Hunt v. HuntHunt v. Hunt
Dated: February 14, 2022
CALLAHAN, Judge.
{1} Appellant/Cross-Appellee, William Hunt (“Husband“), and Appellee/Cross-Appellant, Michelle Hunt (“Wife“), appeal from the judgment of the Lorain County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations Division. This Court reverses and remands for further proceedings.
I.
{2} Husband and Wife married in 2003 and had two children together: L.H., born in April 2003, and W.H., born in December 2005. Husband vacated the marital home in July 2017 and filed a complaint for divorce in November 2017. Wife and the children remained in the marital home during the proceedings, and, pursuant to temporary orders, Husband paid the mortgage and utilities in addition to temporary support.
{3} A trial was held on five separate days in 2019, but the trial court‘s judgment was delayed due to the onset of the global pandemic and the court‘s inability to hold an interview
{4} Husband and Wife now appeal from various aspects of the trial court‘s judgment and raise a combined seven assignments of error for this Court‘s review. To facilitate that review, this Court reorders and combines several of the assignments of error.
II.
HUSBAND‘S ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 3
THE TRIAL COURT COMMITTED REVERSIBLE ERROR WHEN IT DETERMINED THAT [HUSBAND‘S] INTEREST IN THE MARITAL REAL ESTATE WAS LIMITED TO $29,410.50.
WIFE‘S ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 1
THE FINDING BY THE TRIAL COURT THAT THE GIFT OF $10000 BY GRANDMOTHER WAS A JOINT GIFT TO [WIFE] AND TO [HUSBAND] AND EACH PARTY WAS EQUALLY ENTITLED TO $5000 OF THE GIFT WAS CONTRARY TO THE EVIDENCE AND TRIAL COURT ABUSED ITS DISCRETION TO THE PREJUDICE OF [WIFE].
WIFE‘S ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 2
THE TRAIL (SIC) COURT ERRED TO THE PREJUDICE OF [WIFE] AND ITS DECISION WAS CONTRARY TO THE EVIDENCE WHEN IT SET OFF $5000 [WIFE] RECEIVED AS ADDITIONAL MONIES FROM [HUSBAND‘S] 401(K), WITH THE $10,000 THAT WAS GIFTED TO [WIFE], BY GRANDMOTHER, PRIOR TO MARRIAGE AND WAS SEPARATE PROPERTY.
{5} In his third assignment of error, Husband argues that the trial court erred when it determined that his sharе of the marital home was only $29,410.50. He argues that the court did not properly credit the down payment on the home, did not credit him for mortgage and escrow payments he made after the de facto termination date of the marriage, and did not rely on current
{6} During divorce proceedings, a trial court must determine what property constitutеs marital property and what constitutes separate property.
{8} Once the duration of a marriage has been established and property has been designated marital or separate property, a trial court must divide the property equitably between spouses.
{10} It is undisputed that, during the marriage, thе parties and their children resided in a single-family home in Columbia Station. The trial court found that Wife purchased the home in 1998, when she and Husband were dating and about five years before they married. A down payment of $21,379.74 was made on the home at the time of purchase, and the court found that $10,000 of that money came from Wife‘s mother. The court found that Wife‘s mother credibly testified that she gifted that sum to both Wife and Husband for the purchase of the home. Consequently, the court determined that half of that money ($5,000) belonged to Husband. The court found that the home remained in Wife‘s name until 2005, at which point the parties executed a joint survivorship deed and took joint possession.
{11} The trial court found that the marital home had a fair market value of $248,810, but the parties only had a $106,810 equity interest due to a mortgage balance of $142,000. Rather than split the down payment interest of $21,379.74 between Wife and Husband to account for Husbаnd‘s $5,000 gift, the court decided to treat the entire $21,379.74 down payment as
{12} Regarding the offset, the trial court determined that Husband had a 401(k) and Wife was entitled to half of the funds that accrued during the marriage (i.e., from August 23, 2003, until November 17, 2017). The court found that Husband borrowed $10,000 from his 401(k) to pay his attorney fees and that he owed Wife half that sum. Rather than order Husband to pay Wife that $5,000, the court allowed Wife to keep Husband‘s hаlf of the $10,000 down payment gift from her mother. The court determined that the two amounts offset one another such that neither party was obligated to pay the other $5,000.
{13} Because both parties take issue with the trial court‘s findings regarding the down payment made on the marital home, this Court begins with those findings. Husband argues that the trial court issued inconsistent findings about the down payment because it treated the entire down payment as belonging to Wife while simultaneously finding that $5,000 of that money was a gift belonging to him. Meanwhile, Wife argues that the weight of the evidence does not support the trial court‘s finding that her mother gifted $5,000 to Husband as part of the down payment. Wife argues that the testimony showed her mother intended the entire $10,000 to be a gift to Wife.
