In th e S u p re m e Co u rt o f Ge o rg ia

De c id e d: Ju n e 1 , 2 0 1 5

S 1 5 F 00 39 . P ARTRIDGE v . P ARTRIDGE.

MELTON, Ju stic e

.

J a m e s P a rtrid g e (“ H u sb a n d ” ) a n d B r i d g e t P a

r t r i d g e ( “ W i f

e ” ) w e r e m a

r r i e d

o n De c e m

b e r 30
, 1 9 9 4
, a n d th e re a fte r h a d two c h i l d r e n to g e th e r. On e o f th e

c h ild re n wa s bo rn in 1 9 9 4
, a nd th e o th e r wa s b o rn on Ju n e 5
, 1 9 9 7

. Th e p a rtie s

se p a ra te d o n S e p te m

b e r 1
, 2 0 1 3

. Wife file d fo r div o rc e o n No v e m b e r 2 5
, 2 0 1 3
,

a n d th e p a rtie s we re div o rc e d p u rsu a nt to a Ju n e 2, 2 0 1 4 F in a l De c re e

. As p a rt

o f th e F in a l D e c re e , th e tri a l c o u rt o rd e re d
, a m o n g o th e r th in g s, th a t Hu sb a n d

“ sh a ll c o n tin u e to m a k e m on t h l y p a yme n ts o n th e m in or c h ild ’s a u to m o b ile
,

wh ic h is c u rre n tly in h e r p o sse ssio n , u n til sa id a u to m ob ile is p a id in fu ll;” a n d

Hu sb a nd “ sh a ll p a y a lim on y to [W i f e ] i n t h e a m o u n t o f $ 3 8,4 6 0
, p a y a b le a s

fo llo ws: (a ) $3 4 5 p e r m o n th fro m Ju n e 1
, 2 0 1 4 u n til Ju n e 1, 2 01 5 ; (b ) $ 9 4 0 p e r

m o n th fro m Ju ne 1, 20 1 5 u n til Ju n e 1
, 2 0 1 6 ; (c ) $ 64 0 p e r m o n th fro m Ju n e 1
,

2 0 1 6 u n til Ju ne 1, 2 0 1 9 .” Th is Co u rt g ra n te d Hu sb a n d ’s a p p lic a tio n to a

p p e a lp u rsu a n t to Su p re m e Co u rt Ru le 3 4 (4 ), b y wh ic h th is Co u rt sh a ll g ra nt a tim e ly

a p p lic a tio n fro m a fin a l ju dg m e nt a n d d e c re e o f d iv o rc e th a t is de te rm in e d b y

th e Co u rt to h a v e p o ssib le m e rit. F o r th e re a so n s th a t fo llo w, we a ffirm

.

1

. Hu sb a nd c on te n d s th a t th e tria l c o u rt e rre d b y o rd e rin g h i m t o p a y

a lim o n y to Wife

. S p e c ific a lly
, he c la im s th a t Wife a ffirm a tiv e ly wa iv e d a n y

rig h t to c o lle c t a lim o n y in lig ht o f h e r te stim o n y a t th e fin a l h e a rin g in wh ic h sh e

c la im e d th a t sh e d id n o t wa n t a lim o n y . We d isa g re e

.

Alth o u g h
, w h e n q ue stio n e d b y Hu sb a n d ’s c o u n se l, Wife sta te d th a t sh e

wa s “ n ot a sk in g [Hu sb a n d ] to su p p o rt h e r,” an d sh e re sp o n d e d “ no ” wh e n th e

tria l c o u rt a sk e d he r if sh e “ wa s m a k in g a n y c la im o n a n y o f [Hu sb a n d ’s]

p ro p e rty

. . . a lim on y or o th e rwise ;” th e se sta te m e n ts d o n o t re pre se n t th e to ta lity

o f Wife ’s te stim on y re g a

rd in g a lim on y

. Wh e n q u e stio n e d b y h e r o wn c o u n se l

o n d ire c t e x a m in a tio n , th e fo llo win g e x c ha n g e to o k p la c e :

Q. Ok a y

. An d d o y o u fe e l th a t y o u will n e e d s o me e c o n o m ic a ssista n c e

fro m [Hu sb a nd ] to b e a b le to m a in ta in y o u r life sty le a n d b e a b le to

su p p o rt th e c h ild re n ?

