Opinion ID: 1826405
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: whether the chancellor erred in awarding to peggy arthur one-half of jerry arthur's pension profit sharing fund held by his employer.

Text: Because these two assignments of error both involve the equitable division of marital assets, we will first discuss the applicable law and this Court's standard of review. The propriety of each contested award to Peggy Arthur will thereafter be discussed in turn.
In Hemsley v. Hemsley, 639 So.2d 909, 915 (Miss. 1994), this Court determined that marital assets subject to equitable distribution by the chancellor are any and all assets acquired or accumulated during the marriage. A spouse who has made a material contribution toward the acquisition of an asset titled in the other spouse's name may claim an equitable interest in such jointly accumulated property. Hemsley, 639 So.2d at 913; Jones v. Jones, 532 So.2d 574, 580-81 (Miss. 1988). Assets are not subject to distribution where it can be shown that such assets are attributable to one of the parties' separate estates prior to the marriage or outside the marriage. Hemsley, 639 So.2d at 914. This Court has for several years recognized that in making equitable divisions of marital property upon divorce, chancellors are not limited to considering only the earning and cash contributions of each party to the accumulation of the property, but rather [i]t is sufficient contribution if one party renders services generally regarded as domestic in nature. Draper v. Draper, 627 So.2d 302, 306 (Miss. 1993) (citing White v. White, 557 So.2d 480, 485 (Miss. 1989)). We assume for divorce purposes that the contributions and efforts of the marital partners, whether economic, domestic or otherwise are of equal value. Hemsley, 639 So.2d at 915. In Ferguson v. Ferguson, 639 So.2d 921, 928 (Miss. 1994), this Court set forth the factors to be considered by chancellors when making equitable divisions of marital property: 1. Substantial contribution to the accumulation of the property. Factors to be considered in determining contribution are as follows: a. Direct or indirect economic contribution to the acquisition of the property; b. Contribution to the stability and harmony of the marital and family relationships as measured by quality, quantity of time spent on family duties and duration of the marriage; and c. Contribution to the education, training or other accomplishment bearing on the earning power of the spouse accumulating the assets. 2. The degree to which each spouse has expended, withdrawn or otherwise disposed of marital assets and any prior distribution of such assets by agreement, decree or otherwise. 3. The market value and the emotional value of the assets subject to distribution. 4. The value of assets not ordinarily, absent equitable factors to the contrary, subject to such distribution, such as property brought to the marriage by the parties and property acquired by inheritance or inter vivos gift by or to an individual spouse; 5. Tax and other economic consequences, and contractual or legal consequences to third parties, of the proposed distribution; 6. The extent to which property division may, with equity to both parties, be utilized to eliminate periodic payments and other potential sources of future friction between the parties; 7. The needs of the parties for financial security with due regard to the combination of assets, income and earning capacity; and, 8. Any other factor which in equity should be considered. The equitable distribution of marital assets is committed to the discretion of the chancellor, whose findings will not be disturbed by this Court unless the chancellor was manifestly wrong, clearly erroneous or an erroneous legal standard was applied. Ferguson, 639 So.2d at 928, 930.
Jerry Arthur argues that the holdings in Hemsley and Ferguson are in conflict as to whether the cattle acquired during the course of the marriage constitute marital property subject to equitable distribution. Although Jerry admits that the cattle would be subject to distribution under the definition of marital assets in Hemsley, he contends that the Ferguson factors indicate the cattle in fact are not marital assets subject to distribution. We find that Jerry has misunderstood the point of the Ferguson opinion. The Ferguson factors make no attempt to define which assets are marital property subject to distribution, but rather constitute guidelines regarding how chancellors are to equitably divide marital property. Under Hemsley, the chancellor in the case sub judice clearly had the authority to equitably distribute cattle acquired during the marriage. It is by considering the Ferguson factors that the chancellor must then determine what would constitute an equitable distribution. Jerry contends that since Peggy Arthur neither contributed funds towards the purchase of the cattle nor provided labor for the raising, caring and feeding of the cattle, then the chancellor erred in awarding one-half interest in the cattle to her. However, as stated by this Court in previous cases and as reflected in the Ferguson guidelines, the chancellor may  and in fact must  consider Peggy's contributions by way of the performance of domestic, family duties. While Jerry tended the cattle, Peggy stayed home to run the house, do yard work, and care for the children. There are also other factors which in equity should be considered, as is permitted by Ferguson. It would be a fair assumption that but for Jerry's marriage to Peggy, Peggy's father likely would not have given Jerry cattle to get him started in the business in the first place. Furthermore, until the spring of 1993, which was after Jerry and Peggy had separated, the cattle were kept on Peggy's father's land. We therefore hold that the chancellor did not manifestly err in awarding to Peggy Arthur one-half interest in the cattle acquired during the marriage.
In this assignment of error, Jerry Arthur does not contest the entire award of one-half of his retirement fund to Peggy Arthur, but rather he appeals only from the award of one-half of his retirement funds which were accumulated prior to his marriage to Peggy. Jerry's pension profit sharing fund at Peoples Construction Company had been accumulating funds since he began working there in 1969. Although Jerry and Peggy were not married until 1978, the chancellor awarded to Peggy one-half of all of Jerry's retirement funds accumulated at the time of divorce. Jerry argues that the chancellor had no authority to award any portion of those funds which were accumulated prior to the parties' marriage. Indeed, the retirement funds at issue not having been acquired or accumulated during the marriage, they do not fall within Hemsley 's definition of marital assets subject to equitable distribution. 639 So.2d at 915 (emphasis added). The evidence indicates instead that these funds are attributable to one of the parties' separate estates prior to the marriage. Id. at 914 (emphasis added). Jerry's retirement funds which were accumulated prior to the parties' marriage are therefore clearly the type of assets this Court determined in Hemsley would not be subject to equitable distribution upon divorce. Peggy Arthur thus was not entitled to one-half of Jerry's pension funds accumulated prior to the marriage, nor to any portion of the interest thereon. There having been no evidence at trial as to what portion of the funds was accumulated prior to the marriage, we reverse this award and remand for a determination thereof.