[COUNSEL]: [D]id you give to [Wife] $10,000 prior tо buying her home?
[WIFE‘S MOTHER]: Yes.
[COUNSEL]: And you told her that it is for her as a gift; is that correct?
[WIFE‘S MOTHER]: Yes, on the basis that she was to pay the taxes. * * *
[COUNSEL]: So basically, that was a gift from you to her at that time, correct?
[WIFE‘S MOTHER]: Yeah. Not the taxes, but the [$]10,000.
Wife‘s mother never testified that she intended any portion of the $10,000 as a gift to Husband who, at the time, was only dating Wife.
{15} Upon review, the trial court‘s finding that Wife‘s mother provided credible testimony that she gifted $10,000 to both Wife and Husband is against the manifest weight of the evidence. Wife‘s mother never testified that she gifted any money to Husband. It was her testimony that she gifted Wife $10,000 for the down payment. That testimony was consistent with Wife‘s testimony that the entire $10,000 was her gift from her mother. Because the testimony supports the conclusion that Husband did not have a separate interest in the $10,000 from Wife‘s mother, the trial court erred when it made a finding to the contrary.
{17} Husband also argues that the trial court erred when it calculated the equity in the marital home and determined that his share was $29,410.05. He notes that the de facto termination date of the marriage was November 17, 2017, but the сourt did not issue its judgment entry until December 30, 2020. During the time, Husband continued to make the mortgage, tax, and insurance payments on the marital home by virtue of the court‘s temporary orders. Nevertheless, Husband argues, the trial court valued the equity interest in the home based on the evidence introduced at the trial and did not credit Husband for any payments he made after the de facto termination date of the marriage. Husband essentially argues that the valuation evidence produced at trial was no longer accurate by the time the court issued its judgment. Further, Husband argues that the court‘s award amounted to a windfall for Wife because only she would reap the benefit of the increased equity that accrued since trial due to the additional payments Husband made on the home.
{19} This Court has held that, even when evidence of a piece of property‘s value is absent, that absence “does not relieve the trial court of its obligation to value the assets of the parties.” Zona v. Zona, 9th Dist. Medina No. 05CA0007-M, 2005-Ohio-5194, ¶ 6. If valuation evidence is lacking, “‘” [t]he court itself should instruct the parties to submit evidence on the matter.“‘” Fetzer v. Fetzer, 9th Dist. Wayne No. 12CA0036, 2014-Ohio-747, ¶ 38, quoting Zona at ¶ 6, quoting Willis v. Willis, 19 Ohio App.3d 45, 48 (11th Dist.1984). The court may not rely on valuation evidence that postdates the date it has chosen as the termination date of the marriage. Fetzer at ¶ 38. If the marital share of a marital home cannot be calculated because there was insufficient evidence presented to the trial court, then the matter must be “remanded to the trial court for the purpose of taking evidence on [the] issue and recalculating the marital mortgage pay down and readjusting the property division to allow for an equitable division of the marital property.” Ray v. Ray, 9th Dist. Medina No. 03CA0026-M, 2003-Ohio-6323, ¶ 11.
HUSBAND‘S ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 1
THE TRIAL COURT COMMITTED REVERSIBLE ERROR WHEN IT DID NOT RESERVE JURISDICTION TO MODIFY OR AMEND SPOUSAL SUPPORT AFTER EVIDENCE SHOWED A FLUCTUATION OF INCOME OF THE PARTIES AND A MARRIAGE OF 18 YEARS.
HUSBAND‘S ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 2
THE TRIAL COURT COMMITTED REVERSIBLE ERROR AND ABUSED ITS DISCRETION WHEN IT AWARDED [WIFE] SPOUSAL SUPPORT BOTH AS TO AMOUNT AND DURATION.
{21} Husband‘s remaining assignments of error challenge the trial court‘s award of spousal support to Wife and its decision not to reserve jurisdiction to modify that award. As noted, this matter must be remanded for the trial court to take additional evidence, perform
WIFE‘S ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 3
THE TRIAL COURT ERRED TO THE PREJUDICE OF [WIFE], WHEN IT FAILED TO DIVIDE THE MASTERCARD1 CREDIT CARD DEBT WHICH WAS USED DURING THE MARRIAGE AND WAS MARITAL.