A. Ye s.

(Em p h a sis su pp lie d .) Se e a lso OCGA § 1 9 -6 -1 (a ) (“ Alim o n y is a n a llo wa n c e

2o u t o f o n e p a rty ' s e sta te , m a d e fo r th e su pp o rt o f th e o th e r p a rty w h e n l i v in g

se p a ra te ly ” ). It c a n n o t b e sa id th a t Wife u n e q u iv oc a lly re lin q u ish e d h e r c la im

to re c e iv e a lim o n y b a se d o n h e r te stim o n y a t th e fin a l he a rin g. In th is re g a rd
, to

th e e x te n t th a t h e r t es t i mo ny o n a lim o ny a t th e fin a l h e a rin g c a n b e v ie we d a s

c o n flic tin g , s u c h co n flic ts we re fo r th e tria l c o u rt to re so lv e , no t th is Co u rt.

Ha sk e ll v

. Ha sk e ll, 28 6 Ga

. 1 1 2
, 1 1 2 -1 1 3 (1 ) (6 8 6 SE2 d 1 0 2 ) (2 0 0 9) (“ It is th e

d u ty o f t h e t r ia l ju d g e to re so lv e th e c o n flic ts in th e e v id e n c e ” ) (c ita tio n s a n d

p u n c tu a tio n o m itte d ). 1

2

. Hu sb a nd a

rg u e s th a t th e tria l c o u rt e rre d b y o rd e rin g h im to p ay th e c a r

p a y m e n ts o n t h e m in o r c h ild ’s a u to m o b ile

. He a sse rts th a t th e se c a r p a y m e n ts

c o n stitu te d a n im

p ro pe r d e v ia tio n fro m th e a m o u n t o f c h ild su p p o rt th a t

Hu sb a nd wa s le g a lly re q u ire d to pa y

. Ho we v e r, H u sb a n d ’s c h a ra c te riz a tio n o f

th e se c a r p a y m e n ts a s “ c h ild su pp o rt ” is m isp la c e d. Te stim o ny a t th e fin a l

1 We a lso n o te th a t th e re is n o th in g in th e tria l c o u rt’s F in a l De c re e to in d ic a te th a t th e tria l c o u rt a w a rd e d a lim on y to Wife a s a

m e a n s o f fo rc in g Hu sb a nd to “ p ro v id e a

m e a n s o f su p p o rtin g b o th c hild re n [i.e . th e m in o r

c h ild a n d th e a d u lt c hild ] pa st th e ir g ra d u a tio n fro m h ig h sc ho ol.” Hu sb a n d ’s Brie f a t 9 -1 0. Th e a lim o n y a wa rd h a s n o th in g to d o with th e c h ild su p p o rt

a wa rd in th e F in a l De c re e , a nd th e a d u lt c h ild is n o t e v e n m e n tio n e d in th e F in a l De c re e . Th e m in o r c hild is th e o n ly c h ild m e n tio ne d with re ga rd to

c h ild su p p o rt.

3h e a rin g e sta blish e d th a t th is c a r wa s pu rc h a se d d u rin g th e m arria ge , an d th a t

b o th Hu sb a n d a n d W ife w e re jo in t o b lig o rs o n th e in de b te d n e ss o we d o n th e c a r.

Ac c o rd in g ly
, th is m a rita l d e b t c o u ld b e p ro p e rly a d d re sse d b y t h e tria l c o urt

th ro u g h its e q u itab le d iv isio n o f th e p a rtie s’ m a rita l p ro pe rty

. S e e , e

. g ., Mo o re

v

. M o o re , 28 6 G a

. 5 0 5 (1 ) (6 9 0 S E2 d 1 6 6 ) (2 0 1 0 )

. W e fin d no a b u se o f

d isc re tio n in th e tria l c o u rt’s d e c isio n to m a ke Hu s b a n d re sp o n sib le fo r th e

c o n tin u e d p a y m e n ts o n th is m a rita l d e b t a s p a rt o f a n e qu itab le d iv isio n o f th e

p a rtie s’ p ro p e rty

. Se e Ze k se r v

. Z e k s e r , 2 9 3 G a

. 3 6 6
, 36 7 (1 ) (7 4 4 S E2 d 6 9 8 )

(2 0 1 3 ) (“ As we h a v e e x p la in e d b e fo re , a n e q u itab le d iv isio n o f m a rita l p ro p e rty

is n o t n e c e ssa rily a

n e q u a l d iv isio n , b ut a fa ir o n e

. . . . Th e d i v i s i o n o f m a rita l

p ro p e rty is c o m m itte d to th e d isc re tio n o f th e trie r o f fa c t, a n d its d isc re tio n in

th is re sp e c t is b ro a d ” ) (c ita tio n s o m itte d ).

Ju d g m e n t a ffirm e d . All th e Ju stic e s c o n c u r.

4