Title: BOWMAN v BOWMAN

State: montana

Issuer: Montana Supreme Court

Document:

No. 80-262 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF MONTANA 1981 IN RE THE MARRIAGE OF WARREN D. BOWMAN, Petitioner and Respondent, VS . JEAN L. BOWMAN, Respondent and Appellant. Appeal from: District Court of the Thirteenth Judicial District, In and for the County of Yellowstone. Honorable Diane G. Barz, Judge presiding. Counsel of Record: For Appellant: Holmstrom, Dunaway & West, Billings, Montana For Respondent: Anderson, Edwards and Molloy, Billings, Montana Submitted on briefs: June 24, 1981 Decided: September 14, 1981 Filed: SEP 1 .$ 1381 M r . J u s t i c e Frank B. Morrison, Jr., d e l i v e r e d t h e Opinion of the Court. Jean L. Bowman, appeals from the f i n d i n g s of of f a c t , conclusions of law and judgment entered by t h e D i s t r i c t Court of the Thirteenth J u d i c i a l D i s t r i c t , Yellowstone County. The judgment of t h e D i s t r i c t Court dissolved t h e marriage of the a p p e l l a n t and p e t i t i o n e r , Warren D. Bowman; e s t a b l i s h e d c h i l d custody and c h i l d support; divided t h e m a r i t a l e s t a t e ; awarded maintenance t o respondent; required p e t i t i o n e r t o provide f o r t h e c o l l e g e education of t h e c h i l d r e n , and; ordered each p a r t y t o pay t h e i r own a t t o r n e y f e e s and c o s t s . Appellant and respondent were married a t Gallup, New Mexico, on June 12, 1957. They a r e t h e p a r e n t s of f o u r l i v i n g children; Carolyn, born December 29, 1960; Joan, born May 24, 1962; Amy, born May 9 , 1964; and, E r i c , born A p r i l 19, 1969. Respondent, age 50, i s a physician and p a r t n e r i n t h e B i l l i n g s C l i n i c . H i s n e t taxable income f o r 1978 was $63,800 and i n 1979 was $78,048. The D i s t r i c t Court found t h a t respondent was i n e x c e l l e n t h e a l t h and t h a t h i s prospects f o r continued employment a s a physician were good. Appellant, age 4 1 , has been primarily a housewife during t h e marriage. However, she a l s o works part-time a s d i r e c t o r of C h r i s t i a n Education a t S t . Luke ' s Episcopal Church i n B i l l i n g s and a s a d i r e c t o r of t h e Western S t a t e Bank of B i l l i n g s . She earns approximately $4,500 per year from these p o s i t i o n s . She has been a c t i v e l y involved i n community, church, and p o l i t i c a l a c t i v i t i e s . Appellant has attended Rocky Mountain College and earned 72 c r e d i t hours toward a degree i n economics. She needs 52 a d d i t i o n a l c r e d i t hours t o o b t a i n her degree. The D i s t r i c t Court a l s o found a p p e l l a n t t o be i n e x c e l l e n t health. A t t h e t i m e of d i s s o l u t i o n , the n e t worth of t h e m a r i t a l e s t a t e of the p a r t i e s was $416,301.64. Pursuant t o an agreement reached by t h e p a r t i e s , a p p e l l a n t received approxi- mately $159,000 i n a s s e t s . These a s s e t s were primarily nonincome a s s e t s . Custody of t h e minor c h i l d r e n , Joan, A m y and E r i c was granted t o the a p p e l l a n t . Respondent w a s granted reasonable v i s i t a t i o n r i g h t s and ordered t o pay $250 per month c h i l d support f o r each of t h e minor c h i l d r e n u n t i l each minor c h i l d reached age 18 o r was graduated from high school, whichever occurred l a s t . H e was a l s o required t o pay a l l medical and d e n t a l b i l l s incurred by the c h i l d r e n and pay a l l expenses necessary f o r the c h i l d r e n t o obtain c o l l e g e degrees. The D i s t r i c t Court found t h a t a p p e l l a n t was c l e a r l y a b l e t o o b t a i n employment o u t s i d e t h e family home. She was attending c o l l e g e and t h e c o u r t found t h a t a r e a l i s t i c graduation d a t e was June 1982. Although t h e D i s t r i c t Court found t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s p r e s e n t employment was n o t appropri- a t e and t h a t she was i n need of f u r t h e r education, the c o u r t s p e c i f i c a l l y determined t h a