JOHN M. JONHS, APPELLANT,
v.
MOZELLE N. JONES, CHARLES E. HOY, LESTER F. BROOKER AND HAROLD J. UTTER, AS TRUSTEES, APPELLEES
AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.
John M. Jones appeals an equity decree awarding his ex-wife Mozelle property from a land trust (the Hub Trust) based on a resulting trust theory and a $1,000 judgment. The Florida appellate court reverses, holding that the property settlement agreement and Kentucky divorce decree barred Mozelle's subsequent claim to the trust property, and that the court lacked personal jurisdiction over John to enter the money judgment.
The Kentucky divorce decree and property settlement agreement barred Mozelle's subsequent claim to John's Hub Trust interest. The trial court lacked personal jurisdiction to enter a money judgment against John for want of personal service of process within Florida. Alternative or inconsistent defenses may be asserted under Florida Rules of Civil Procedure. Even on the merits, the evidence of resulting trust was conflicting and did not meet the clear, strong, and unequivocal standard required.
“The property settlement agreement and the release it embodied were sufficient to bar the subsequent claim to John's Hub Trust property interest. In addition, the Kentucky decree settled the property rights of the parties.”
The court's holding that the prior divorce decree and settlement barred the ex-wife's subsequent claim to the husband's property interest.
Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceJohn and Mozelle Jones were divorced in Kentucky. Their divorce decree approved a property settlement agreement that included a general release by Moz…
The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence© FLexlaw, Inc. — AI-generated enrichments are proprietary. All rights reserved.
Explore caselaw by topic → Browse Personal Service Of Process cases and more on FLexlaw
This is an appeal by one of the defendants below from an adverse equity *319decree.1 The appellant John M. Jones and the appellee Mozelle N. Jones, were divorced in the State of Kentucky. The divorce decree approved a property settlement which included a release by the wife.2 At the time of the divorce each owned a share or interest in a certain land trust known as the Hub Trust. Some months after the entry of the divorce decree in Kentucky, Mozelle filed this suit in Dade County, Florida, against John and the trustees of the Hub Trust.3 In her suit, Mozelle claimed John had acquired his interest in the Hub Trust with her money and for her, and she sought to establish a resulting trust thereof and to enjoin the trustees from selling the trust property.4
John moved to dismiss the complaint on the grounds that the court had no jurisdiction over him, and that Mozelle’s claim *320was barred by the release. The motion to dismiss was denied and an answer was filed in which John denied the material allegations of the complaint and affirmatively pleaded the benefit of the prior property settlement agreement and the divorce decree confirming it. Following trial the chancellor granted Mozelle’s claim that John’s interest in the Hub Trust was held for her under a resulting trust, and ordered it transferred to her. In so holding the chancellor was in error. The chancellor also granted Mozelle a money judgment against John for $1,000, which the decree said was shown by the evidence to remain owing and unpaid by John to Mozelle under the terms of the property settlement agreement.
This suit did not represent an effort by Mozelle to disclaim the decree and rescind the property settlement. She had accepted the benefits thereof, and made no offer to return them. The object of her suit, as it related to the Flub Trust, was to obtain more property from John.
John’s interest in the Hub Trust was known and taken into consideration at the time of the property settlement involved in the divorce proceedings, in connection with which both parties had the aid and advice of counsel of their choice. Mozelle did not claim John’s interest in the trust at that time. Under the property settlement agreement the husband agreed to pay the wife $90,000 within a period of two months, and it was expressly provided that such payment was to be in full settlement of property rights and alimony claims. Under the agreement the wife was allowed to retain all property standing in her name, the only exception being certain parcels owned by them as tenants by the entireties, and a division of those properties was specified therein. The personal property the wife was to have was listed. The agreement then set forth the general release from the wife to the husband. The divorce decree rendered in Kentucky, which included approval of that agreement, settled the property rights of the parties and barred this subsequent suit brought by the ex-wife to determine the question of property rights. That proposition is settled under the. law of Florida as well as in Kentucky. Cooper v. Cooper, Fla.1954, 69 So.2d 881; Finston v. Finston, 160 Fla. 935, 37 So.2d 423; Masilotti v. Masilotti, 158 Fla. 663, 29 So. 2d 872; Miller v. Miller, 149 Fla. 722, 7 So.2d 9; Smith v. Bollinger, Fla.App.1962, 137 So.2d 881; Jackson v. Jackson, 306 Ky. 715, 209 S.W.2d 79; Pauley v. Pauley, 280 Ky. 66, 132 S.W.2d 512; Hargis v. Hargis, 252 Ky. 198, 66 S.W.2d 59; Keach v. Keach, 217 Ky. 723, 290 3.W. 708.
