Opinion ID: 2296470
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Agreement Properly Rescinded

Text: Mr. Hughes contends that the Family Court erred and/or abused its discretion when it determined that Ms. Peterson did not voluntarily sign the separation agreement, but did so because of undue influence exerted by him. Undue influence occurs when the following four elements are present: first, a person who is subject to influence; second, an opportunity to exert undue influence; third, a disposition to exert such influence; and fourth, a result indicating the presence of undue influence. [7] Based upon the evidence presented at the hearing, the Family Court found that Mr. Hughes had not filed his PFA petition in good faith, but had used it to manipulate himself into a position of control over Ms. Peterson. Mr. Hughes admitted that he was not afraid that Ms. Peterson would harm him. That admission raised questions about his motivation for filing the petition. Mr. Hughes was aware that Ms. Peterson's job as a correctional officer would be in jeopardy if she were found to have committed an act of abuse. The Family Court concluded that Mr. Hughes had used his wife's fear of losing her employment due to the PFA, as well as her strong desire to reconcile with him, as a means of forcing her to sign the separation agreement. In reaching that conclusion, it noted: The entry made by Balloto in his notary log underscores the inherent difficulty in coupling the negotiation of a marital property agreement with a pending PFA hearing. Even without the threat of loss of employment, executing a separation agreement on the same day a PFA petition is resolved, raises the questions of intimidation and fairness. The Family Court also found that Ms. Peterson, who was unrepresented at the time, had no opportunity to review the agreement with an attorney prior to signing it. Mr. Hughes admitted that he had reviewed the agreement with an attorney prior to presenting it to Ms. Peterson. Because Mr. Hughes controlled the couple's finances and Ms. Peterson had no detailed knowledge of their assets and debts, the Family Court found that Mr. Hughes was the dominant party in the marriage and that he occupied a superior bargaining position at the time the separation agreement was signed. Where a separation agreement results in the dominant party in the marital relationship profiting at the inferior party's expense, the burden is on the dominant party to prove that the separation agreement is fair. [8] The record reflects that Mr. Hughes did not satisfy that burden of proof. The Family Court found that the terms of the separation agreement itself, while not unconscionable, heavily favored Mr. Hughes, which he admitted at the hearing. The Family Court independently concluded that the terms of the separation were unfair and that Mr. Hughes exerted undue influence in getting Ms. Peterson to sign it. The Family Court's findings are supported by the record. [9] Its decision to rescind the separation agreement is the product of an orderly and logical deductive process. [10] In the absence of any error of law, we conclude that the Family Court's decision to rescind the separation agreement must be affirmed.