Case Title: Eric Resnick v. Susan Resnick

Citation: 

Docket Number: 2017-149

State: vermont

Court: Vermont Supreme Court

Date: 2017-06-12T00:00:00Z

Document:
ENTRY ORDER VERMONT SUPR:
IN CLERK'S OFFICE

 

‘SUPREME COURT DOCKET NO. 2017-149, JUN 12 2017
JUNE TERM, 2017
Brie Resnick v. Susan Resnick APPEALED FROM:

}

} Superior Court, Rutland Unit
} Family Division
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DOCKET NO. 407-10-15 Rédm
In the above-entitled cause, the Clerk will enter:

‘On May 30, 2017, appellant husband filed a motion for stay pending appeal. For the

following reasons, the family court's order granting wife immediate possession of the lake house

‘pending appeal is teversed and an automatic stay of the property division inthe final divorce order
is imposed pursuant to Vermont Rule for Family Proceedings 12(4)().

 

Husband's motion for stay concems a lake house the parties purchased during their
‘marriage. While theie divorce was pending, husband had possession of the lake house pursuant to
a stipulated temporary order. In the final divorce order, the family court awarded wife the lake
hhouse as well as the marital home. The family court awarded husband seven rental properties and
another home that he had purchased post-separation but prior to their divorce. Husband filed a
timely notice of appeal of the final divorce order, including the part of the order relating to real
property division

‘After husband filed his appeal, wife filed « motion for possession ofthe lake house pending
the appeal. The family court granted the motion, concluding that Vermont Rule for Family
Proceedings 12(4)2)(A) provided the family court with te discretion to enforce the judgment.
Husband appealed this order under Vermont Rule of Appellate Procedure 8(2)

 

Family Rule 12(a) governs stays prior to appeal. Under Rule 12(a)(1), an execution on a
judgment is automatically stayed for thirty days after the entry of the judgment or until the appeals
Period expires, Rule 12(2)(2) provides certain exceptions to this automatic stay, including orders
relating to parental rights and responsibilities, spousal maintenance, and dissolution of the
marriage, V.RE.P. 12(a)(2)(A). There is no exception to the automatic stay for orders pertaining
1 real property.

 

‘Once an appeal is taken, Rule 12(d) governs stays while the appeal is pending. Rule(d)(1)
states that any judgment that was automaticaly stayed under Rule 12(a)(1) is also stayed during

Wife argues that husband didnot nitty lea motion in the family court to stay the cours order of
possesion as ordinarily required by Vermont Rule of Appellate Procedure (a1). Because we conclude that the
family court did not have the discretion to lift the automatic say under Family Rule 12, we do not adress this
argument eluting Appellate Rule a).
the pendency ofthe appeal. Ifa judgment was not stayed pursuant to Rule 12(aX1)—that i, if it
did not fall under one of the exceptions outlined above—the family court has the diseretion under
Rule 12(4)2\(A) to enforce the judgment while the appeal is pending. See V.RLF.P. 12(8)(2VA)
(When an appeal as been taken from a judgment... in which no stay pursuant to paragraph (1)
of subdivision (a) ofthis rule isin effec, the court in its discretion may, during the pendeney of
the appeal, grant or deny motions for modification or enforcement ofthat judgment.”)

As indicated above, Rule 12(a)(2) does not exempt orders pertaining to the division of real
property from the automatic stay. Because there is no specified exemption, the portion of the final
divorce order relating to the division of real property was subject tothe automatic stay under Rule
12(a)(1) prio tothe appeal and, subsequently, under Rule 12(4)(1) once the appeal was filed.

 

 

‘The court's order granting immediate execution of the reversed and an

automatic say is imposed.