The terms of the property settlement agreement and the release it embodied were sufficient to bar the subsequent claim to John’s Hub Trust property interest. In addition, the Kentucky decree settled the property rights of the parties. On those grounds the suit should have been dismissed.
It was argued on behalf of the ap-pellee here, and no doubt was argued in the trial court, that because the defendant John offered evidence in an attempt to defeat the plaintiff’s claim of resulting trust he could not have the benefit of his affirmative defense of res judicata. As shown by the decree in this suit the chancellor appears to have reached that conclusion. In so holding, the chancellor was in error and the argument which induced that ruling was unsound. Alternative or inconsistent defenses may be asserted and relied on, under rule 1.8(g), F.R.C.P., 30 F.S.A.
Moreover, Mozelle was not entitled to a decree in her favor on the merits of her claim of resulting trust. The evidence on that issue was in conflict. The decree in the instant case referred to the evidence favoring the plaintiff as being “substantial.” The burden on the plaintiff in seeking to establish the resulting trust called for its proof by evidence “so clear, strong and unequivocal as to remove from the mind of the Chancellor every reasonable doubt as to the existence of the trust.” See Gold*321man v. Olsen, 159 Fla. 435, 31 So.2d 623, 624, and cases cited there. If the required quantum of proof was met, the court did not so hold.
The objection to jurisdiction over the person, as presented by John, was not valid as to the cause of action relating to his property interest in the Hub Trust, which could he litigated on substituted service. But with regard to the judgment for $1,000 in favor of Mozelle against John for a balance found due under the' property settlement agreement, the court was without jurisdiction to grant that money judgment, for want of personal service of process within this state. Pennoyer v. Neff (1877), 95 U.S. 714, 24 L.Ed. 565.
For the reasons stated the decree appealed from is reversed.
Reversed.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
-
Hiestand v. Geier, 396 So. 2d 744 (Fla. 3d DCA 1981)…strong and unequivocal ... ”, Grapes v. Mitchell, 159 So. 2d 465 (Fla.1963); Goldman v. Olsen, 159 Fla. 435, 31 So. 2d 623 (1947); Geter v. Simmons, 57 Fla. 423, 49 So. 131 (1909); Har-nish v. Peale, 386 So. 2d 8 (Fla.5th DCA 1980); Jones v. Jones, 140 So. 2d 318 (Fla.3d DCA 1962); Estey v. Vizor, 113 So. 2d 576 (Fla.3d DCA 1959), the “clear and convincing evidence” standard is also found. Peacock v. Firman, 177 So. 2d 560 (Fla.3d DCA), cert, denied, 183 So. 2d 215 (Fla.1965). “Clear and convincing” is also…
-
Simon v. Simon, 293 So. 2d 780 (Fla. 3d DCA 1974)…s all property rights of the parties and bars any action thereafter by either party to determine property rights. Finston v. Finston, 160 Fla. 935, 37 So. 2d 423 (1948); Smith v. Bollinger, Fla.App.1962, 137 So. 2d 881; Jones v. Jones, Fla.App.1962, 140 So. 2d 318; McEachin v. McEachin, Fla.App. 1963, 154 So. 2d 894; Thompson v. Thompson, Fla.App. 1969, 223 So. 2d 95; Henderson v. Henderson, Fla.App. 1969, 226 So. 2d 699; Vandervoort v. Vandervoort, Fla. App.1973, 277 So. 2d 43. In addition, property claims m…
-
Thompson v. Thompson, 223 So. 2d 95 (Fla. 2d DCA 1969)…rmine the question of property rights.” Finston v. Finston, 160 Fla. 935, 937, 37 So. 2d 423, 424 (1948); Cooper v. Cooper, 69 So. 2d 881, 883 (Fla.1954); Smith v. Bollinger, Fla.App.1962, 137 So. 2d 881, 884. See also: Jones v. Jones, Fla.App.1962, 140 So. 2d 318 and Durham v. Ellis, Fla.App.1963, 157 So. 2d 185. At this point it would be well to differentiate between property rights which appellant correctly argues may not be modified subsequent to entry of a final divorce decree, and provisions in a final…
Previewing 3 of 5 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- Pennoyer v. Neff, 95 U.S. 714 (U.S. 1877)
- Roslyn S. Finston v. Finston, 160 Fla. 935 (Fla. 1948)
- Miller v. Miller, 149 Fla. 722 (Fla. 1942)
- Cooper v. Cooper, 69 So. 2d 881 (Fla. 1954)
- Masilotti v. Masilotti, 158 Fla. 663 (Fla. 1947)
- Goldman v. Olsen, 159 Fla. 435 (Fla. 1947)
- Smith v. Bollinger, 137 So. 2d 881 (Fla. 2d DCA 1962)