Opinion ID: 2007117
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: property settlement award

Text: I dissent to that aspect of the decision holding appellant Hanks in contempt for failure to pay the property settlement award for the reason that, although I theoretically agree he can be held in contempt for not paying, the record does not substantiate his failure to pay the $10,000.00 was willful. In my opinion, appellant was without sufficient income or money to make any payment with respect to the $10,000.00 judgment, and the evidence clearly demonstrated that he had no borrowing capacity. This is borne out by the following: (1) appellant's adjusted gross income for income tax purposes for the year 1978 was $23,227.28; his adjusted gross income for income tax purposes for the year 1979 was $36,340.22; his adjusted gross income for income tax purposes for the year 1980 was $18,469.28; and for the year 1981, appellant withdrew approximately $18,000.00 from his practice of law; (2) from appellant's adjusted gross income, he had to pay federal income tax, mortgage payments, support obligations to appellee and support for the minor children of these parties while they visited him at Lemmon, South Dakota during the summer months; this left appellant with scanty funds to provide for himself and the necessary expenses of caring for his children while in his temporary custody and continuing to support Teresa L. Hanks on a full-time basis; (3) the evidence preponderates that, after payment of his social security taxes, federal income taxes, mortgage payments of $720.30 a month, $300.00 a month child support payments, an average of approximately $350.00 total utility bills per month and $132.00 a month car payment together with necessary and incidental expenses to maintain his daughter who has refused to live with her mother in Colorado, all this documented by the testimony, records, and files herein, appellant had vital expenses of not less than $18,504.00 a year; (4) expense with respect to the operation of appellant Hank's law practice as demonstrated by the federal income tax records, are not in dispute. My opinion is that appellant Hanks simply did not have the money to pay the property settlement award and apparently not being able to borrow from his banker, he sought to have appellee execute documents to liquidate so that he could pay. She refused. Appellant Hanks, on the property settlement award, found himself between the devil and the dark blue sea. Of the four requirements set forth in Myhre v. Myhre, 296 N.W.2d 905, 907 (S.D.1980), to establish contempt, two of the necessary requirements are missing, namely the ability to comply with the order and a willful and contumacious disobedience of the order. As I review the findings of fact entered by the trial court, I note that the trial court sets forth the adjusted gross income in 1978, 1979, and 1980. The trial court fails to establish the net income for this lawyer and totally disregards any findings of fact concerning the expenses of this lawyer and his daughter who still maintain the family home at Lemmon, South Dakota. To predicate contempt on adjusted gross income and not net income is error. The trial court is required to make findings on all disputed material issues and the trial court totally disregarded entering findings of fact with respect to the net available income appellant Hanks had to defray the $10,000.00 property settlement award. Bell v. Midland Nat'l Life Ins. Co., 78 S.D. 349, 102 N.W.2d 322 (1960).