Opinion ID: 2982362
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The First Marriage

Text: Debtor, James Thomas, and Creditor, Jennifer Clark, were originally married on August 4, 1995. They had two children together, born during the term of the first marriage. Debtor and Creditor purchased a family home on July 12, 1999, using a loan secured by a first mortgage on the property. On April 28, 2001, the couple obtained a loan in the amount of $15,463.79 secured by a second mortgage on the property. On May 13, 2003, the parties entered into a separation agreement pertaining to child custody, division of property and child support. Their divorce was final on June 25, 2003. In the 2003 divorce consent decree, Debtor agreed to relinquish any interest in the family home and Creditor agreed to assume and hold Debtor harmless from the obligation to pay both the first mortgage and second mortgage. Debtor also agreed to pay child support in the amount of $510.00 per month, which was an upward deviation from the standard calculation of child support 2 Debtor asserts that the standard of review should be de novo because the bankruptcy court did not need to assess the credibility of witnesses due to the fact that there was no live testimony. The parties stipulated to certain facts and stipulated to the entry as exhibits the 2003 and 2007 divorce judgments as well as the 2009 post-divorce order. Additionally each submitted an affidavit in lieu of live testimony and waived cross-examination. Even assuming Debtor is correct, the Panel holds that the result would be the same under a de novo standard of review. 3 These facts are taken primarily from the bankruptcy court’s opinion In re Thomas, No. 1310043, 2013 WL 5493214 (Bankr. E.D. Ky. Oct. 2, 2013). Debtor does not challenge these factual findings. Rather, Debtor challenges the inferences the bankruptcy court made from the factual findings and the ultimate conclusion that both debts were support obligations that are nondischargeable. 4 in Ohio. The 2003 consent decree specified that “[t]he deviation [in child support] is in the best interests of the children as the Wife is paying both mortgages on the marital property.” Further, the parties agreed that neither of them would pay spousal support to the other.