Opinion ID: 1723507
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: the divorce proceedings

Text: After several rounds of pleadings, complaints, and counter-complaints with answers thereto, the parties met in Forrest County Chancery Court on August 18,1994. Both parties stipulated that they were willing to forego oral testimony, complete with the opportunity for cross-examination and the opportunity to have the chancellor weight the credibility of each witness and instead have the chancellor decide the merits of their divorce based solely upon affidavits which were to be submitted shortly thereafter by each party and any witnesses either may have had. The parties stipulated that the issues to be decided by the chancellor were as follows: (1) Which party was entitled to the marital home located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi; (2) Which party was entitled to be awarded the home located in Georgia; (3) Whether or not Nancy was entitled to a share of the retirement and stock options, 401K plans and IRAs that Dwight has with his former employer, Gannett; (4) Whether or not Dwight should be required to pay all bills of the marriage; (5) Whether or not Dwight should be required to pay or make a contribution to Nancy's attorney's fees; (6) Which party was to pay the mortgages on the homes in Hattiesburg and Georgia; (7) Whether or not the Court should order a partition of the real property owned by the parties; and (8) Whether or not Nancy had any interest in the Florida home owned by Dwight. On December 1, 1994, the chancellor entered a Final Judgment and Order granting the Sandlins a divorce on the grounds of irreconcilable differences. Further the chancellor ordered the following as it concerned the property settlement: (1) Nancy was awarded the marital Home in Hattiesburg and must pay the mortgage, taxes, and insurance on it without contribution from Dwight; (2) Nancy was awarded the home in Georgia and must pay the mortgage, taxes, and insurance on it without contribution from Dwight; (3) Nancy was granted thirty percent of the present fair market value of Dwight's Gannett Company, Inc. Retirement Plan and forty percent of the 375 shares of Gannett stock acquired during the marriage; (4) Dwight was ordered to pay all the debts that the parties incurred before the separation, with the exception of the mortgage payments on the Hattiesburg home and the Florida home. (5) Dwight was ordered to pay $2,000 toward Nancy's attorney's fees. (6) The chancellor denied partition of the couple's property; (7) The chancellor expressly found that Nancy had no interest in the Florida home owned by Dwight; and, (8) The Court found that the division of property was fair and equitable to both Dwight and Nancy. Dwight, strongly disagreeing with number (8), appealed.