Source: http://masscases.com/cases/app/80/80massappct496.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-23 18:40:44+00:00

Document:
CHARLES G. FREIDUS vs. STACI R. HARTWELL.
Present: GRASSO, GRAHAM, & HANLON, JJ.
Divorce and Separation, Separation agreement, Division of property, Attorney's fees. Practice, Civil, Costs. Contempt.
In a contempt action arising from a judgment of divorce nisi, into which the parties' separation agreement was incorporated but not merged, a Probate and Family Court judge, having concluded that neither party was in contempt, correctly declined to award the wife costs and attorney's fees under a provision of the agreement [501-503]; further, the judge did not abuse her discretion in declining to award costs and attorney's fees to the wife pursuant to G. L. c. 208, § 38, where the judge made no finding of misrepresentation or fraudulent conduct on the part of the husband [503-504]; finally, this court declined to award the wife appellate attorney's fees under either the provision of the agreement or G. L. c. 208, § 38 .
COMPLAINT for divorce filed in the Middlesex Division of the Probate and Family Court Department on March 24, 2006.
Complaints for contempt, filed on June 21 and July 5, 2007, were heard by Leilah A. Keamy, J.
Wendy H. Sibbison for the wife.
Paul W. Morenberg for the husband.
GRAHAM, J. The central issue presented by the former wife on this appeal from a judgment on cross-complaints for contempt is whether she was entitled to contractual attorney's fees and costs incurred by her in "enforcing" the parties' separation agreement, which was incorporated in the judgment of divorce nisi but survived the judgment as an independent contract. As we conclude that the judge did not err by failing to award the wife contractual attorney's fees (or statutory attorney's fees pursuant to G. L. c. 208, § 38), we affirm the judgment.
1. Background. The parties, who were married in 1990, operated an antiques and collectibles business on property owned by the husband on Felton Street in Waltham. The parties also lived together at that location. [Note 1] On March 6, 2006, the husband locked the wife out of the loft area at the Felton Street property (the husband remained in the loft area), leaving her to reside in the former office, which the judge characterized as the "marital apartment." Shortly thereafter, the husband filed a complaint for divorce.
breach shall be liable for all court costs and counsel fees incurred in instituting and prosecuting such action."
On June 21, 2007, the husband filed a complaint for civil contempt alleging that the wife had violated numerous orders of the court as set out in the divorce judgment. Although the husband claimed, among other things, that the wife had refused to cooperate with the special master in dividing their personal property, he made no allegation that the wife had taken any personal property that was subject to division. On or about July 5, 2007, the wife also filed a complaint for contempt alleging various violations of the orders contained in the divorce judgment.
Meanwhile, the special master visited the Felton Street property on several occasions and was provided with inventory lists that had been prepared by the parties in July, 2006. On one such visit the husband, outside the wife's presence, presented the special master with photographs of the marital apartment where the wife resided. The husband alleged that the photographs were taken by him on March 4, 2006, and that all the items pictured in the photographs were in the wife's space when the parties began residing separately on March 7, 2006. Upon entering the marital apartment, the husband claimed that certain valuable items of personal property were missing or damaged. The wife denied taking, removing, or destroying any of the property photographed by the husband. The special master made the assumption that the wife had taken the alleged missing property. [Note 4] He declined to complete a division of the parties' tangible personal property because of the parties' dispute concerning the property.
After four partial days of trial in June, 2008, a mistrial was entered when the probate judge then assigned to the case determined that the matter could not be concluded prior to his retirement. In June, 2008, the parties also resolved a majority of the husband's contempt issues. The remaining issues for trial included the husband's allegation that the wife failed to cooperate with the special master; the division of the parties' tangible personal property; the payment of the $200,000, plus interest, that was escrowed "and the remaining amount owed to the [wife] for her interest" in the Felton Street property; and damages, including attorney's fees and costs.
stole, hid, or damaged certain items of tangible personal property were based solely upon his assumptions.
The judge did not find "convincing" the husband's position that the alleged predivorce photographs taken in the former marital residence show personal property that is now "missing." The judge stated that there was no substantiation or evidence as to exactly when the photographs were taken or when either of the parties had control or possession of the items shown. The husband, the judge found, had many opportunities to take the photographs and then later, through March 7, 2006, sell, trade, or otherwise remove the photographed items from the premises. [Note 9] In addition, the judge found that the husband had not proved that the wife did not cooperate with the special master; to the contrary, the testimony revealed that the wife was cooperative.
"[T]he same lack of evidence that unravels the [husband's] claim applies to the [wife]. At no time during the divorce proceeding or at the divorce trial did the [wife] establish a value for the personal property subject to division. The [a]greement entered into by both parties regarding the division of personal property is devoid of values and itemization of personalty. It cannot be cured on contempt by either party.
By a "Judgment of Contempt" dated May 5, 2009, on the parties' cross-complaints for contempt, the judge concluded that neither party was in contempt. [Note 11] The judge further ordered that within thirty days of the receipt of the judgment the parties were to meet at the former marital home to divide the tangible personal property pursuant to the terms of the separation agreement of April 10, 2007. [Note 12] The judge also ordered that in accordance with article II, paragraph 4, of the separation agreement the husband's counsel as escrow agent was to pay forthwith to the wife the entire escrow balance ($200,000 plus interest from July 9, 2007 through the date of payment). In addition, the judge ordered that "[e]ach party shall be responsible for payment of their respective attorney's fees and costs incurred in connection with the contempt proceedings."
