS 2091
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 21, 1974
Docket16289
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 507 S.W.2d 916 (Wilson v. Wilson) 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
Wilson v. Wilson, 507 S.W.2d 916, 1974 Tex. App. LEXIS 2091 (Tex. Ct. App. 1974).

Opinion

COLEMAN, Chief Justice.

This is a suit for the partition of military retirement pay, which was not mentioned in the judgment rendered in a previous divorce action. The case was tried to the court without a jury, and judgment was entered partitioning the military retirement benefits.

Appellant, the defendant in the trial court, contended that the judgment dividing the community property in the divorce action was entered on an agreement of the parties, although no such recitation appears in the judgment. The judgment contains a finding that the parties accumulated certain named community assets. These assets were divided between the parties. The military retirement benefits were not listed as community property, nor awarded as separate property. Appellant contends that the parties and their attorneys knew that the military retirement benefits constituted community property, and that the other community property was divided unequally based on an agreement that the defendant would continue to receive all of these benefits. The defendant plead that the plaintiff was estopped to assert title to such retirement benefits.

The retirement benefits in question accrued during marriage and constituted community property. On dissolution of the marriage by divorce the parties to this suit became tenants in common or joint owners thereof since the divorce decree failed to provide for a division of the property. The judgment in the divorce action did not preclude the plaintiff from seeking a partition in this action. Busby v. Busby, 457 S.W.2d 551 (Tex. 1970); Kirberg v. Worrell, 44 S.W.2d 940 (Tex. Comm’n App. 1932, holdings approved).

In Busby, supra, the defendant joined the Air Force on September 14, 1942, and married the plaintiff on March 1, 1946. The trial court denied the wife’s petition for partition of the military retirement benefits, which were not mentioned in or divided by the divorce decree. The Court of Civil Appeals reversed the judgment of the trial court and rendered judgment that the wife receive ½ of these benefits. The husband, appellee, raised by cross points the contention that these benefits were not community property because the property right had its inception prior to the marriage and that the wife had shown no satisfactory method of determining the extent of her interest in the retirement benefits. These cross points were overruled. The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the Court of Civil Appeals, stating that, since the benefits accrued during marriage, the benefits received by the husband constitute community property. Justice Walker, in a dissent, construed the opinion of the court to hold that “title” to benefits *918 payable in the future “vests” or has its inception when the serviceman becomes eligible for retirement. It would appear, therefore, that the defendant in this action cannot complain of the action of the trial court in awarding the plaintiff 39.3% of the retirement benefits. However, we do not know whether a point was before the Supreme Court in Busby asserting error on the part of the Court of Civil Appeals in awarding ½ of the benefits instead of a lesser percentage based on a ratio of the months of service to months of marriage. This point is not raised by Mrs. Wilson. Appellant asserts that the percentage is incorrect because there was evidence that the parties did not reside in a community property state during several years of their marriage, and that his earnings during those years were his separate property. See Gaulding v. Gaulding, 503 S.W.2d 617 (Tex.Civ.App. — Eastland 1973). The trial court was not requested to take judicial notice of the laws of the various states in which the parties resided, nor were the laws of those states introduced into evidence. It must be presumed that the laws of those states are the same as the law of Texas. Lodge v. Lodge, 368 S.W.2d 40 (Tex.Civ.App. — Austin 1963).

The divorce decree was approved as to both form and substance by Mr. Wilson and Mrs. Wilson. Testimony was introduced without objection establishing that the property division was made on agreement of the parties. The court’s docket shows that the property was portioned “as per stipulation to court reporter.” This stipulation was not produced at the trial.

The lawyer who represented Mrs. Wilson in the divorce action testified that he considered the retirement benefits as community property subject to division; that this property right was the central issue in his discussions of the property settlement with Mr. Wilson’s attorney and was the “wedge” which he used to make what he considered a satisfactory property settlement. He testified that all of the parties and the attorneys orally agreed as a part of the property settlement that Mr. Wilson would retain the retirement benefits. Mr. Wilson and his attorney testified to the same effect. Mrs. Wilson testified that while she knew that Mr. Wilson was drawing retirement pay .from the United States Government, she did not know that it was community property. She had many discussions with her lawyer about a property settlement, but the retirement pay was not mentioned in any of these discussions. Her testimony as to her knowledge of the community nature of the retirement benefits was contradicted by testimony given by Mr. Wilson. In her petition for divorce Mrs. Wilson listed certain community property. Mr. Wilson filed a sworn inventory. Neither party listed the military retirement benefits as community property. In his pleading the defendant alleged that the disposition of the retirement benefits was omitted from the judgment by clerical error, and sought a judgment nunc pro tunc. This relief was denied by the trial court. There is no evidence to support this allegation. The testimony of the attorneys is to the effect that they did not consider it necessary to include the disposition of the retirement benefits in the decree since they were being paid directly to Mr. Wilson. The trial court did not err in refusing to enter a judgment nunc pro tunc. If appellant is entitled to any relief from the provisions of the divorce decree on the ground of mistake of law or fact, the proper procedure would be by way of Bill of Review. Pollard v. Steffens, 161 Tex. 594, 343 S.W.2d 234 (19.61); Universal Underwriters Ins. Co. v. Ferguson, 471 S.W.2d 28 (Tex.1971); Lone Star Cement Corp. v. Fair, 467 S.W.2d 402 (Tex.1971); Brodhead v. Brodhead, 238 S.W.2d 832 (Tex.Civ.App. — Ft. Worth 1951).

There was testimony that the trial judge in the divorce action was advised that the retirement pay was to be included in the division of property; this issue was impliedly found against Mr. Wilson, and there is evidence to support the negative finding. The judgment rendered by the *919 court in the divorce proceeding must be accepted as a judgment rendered in conformity with the agreement presented to him.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Brock v. Lindemann
689 F. Supp. 678 (N.D. Texas, 1988)
Terrell v. Terrell
609 S.W.2d 841 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1980)
Gaudion v. Gaudion
601 S.W.2d 805 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1980)
Taggart v. Taggart
540 S.W.2d 823 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1976)
Constance v. Constance
537 S.W.2d 488 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1976)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
507 S.W.2d 916, 1974 Tex. App. LEXIS 2091, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wilson-v-wilson-texapp-1974.