RONALD T. ELLIOTT, HUSBAND, APPELLANT,
v.
NANCY L. ELLIOTT, WIFE, APPELLEE

Fla. 4th DCA | 1977-03-04
No. 76-255
CROSS, J., and CARLTON, CHARLES T., Associate Judge, concur.
343 So. 2d 904 Florida District Court of Appeal, Fourth District (1977) Caution
Cited by 2 cases

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.

Synopsis

In this dissolution of marriage appeal, the Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal affirmed the divorce but reversed the trial court's award of a $107,413.50 money judgment to the wife based on a "special equity" theory and an indemnification order for future judgments, holding that such awards were improper even though the wife had loaned money and paid bills that the husband lost.


Holding

The court affirmed the dissolution of marriage and award of the automobile but reversed the $107,413.50 money judgment based on a "special equity" and the indemnification order, holding that such awards were not proper remedies in a dissolution suit under Florida law.


Headnotes

[1] A spouse cannot claim alimony when the other spouse has no assets and is unemployed.

[2] A court cannot award lump sum alimony when the requesting spouse demonstrates no need for support and the other spouse has no ability to pay.

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Key Quotes

“Obviously, the big problem here is the financial situation and it's unfortunate that these people lost money and its unfortunate that she had money that she turned over to her husband and he apparently lost it but, the problem is what recourse does she have in this dissolution of marriage suit.”

The trial court's acknowledgment of the wife's unfortunate situation but recognition of the legal question of available remedies

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Facts & Procedural History

The parties married on December 31, 1970. The wife loaned money to the husband or paid his bills from proceeds of a mortgage on her home and from a ho…

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Opinion of the Court
PAUL, MAURICE M., Associate Judge.

PAUL, MAURICE M., Associate Judge.

This is an appeal from a final judgment of dissolution of marriage awarding the wife a money judgment against the husband in the amount of $107,413.50 based upon." ... , a special equity in.money loaned by her to Respondent . . . ” and decree ordering respondent/husband “ . . . to indemnify Petitioner for any sums paid by Petitioner pursuant to any judgments which may be entered against her' . . . ” in a certain described civil action then pending in Martin County.

The record reveals that the parties were married to each other on December 31, 1970; the wife alleged a,special equity in certain described properties or businesses of the husband by virtue of money “lent” to him, or bills paid, including an I.R.S. tax lien, from the proceeds of a mortgage on her home or proceeds realized on the sale of her home. It further appears that money was borrowed at various times from commercial banking institutions by signing of joint notes; the wife also .placed certain stocks into, joint ownership with the husband which in turn were pledged as collateral for one or more of the aforementioned loans and which were sold , by the bank to partially liquidate the joint indebtedness.

The husband was adjudicated bankrupt in November of 1975 and all of his businesses have. been lost; husband is now unemployed, receiving unemployment compensation, and owns no property.

The lower court was correct when it summed up the situation saying:

“Obviously, the big'problem jiere is the financial situation and it’s unfortunate that these people lost money and its unfortunate that she had money that she turned over to her husband and he apparently lost it but, the problem is what recourse does she have in this dissolution of marriage suit. She certainly cannot claim alimony when he has no assets, is on unemployment. She has income and assets so it just cannot be alimony and you cannot give it to her under the guides of lump sum alimony because it shows no need for her to have support or his need to pay.”

However, the court was incorrect when it continued, by saying: “Now, certainly she is entitled to have a judgment against him for her special equity and money loaned to him . . . plus, she should be indemnified by him for anything she has to pay in the pending Stuart National Bank .suit which was discussed.”

The record demonstrates that this cause is controlled by the views expressed by this court in Rey v. Rey, 279 So. 2d 360 (Fla. 4th DCA 1973) and Steinhauer v. Steinhauer, 252 So. 2d 825 (Fla. 4th DCA 1971), and which will not be repeated here since it would have no value except to lengthen this opinion. The final judgment is AFFIRMED as to the dissolution of marriage and award of the automobile to the wife but is REVERSED as to the award of a money judgment against the husband and requiring the husband to indemnify the wife which may be entered against her in Civil Action 75-359, Circuit Court, Martin County, Florida.

AFFIRMED in part; REVERSED in part.

CROSS, J., and CARLTON, CHARLES T., Associate Judge, concur.


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Citator

Cited By

  • Veiner v. Veiner, 364 So. 2d 834 (Fla. 3d DCA 1978)
    …vertheless, we must hold, under the established law, that the allowance of a special equity in the assets of the husband without specifying the res and without support in the record showing a contribution to the res is error. See Elliott v. Elliott, 343 So. 2d 904 (Fla. 4th DCA 1977); Rey v. Rey, 279 So. 2d 360 (Fla. 4th DCA 1973); Steinhauer v. Steinhauer, 252 So. 2d 825 (Fla. 4th DCA 1971). The wife’s cross-appeals on the failure of the court to award her one-half ownership in certain jointly-held securiti…

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