Opinion ID: 1652426
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Surcharges

Text: Ms. Skokos asserted at trial that she was entitled to be reimbursed for one half of the allegedly improper payments made by Mr. Skokos with marital funds both before and after Ms. Skokos filed her complaint for divorce. The Chancellor determined the payments at issue were not improper and denied Ms. Skokos's request for a surcharge or reimbursement. Ms. Skokos argues on appeal that this determination was clearly erroneous and should be reversed. We affirm on this point. In a divorce action, a spouse may recover his or her interest in marital property that the other spouse has transferred if the latter made the transfer for the purpose of defrauding the former of his or her interest in the property. Pierson v. Barkley, 253 Ark. 131, 133, 484 S.W.2d 872, 873 (1972); Dowell v. Dowell, 207 Ark. 578, 182 S.W.2d 344 (1944). In Ramsey v. Ramsey, 259 Ark. 16, 531 S.W.2d 28 (1975), the wife was granted a divorce but appealed the Chancellor's division of property. We reversed and remanded, in part, because the Chancellor had failed to make an award to the wife for personal property that her husband had fraudulently transferred. We said that there was a preponderance of the evidence to show that there was a wrongful disposition of personal property by appellee to defeat appellant's marital interest and that it was error for the court to refuse to consider or make any order concerning items removed by appellee. An extensive enumeration of these items was made by appellant and it was not substantially contradicted. See Carr v. Carr, 226 Ark. 355, 289 S.W.2d 899. See also, Austin v. Austin, 143 Ark. 222, 220 S.W. 46; Wilson v. Wilson, 163 Ark. 294, 259 S.W. 742. Ramsey v. Ramsey, 259 Ark. at 23, 531 S.W.2d at 33. See also Hardy v. Hardy, 228 Ark. 991, 995, 311 S.W.2d 761, 763-64 (1958)(A husband has the right to make a transfer of his property, either with or without consideration, even though he strips himself of all means of supporting his wife, and leaves her without the means of subsistence, provided that he does so in good faith and without intention of defrauding her of her just claims upon him and his estate.)(citation omitted). On appeal, Ms. Skokos argues that she is entitled to be reimbursed for one half of each of three particular transfers that, in her view, were improperly made by Mr. Skokos. She claims she is entitled to a 50-percent surcharge against: (1) a gift of $60,000 made to the Skokoses' three children through the Theodore C. Skokos Irrevocable Trust No. 3; (2) another $60,000 gift to the children allegedly made through the Theodore C. Skokos Irrevocable Trust No. 4; and (3) a $645,000 payment made by Mr. Skokos to Sheffield Nelson. Thus, Ms. Skokos seeks a reimbursement or surcharge for one half of $765,000, or $382,500. We hold that Ms. Skokos is not entitled to this sum.