August v. AugustAugust v. August
By this interlocutory appeal, we are asked to review a trial court order dismissing one count of a post-judgment petition to set aside a final judgment of divorce. In such count, the appellant-wife (Elaine August) alleged that the final judgment should be set aside because of certain misconduct committed by the appellee-husband (Fred August) which led to a property settlement agreement later incorporated into the final judgment. The alleged misconduct consisted of undue influence, duress, and fraudulent concealment of assets. We affirm.
The law is clear that a post-judgment petition to set aside a final judgment on the grounds of fraud (intrinsic or extrinsic), misrepresentation, or other misconduct of an adverse party must be brought not more than one year after the final judgment is entered.
Scales v. Scales, 237 So.2d 50 (Fla. 3d DCA 1970), does not compel a contrary result. In that case, this court held that the proper venue for an action to modify a divorce judgment was in the court which originally entered the judgment. In obiter dicta, the court quite properly rejected a contention made by one of the parties that an attack on the divorce decree was forever precluded because one year had elapsed from the date of the entry of the decree.
For the above reasons, the order appealed from is in all respects affirmed.
Affirmed.