t it was u n f a i r t o r e q u i r e t h e respondent t o pay maintenance enabling her t o o b t a i n a law degree o r any post-graduate degree. Based on these f i n d i n g s , t h e D i s t r i c t Court awarded t h e a p p e l l a n t maintenance of $1,500 per month, t o terminate on June 1, 1982, t h e expected graduation d a t e . The D i s t r i c t Court ordered t h a t each p a r t y bear h i s o r her own a t t o r n e y f e e s and c o s t s r e l a t i n g t o the d i s s o l u t i o n . The i s s u e s presented on appeal a r e : 1. Whether t h e D i s t r i c t Court e r r e d i n l i m i t i n g t h e d u r a t i o n of maintenance payments f o r a p p e l l a n t t o two years following d i s s o l u t i o n ? 2. Whether t h e D i s t r i c t Court e r r e d i n refusing t o award t h e a p p e l l a n t a t t o r n e y fees? Appellant does n o t c o n t e s t t h e n e t worth valuation, t h e d i s t r i b u t i o n of assets, o r t h e amount of maintenance awarded; she appeals from t h e D i s t r i c t Court's l i m i t a t i o n on t h e d u r a t i o n of maintenance. Awards of maintenance a r e governed by s e c t i o n 40-4-203, MCA. This provision s t a t e s : " ( 1 ) I n a proceeding f o r d i s s o l u t i o n of marriage o r l e g a l separation o r a proceeding f o r maintenance following d i s s o l u t i o n of the marriage by a c o u r t which lacked personal j u r i s d i c t i o n over the absent spouse, the c o u r t may g r a n t a maintenance order f o r e i t h e r spouse only i f it f i n d s t h a t t h e spouse seeking maintenance: " ( a ) l a c k s s u f f i c i e n t property t o provide f o r h i s reasonable needs; and " ( b ) i s unable t o support himself through appropri- a t e employment o r i s t h e custodian of a c h i l d whose condition o r circumstances make it appropriate t h a t t h e custodian n o t be required t o seek employment o u t s i d e the home. " ( 2 ) The maintenance order s h a l l be i n such amounts and f o r such periods of t i m e a s the c o u r t deems j u s t , without regard t o m a r i t a l misconduct, and a f t e r considering a l l r e l e v a n t f a c t s including: " ( a ) t h e f i n a n c i a l resources of t h e p a r t y seeking maintenance, including m a r i t a l property apportioned t o him, and h i s a b i l i t y t o meet h i s needs independ- e n t l y , including t h e e x t e n t t o which a provision f o r support of a c h i l d l i v i n g with the p a r t y in- cludes a s u m f o r t h a t p a r t y a s custodian; " (b) t h e time necessary t o acquire s u f f i c i e n t educa- t i o n o r t r a i n i n g t o enable t h e p a r t y seeking main- tenance t o f i n d appropriate employment; " ( c ) t h e standard of l i v i n g e s t a b l i s h e d during the marriage; " (d) t h e d u r a t i o n of t h e marriage; " (e) t h e age and t h e physical and emotional condi- t i o n of the spouse seeking maintenance; and " ( f ) t h e a b i l i t y of t h e spouse from whom main- tenance is sought t o m e e t h i s needs while meeting those of t h e spouse seeking maintenance." I n awarding maintenance the D i s t r i c t Court must f i r s t determine i f maintenance i s appropriate under the standards s e t f o r t h i n 40-4-203 (1) ( a ) and (b) , MCA. Then, i f maintenance i s deemed necessary, t h e D i s t r i c t Court must determine d u r a t i o n and amount of t h e award. Such determinations must be made i n accordance with t h e f a c t o r s set f o r t h i n s e c t i o n 40-4-203, MCA. Grenfell v. Grenfell (1979), - Mont. I - 596 P.2d 205, 36 St.Rep. 1100. This Court has determined t h a t t h e t e r m " s u f f i c i e n t property" a s used i n s e c t i o n 40-4-203 (1) ( a ) , means income producing property, n o t income consuming property. Herron Mont. v. Herron (1980), - , 608 P.2d 97, 37 St.Rep. 387. This Court a l s o has held t h a t "appropriate employment", a s used i n s e c t i o n 40-4-203(1) ( b ) , MCA, must be determined with r e l a t i o n t o the standard of l i v i n g achieved by t h e p a r t i e s during t h e marriage. I n Re Marriage of Madson (1978), Mont. , 590 P.2d 1 1 0 , 35 St.Rep. 