Opinion ID: 1676263
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: whether the chancellor was manifestly wrong and committed reversible error in awarding lump sum alimony to appellee.

Text: The four factors to be considered in awarding lump sum alimony were set forth in Cheatham v. Cheatham, 537 So.2d 435 (Miss. 1988): substantial contribution to accumulation of wealth by quitting a job or assisting in the husband's business; a long marriage; separate income or separate estate in comparison to that of the payor; and financial security without any lump sum alimony. Id. at 438. Most important of these factors is a comparison of the estates. Id. Charles attacks the chancellor's award of lump sum alimony because no financial statements were offered at trial and because Elaine fails the Cheatham test. Elaine responds that the chancellor may excuse presentation of financial statements pursuant to Uniform Chancery Court Rule 8.05 and that he had before him sufficient financial information on which to base a decision. Elaine further argues that Cheatham does not apply to this case because it governs only large awards of lump sum alimony. It is true that Uniform Chancery Court Rule 8.05 requires each party to a domestic case involving economic issues to provide a detailed financial statement to the court. It is also true that the court may, pursuant to Rule 8.05, excuse such a requirement. As the chancellor indeed made an award of lump sum alimony and did not mention on the record the lack of financial statements, it can be assumed that the requirement of such financial statements was properly excused in this case. See Pace v. Owens, 511 So.2d 489, 492 (Miss. 1987) (when no specific findings of fact, this Court assumes the trial court made factual determinations sufficient to support its judgment). Moreover, Charles did not object to the lack of financial statements at trial, nor did he raise this issue in his motion for new trial. Charles claims his net worth would be greater were it not for Elaine's losing business ventures. Elaine argues that her work contributed to Charles' accumulation of wealth. Charles drove a pick-up truck; Elaine was awarded the Mercury Marquis. Charles also owned a home and the land on which it is situated. Charles had a bulldozer business which is apparently still a going concern and which showed a net profit of $12,300.00 in 1989, two years prior to the divorce. The tree planting business had alternately been shown as Charles', then as Elaine's business. It appears that most of the couple's expenses were paid from the tree planting account. The tree planting business' net profit in 1989 was $4,140.00. The venetian blind business lost $12,127.00 in 1989 and was no longer in existence. Elaine's custom design business was no longer in existence. The IRS at one time found the couple had overstated their expenses or under-reported their income by about $50,000.00. Elaine netted $1,100.00 a month from her job at Royal Maid. She evidently owned some land, the mineral rights to which she has leased. Elaine also owned an acre of land and a house thereon. No evidence was presented regarding any other investments, debts, or incomes of the parties. Although the chancellor's opinion does not cite Cheatham, it appears that he relied, at least in part, on the Cheatham factors in making the award of lump sum alimony. Elaine's contention that Cheatham does not apply to a small award of lump sum alimony such as that at issue here is correct. Cheatham, 537 So.2d at 438. This Court said in Gray v. Gray, 562 So.2d 79, 83 (Miss. 1990), that the amount of alimony should be reasonable ... commensurate with the wife's accustomed standard of living, minus her own resources, and considering the ability of the husband to pay. Both parties should be allowed to maintain a `decent standard of living.' Monroe v. Monroe, 612 So.2d 353, 357 (Miss. 1992). The chancellor's finding regarding the lump sum alimony was that Elaine had abandoned a good job with a future of owning an interest in the business in order to marry Charles. Elaine was described as industrious and hard-working, doing jobs that might have been considered by some people to be man's work. She was found by the chancellor to have made a significant contribution to the profits of the tree planting business, as evidenced by the purchase, with tree planting profits, of two $10,000.00 certificates of deposit in two years. Based on this record, this Court holds the chancellor's award of $15,000.00 lump sum alimony to be reasonable and, therefore, this Court affirms.