After the wife's motion "to reconsider law and to amend paragraph 3 [pertaining to attorney's fees]" of the judgment was denied, the wife filed her notice of appeal.
post-divorce contempt action that was settled by the "full and final settlement" provision of the agreement, and (2) using false accusations of theft to deprive the wife of the fruits of her contract in violation of the standards of good faith and fair dealing, which are inherent in all separation agreements.
parties in the present actions made claims concerning the alleged missing property and that the same lack of evidence that unraveled the husband's claim applied to the wife's claim. In the circumstances, we decline to disturb the divorce judgment.
worth one-quarter of a million dollars, vandalized a valuable cabinet, and obstructed the division of marital property. See Kelley v. Kelley, 64 Mass. App. Ct. 733 , 742 (2005) (judge abused his discretion in denying the wife's motion for attorney's fees and costs).
"A judge has broad discretion in awarding attorney's fees under G. L. c. 208, § 38, and, it follows, broad discretion to deny an award." Wolcott v. Wolcott, 78 Mass. App. Ct. 539 , 546 (2011). Here, the judge made no finding of misrepresentation or fraudulent conduct on the part of the husband. Moreover, the judge noted that both parties had made claims concerning the alleged missing items. We cannot say that the judge abused her broad discretion in declining to award the wife statutory attorney's fees. See Drapek v. Drapek, 399 Mass. 240 , 248 (1987); Kendall v. Kendall, 426 Mass. 238 , 251-252 (1997), cert. denied, 524 U.S. 953 (1998).
(c) Contempt. Upon review of the court's memorandum and findings, we fail to discern merit in the wife's argument (grounded largely in her assertions that the husband made false statements and engaged in egregious conduct to subvert and undermine the divorce judgment) that the judge abused his discretion in finding the husband not guilty of contempt.
(d) Appellate attorney's fees. In view of the decision we reach, we deny the wife's request to order the husband to pay her reasonable attorney's fees for the appeal pursuant to article III, paragraph 15, of the parties' agreement. We also deny the wife's request for appellate attorney's fees and costs pursuant to G. L. c. 208, § 38.
The judgment dated May 5, 2009, is affirmed.
[Note 1] The parties lived in an area of the property that included a 2,500 square foot loft, an 800 square foot office, and a 1,500 square foot basement. The "marital residence," which consisted of the loft and office, is located above an 8,000 square foot antiques cooperative.
[Note 2] Paragraph 1 further provides that all family and premarital items in the other party's possession shall be transferred back to that party. The parties agreed to then walk through their marital residences and the basement area and alternately select choices from their joint marital property. There were over 1,000 items in the basement area, over 500 items in the loft, and over 500 items in the marital apartment. At some point in June, 2007, the parties agreed to a named individual as special master to assist them in dividing their tangible personal property.
[Note 3] The husband was to advance the wife $5,000 against the $216,000 on or before April 20, 2007, leaving the sum due on or before July 9, 2007, at $211,000.
[Note 4] The special master based his assumption, among other things, on his determinations that (1) the items pictured in the husband's photographs were not in the marital apartment or in the loft area, (2) the wife refused to take a polygraph test, and (3) the wife opposed the husband being polygraphed. (The judge later found that it was outside the scope of the special master's appointment to request that the parties submit to a polygraph test).
[Note 5] The wife also moved out of the marital apartment on July 10, 2007.
[Note 6] Both parties also make reference in their briefs to a Probate and Family Court hearing on July 13, 2007, at which the judge indicated that the husband's complaint for contempt would encompass his allegations that the wife had improperly removed various items of personal property.
[Note 7] As the wife "accepts all the trial judge's subsidiary findings of fact," she has not included the trial transcript in the appendix.
[Note 8] The judge found that prior to the parties' execution of the agreement and the judgment, the husband alleged missing property and accused the wife of removing valuable antiques and jewelry (which the wife denied). The judge stated that the husband had ample opportunity to pursue his claim.
[Note 9] With respect to the husband's additional claim that the wife had chained and damaged a valuable cabinet (a claim denied by the wife), the judge stated that there was no evidence as to when the chain went on the cabinet or when the brasses were, if ever, removed.
[Note 10] The wife also requested in her proposed judgment that she be compensated $100,000 for her one-half share of the alleged missing items.
[Note 11] The judge stated, inter alia, in his memorandum that the husband had not "satisfied his burden."
[Note 12] The judge specified the method and distribution of the personalty.
[Note 13] The husband asserts in his brief that the case was tried as a simple contempt action; there was no trial by consent of breach of contract claims. We note that certain papers filed by the wife indicate that she was seeking specific performance of the parties' separation agreement, and the judge made reference to the doctrine of specific performance in her memorandum and rationale for decision. (The judge's conclusions of law, however, refer only to principles applicable directly to the litigation of civil contempt actions.) In the absence of a trial transcript, we are unable to determine whether additional statements or representations were made at trial that shed light on how the matter was tried.
[Note 14] The wife also argues that she is entitled to consequential damages (including automobile finance charges, credit card interest and late fees, and life insurance policy interest) caused by the husband's unlawful stay of her contractual right to $200,000. We do not find convincing the wife's position that the stay was unlawful. That aside, the husband asserts in his brief that the wife failed to assert her legal claim for damages at trial (although the judge noted that the remaining issues for trial included damages) and attempted to first raise her alleged losses in her proposed memorandum and/or findings. In the absence of a trial transcript, we are unable to determine whether the issue of damages was properly presented at trial, see Breyan v. Breyan, 54 Mass. App. Ct. 372 , 382 (2002), or whether there was competent evidence of damages. See National Grange Mut. Ins. Co. v. Walsh, 27 Mass. App. Ct. 155 , 157-158 (1989).

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