Court Opinion

ID: 9786333
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-30 23:53:43.805083+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:42:46.987192
License: Public Domain

EDMONDS, P. J.,
concurring.
I agree that the trial court erred in not analyzing the specific language of the dissolution settlement agreement to ascertain whether Norma and Roy intended to terminate Norma’s beneficiary interest in Roy’s insurance policies. I write separately, however, to observe that the personal representative seeks to hold Norma in contempt for disobeying the terms of the dissolution judgment. My understanding of the law of contempt is that he must demonstrate that Norma is in willful disobedience of the judgment in order for the trial court to find her in contempt; in other words, that Norma was aware that she was not entitled to any of the proceeds from the life insurance policies at the time that she entered into the settlement agreement and thereafter attempted to assert her beneficiary interest despite that knowledge. At least on the record before us, the evidence does not appear to satisfy that requirement.