1873. I n t h e case a t - - b a r , t h e D i s t r i c t Court found t h a t the assets t o be d i s t r i b u t e d t o t h e spouse requesting maintenance, Jean Bowman, w e r e primarily income consuming. The D i s t r i c t Court a l s o found t h a t she was n o t appropriately employed a t t h e p r e s e n t and would need f u r t h e r education. Therefore, t h e D i s t r i c t Court determined t h a t maintenance was proper. W e hold t h a t t h e D i s t r i c t Court c o r r e c t l y determined t h a t maintenance was necessary i n t h i s case. However, i n determining amount and d u r a t i o n of maintenance, t h e D i s t r i c t Court appears t o have ignored t h e considerations i t applied i n determining appropriateness of maintenance. The considerations of whether a s s e t s consume o r produce in- come and whether employment i s appropriate must a l s o be evaluated and applied when e s t a b l i s h i n g amounts and d u r a t i o n of maintenance. The D i s t r i c t Court determined t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t was e n t i t l e d t o maintenance of $1,500 per month f o r 24 months beginning June 1, 1980, and terminating on June 1, 1982. The b a s i s s t a t e d i n support of t h e order was t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t could r e a l i s t i c a l l y be expected t o obtain her degree i n economics from Rocky Mountain College and t h a t it was ". . . u n f a i r and u n j u s t t o r e q u i r e P e t i t i o n e r [Warren Bowman] t o pay maintenance t o Respondent [Jean Bowman] f o r law school o r o t h e r graduate degrees she may want i n t h e f u t u r e . " Ap- p a r e n t l y , t h e D i s t r i c t Court determined t h a t a p p e l l a n t ' s bachelor degree i n economics would enable her t o f i n d appropri- a t e employment t o support h e r s e l f i n a manner s i m i l a r t o t h a t enjoyed during the marriage. However, t h i s determination c o n t r a d i c t s o t h e r f i n d i n g s made by t h e D i s t r i c t Court and i s unsupported by t h e record. Therefore, it i s c l e a r l y erroneous and must be reversed. Rule 5 2 ( a ) , M.R.Civ.P. Eliminating maintenance f o r Jean Bowman, would f o r c e her t o immediately begin earning a t l e a s t $18,000 per year t o r e p l a c e the l o s t maintenance and maintain t h e standard of l i v i n g found appropriate. Testimony by Jean Dimich, a c a r e e r planning and placement counsel a t Rocky Mountain College, who specialized i n job o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r women, i n d i c a t e d t h a t J e a n ' s chances f o r obtaining employment with merely a b a c h e l o r ' s degree i n economics were not very good. The following i s a n excerpt from her testimony. "Q. Assuming, f o r sake of argument, t h a t a person i s 4 1 years o l d , with very l i m i t e d work experience, and without a c o l l e g e degree, t h e person i s a woman, and i s e n t e r i n g the job market f u l l - t i m e f o r t h e f i r s t t i m e . What types of jobs and what s a l a r y ranges a r e a v a i l a b l e t o t h a t person i n t h i s comrnuni ty? "A. W e l l , f o r t h e most p a r t , what a woman i s en- couraged t o do would be t o go g e t Vo-Tech t r a i n i n g and brush-up on c l e r i c a l s k i l l s , and go t o a job of minimum wage o r s l i g h t l y above, around $600.00 would be t h e kind of a job t h a t a person could g e t . Basically, they would be t a l k i n g about s k i l l e d t r a i n i n g , some kind of c l e r i c a l s k i l l e d t r a i n i n g . "Q. Now, assuming t h e same s i t u a t i o n , assuming t h a t t h e person i s a woman, 40 years o l d , o r there- abouts, with a c o l l e g e degree e n t e r i n g t h e labor market f o r t h e f i r s t t i m e , what o p p o r t u n i t i e s a r e a v a i l a b l e t o t h a t person? "A. Well, t h e chances a r e b e t t e r . But it is still very, very competitive. There i s an over supply i n B i l l i n g s of w e l l educated women who have been trans- f e r r e d i n here with t h e i r husbands, mostly. With t h e people t h a t I t a l k with i n t h