{22} In her third assignment of error, Wife argues that the court erred when it failed to address a Discover credit card debt that was incurred during the marriage and, therefore, a marital debt. Because the court‘s failure to address and divide a debt would affect the finality of its judgment, this Court begins with a review of the evidence concerning the debt and the trial court‘s judgment entry. See Smith v. Smith, 9th Dist. Summit No. 24993, 2011-Ohio-2506, ¶ 2-8 (dismissing appeal where judgment entry of divorce failed to divide an оutstanding loan).
{23} Wife testified that she had a Discover credit card account before she and Husband married. She testified that, when she and Husband married, his credit was poor because he had filed for bankruptcy. According to Wife, the two decided to add Husband to Wife‘s Discover
{24} Husband‘s testimony was that the Discover credit card debt was attributable to Wife. He testified that Wife added his name to the account without his permission and that he never signed any paperwork to cоnfirm that he wanted to be added to the account. Husband claimed that he ultimately spoke with Discover and had his name removed from the account.
{25} In its judgment entry, the trial court did not make any express credibility determinations about the Discover credit card debt. The court simply ordered that Husband was responsible for the payment of his personal credit cards and debts and Wife was responsible for the payment of her personal credit cards and debts. The court also ordered “that the parties warrant, each to the other, that there exists no joint debt other than that set forth above.” The court decreed that, if any joint debt was later discovered, “then the party who incurred such debt shall be responsible for the payment, hold the other party harmless on such debt, and indemnify the other party for such indebtedness.”
{26} Wife argues that the trial court disregarded the Discover credit card debt and failed to consider it when equitably dividing the martial assets and liabilities. She argues that the court‘s judgment is against the manifest weight of the evidence and amounts to an abuse of discretion because the testimony showed that the Discover credit card debt was a martial debt. According to Wife, Husband failed to offer any testimony to refute that the credit card debt was a marital debt.
{28} To the extent Wife argues that the court‘s judgment is against the manifest weight of the evidence and amounts to an abuse of discretion, her arguments are not yet ripe for review. This matter must be remanded for the trial court to take additional evidence, perform recalculations, and make any necessary adjustments to the prоperty division to allow for an equitable division of the assets. See Discussion of Husband‘s Assignment of Error Number Three, supra. Because the remand will result in a new equitable division of the property, a review of the current division of the property would be premature. For that reason, this Court declines to further address Wife‘s third assignment of error.
WIFE‘S ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 4
THE TRIAL COURT‘S DECISION DENYING [WIFE] HER REQUEST FOR ATTORNEY FEES, WAS UNREASONABLE AND ARBITRARY AND CONTRARY TO THE FACTORS IN
{29} In her fourth assignment of error, Wife argues that the trial court abused its discretion when it denied her request for an award of attorney fees.
may award all or part of reasonable attorney‘s fees and litigation expenses to either party if the court finds the award equitable. In determining whether an award is equitable, the court may consider the parties’ marital assets and income, any award of temporary spousal support, the conduct of the parties, and any other relevant factors the court deems appropriate.
This matter must be remanded for the trial court to take evidence on the value of the marital home in November 2017, recalculate the marital mortgage pay down, and make any necessary adjustments to the property division to allow for an equitable division of the marital property. See Discussion of Husband‘s Assignment of Error Number Three, supra. Because marital assets are a factor the court may consider in determining an award of attorney fees, Wife‘s fourth assignment of еrror is not yet ripe for review. On remand, the trial court must redetermine the issue of attorney fees in light of its new equitable division of the property and support orders. See Sharp v. Sharp, 9th Dist. Wayne No. 19AP0046, 2020-Ohio-3537, ¶ 23. For that reason, this Court declines to further address Wife‘s fourth assignment of error.
III.
{31} Wife‘s first and second assignments of error are sustained. Husband‘s third assignment of error is also sustained for the reasons outlined above, and his first and second assignments of error are premature. Likewise, this Court declines to address Wife‘s third and fourth assignments of error because to do so would be premature. The judgment of the Lorain County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations Division, is reversed, and the cause is remanded for further proceedings consistent with the foregoing opinion.
Judgment reversed, and cause remanded.
We order that a special mandate issue out of this Court, directing the Court of Common Pleas, County of Lorain, State of Ohio, to carry this judgment into execution. A certified copy of this jоurnal entry shall constitute the mandate, pursuant to
Immediately upon the filing hereof, this document shall constitute the journal entry of judgment, and it shall be file stamped by the Clerk of the Court of Appeals at which time the period for review shall begin to run.
Costs taxed equally to both parties.
LYNNE S. CALLAHAN
FOR THE COURT
TEODOSIO, P. J.
CARR, J.
CONCUR.
APPEARANCES:
DAVID J. BERTA, Attorney at Law, for Appellant/Cross-Appellee.
GOWRI V. HAMPOLE, Attorney at Law, for Appellee/Cross-Appellant.