Opinion ID: 1305108
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Effect of the Agreement

Text: Based on the doctrines of waiver and estoppel, Wife argues the Agreement should have been enforced to prevent Husband from asserting the bar on alimony based on adultery. We agree. South Carolina statutory law provides that no alimony may be awarded to a spouse who commits adultery before either: (1) the formal signing of a written property or marital settlement agreement, or (2) the entry of a permanent order of separate maintenance and support or of a permanent order approving a property or marital settlement agreement between the parties. S.C.Code Ann. § 20-3-130(A). Waiver is a voluntary and intentional abandonment or relinquishment of a known right. Parker v. Parker, 313 S.C. 482, 487, 443 S.E.2d 388, 391 (1994). Stated differently, waiver requires a party to have known of a right and known he was abandoning that right. Strickland, 375 S.C. at 85, 650 S.E.2d at 471. Equitable estoppel occurs where a party is denied the right to plead or prove an otherwise important fact because of something which he has done or failed to do. Parker, 313 S.C. at 487, 443 S.E.2d at 391. This Court has recognized that the distinction between waiver and estoppel is close, and sometimes the doctrines merge into each other with almost imperceptible gradations. Id. (citation omitted); Strickland, supra . We find the Agreement here constitutes a waiver of the right to use adultery as a bar to alimony. Clearly, Husband knew of this right as it was his lawyer who drew up the Agreement. Therefore, Husband intentionally abandoned this right. Strickland, supra . Moreover, Husband actively sought Wife's signature on the Agreement because he was about to move in with his girlfriend. Thus, the trial court erred in not finding Husband was equitably estopped from using Wife's subsequent adultery as a bar to alimony. See Parker, supra . Husband argues that the Agreement contravenes public policy, and therefore, the family court correctly did not enforce the Agreement. See Berkebile v. Outen, 311 S.C. 50, 54 n. 2, 426 S.E.2d 760, 762 n. 2 (1993) (The general rule is that courts will not enforce a contract which is violative of public policy, statutory law, or provisions of the Constitution.). We disagree. In our opinion, the Agreement was a mutual promise to not sue for divorce based on adultery, and to not raise adultery as a bar to alimony. In other words, the Agreement was not against public policy, it simply was a valid waiver. Hence, it must be enforced. See Degenhart v. Burriss, 360 S.C. at 501, 602 S.E.2d at 98 (the family court must enforce an unambiguous contract according to its terms regardless of its wisdom or folly, apparent unreasonableness, or the parties' failure to guard their rights carefully) (internal quote marks and citation omitted); cf. Maxwell v. Maxwell, 375 S.C. 182, 650 S.E.2d 680 (Ct.App.2007) (upholding a written non-modifiable separation agreement which included alimony to the wife as well as a promise not to bring a divorce action based on adultery, even though the husband later discovered the wife had committed adultery before the agreement's execution); Croom v. Croom, 305 S.C. 158, 406 S.E.2d 381 (Ct.App.1991) (upholding court-approved written settlement of the parties which included alimony to the wife and an agreement to not bring divorce action based on adultery despite the wife's subsequent cohabitation with her paramour). Accordingly, we reverse the family court's ruling that the Agreement was unenforceable and remand the matter for a determination of the proper type and amount of alimony for Wife. See § 20-3-130(C) (enumerating factors to be considered when making an alimony award).