Court Opinion

ID: 9616983
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 04:51:11.701866+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:04:04.355200
License: Public Domain

STERNBERG, Judge,
dissenting:
I dissent.
My point of departure from the majority is its conclusion that the concept of “inquiry notice” applies only in a fraud case and that it has no place in a situation such as this where there is a statutory duty to make fair disclosure. I would apply the “inquiry notice” doctrine here as the trial court did. The statute codifies a type of constructive fraud, and, in my view, there is no valid reason to treat cases arising under it differently from other fraud type actions.
There is no case law, no principle of statutory construction, nor any legislative history indicating that the “fair disclosure” required by § 15-11-204, C.R.S. 1973, is such that the waiving spouse is freed from all duties of reasonable inquiry.
Merely because the parties are not at arms-length when the waiver is effected is no basis for the waiving spouse to forego all analysis of a proffered disclosure. The matrimonial embrace may soften, but it does not totally eliminate, a spouse’s critical powers.
Here, the asset in question was a farm which husband had sold to his son in return for an $85,000 promissory note. The wife knew the general value of the farm, and knew or should have known that cash or other tangibles-or a note-would have been received in payment therefor. See Youngblood v. Youngblood, 457 S.W.2d 750 (Mo.1970) and Del Vecchio v. Del Vecchio, 143 So.2d 17 (Fla.1962). Thus, the fact that she had no actual knowledge of the existence of the note is not significant and should not be the basis for allowing her now to overturn the antenuptial agreement and share in assets she had agreed would not be hers.
Contrary to the situation in Linker v. Linker, 28 Colo.App. 131, 470 P.2d 921 (1971), there are no indicia of fraud present here. The jury having been properly instructed, its factual determinations should not be disturbed, and the judgment entered based upon them should be affirmed.