e community who a r e involved i n t h i s s o r t of thing, say, when a job opens up t h a t i s considered a p r o f e s s i o n a l po- s i t i o n and would pay, say $1,000.00 a month, 30 t o 60 people apply f o r t h a t position. Many of whom have m a s t e r ' s degrees. That d o e s n ' t mean t h a t t h e job always r e q u i r e s a master's degree. But t h e r e a r e a l o t of people with those advanced degrees. So, o t h e r t h i n g s being equal, they tend t o squeeze o u t t h e bachelor's degree candidates. "Q. Is the competition f o r t h a t type of job li- mited t o someone who i s 4 0 years old and e n t e r i n g t h e job market f o r the f i r s t time? "A. What has been happening with the job market i s t h a t women have been going i n t o t h e work f o r c e i n astonishing numbers. I t has doubled i n t h e l a s t 25 years. And a g r e a t d e a l of i n c r e a s e a r e i n t h e women 24 t o 35 who t r a d i t i o n a l l y were o u t of t h e work force. N o w women a r e n ' t stepping o u t t o r a i s e children. They a r e staying i n . So t h e competition f o r t h e 40 p l u s women without experi- ence is even tougher than a few years ago. Because t h e r e a r e so many younger women with t h e work experience a s well a s t h e men. So it i s g e t t i n g tougher a l l t h e t i m e . "Q. What type of t r a i n i n g must t h e 40 year o l d woman who i s e n t e r i n g t h e work f o r c e f o r the f i r s t time have i n order t o have t h e b e s t opportunity a v a i l a b l e t o f i n d a decent job? "A. Well, I think t h a t something t h a t has been considered non-traditional f o r women i s good. And t h a t could be anything from a very t e c h n i c a l laboring type p o s i t i o n which pays w e l l , t o a pro- f e s s i o n a l degree, law degree, medical degree, o r a m a s t e r ' s of business administration I think i s another marketable degree." Thus, the order of t h e D i s t r i c t Court terminating maintenance a t a d a t e c l o s e l y coinciding with a p p e l l a n t ' s expected graduation with a bachelor's degree i n economics places the a p p e l l a n t i n a s i t u a t i o n where she must depend upon income consuming a s s e t s obtained i n t h e d i s s o l u t i o n and an employment f u t u r e which i s not b r i g h t without a d d i t i o n a l education. Granting her maintenance only u n t i l she o b t a i n s her b a c h e l o r ' s degree does n o t give t h e a p p e l l a n t enough time t o o b t a i n a s u f f i c i e n t education through which she can f i n d employment t o maintain, a s nearly a s p o s s i b l e , t h e standard of l i v i n g she and t h e respondent enjoyed during t h e i r marriage. This i s required by s e c t i o n 40-4-203 ( 2 ) , MCA. The cause must be remanded f o r f u r t h e r proceedings c o n s i s t e n t with t h i s opinion. On remand t h e D i s t r i c t Court must keep i n mind t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t i s receiving primarily income consuming a s s e t s i n t h e d i s s o l u t i o n ; t h a t the p a r t i e s achieved a r e l a t i v e l y high standard of l i v i n g during t h e marriage; t h a t the a p p e l l a n t must be given an opportunity f o r appropriate employment considering t h i s high standard of l i v i n g ; and t h a t t h e respondent i s receiving primarily income producing a s s e t s . With regard t o t h e i s s u e of a t t o r n e y f e e s r a i s e d by a p p e l l a n t , t h i s Court has c o n s i s t e n t l y determined t h a t when t h e D i s t r i c t Court r e f u s e s t o award a t t o r n e y f e e s , it must i n d i c a t e i n t h e f i n d i n g s of f a c t , conclusions of law, o r order why such f e e s were n o t awarded. Kronovich v. Kronovich Mont. (1978) , - , 588 P.2d 510, 35 St.Rep. 1946. The D i s t r i c t Court f a i l e d t o follow t h i s procedure. The a t t o r n e y f e e s requested by t h e a p p e l l a n t w i l l be considered on remand, and i f denied, reasons f o r such d e n i a l s h a l l be s t a t e d . The matter i s remanded f o r proceedings i n conformity with t h i s opinion.