Court Opinion

ID: 9620079
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 05:38:01.149212+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:57:51.743041
License: Public Domain

BENCH, Presiding Judge
(concurring in part and dissenting in part):
I concur with the result reached in the main opinion regarding the joint stock account and the Lyngle Brothers note. I dissent, however, from the awards of attorney fees.
If the decree is ambiguous, as the majority holds, how can fees be awarded to Wife on the theory that Husband did not comply with the decree? He was in compliance with one of the plausible interpretations of the decree. This action is simply a clarification of what the decree provided. Since there has been no showing of need, attorney fees are not awardable either at trial or on appeal. The award of attorney fees on appeal is particularly troublesome in view of the failure of Wife’s cross-appeal.
I would reverse the attorney fee award and deny fees on appeal.