Court Opinion

ID: 9942520
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-02-21 15:03:38.710714+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:48:11.743816
License: Public Domain

DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA
                             FOURTH DISTRICT

                            RHONDA HINES,
                              Appellant,

                                     v.

                          ARTHUR WILLIAMS,
                              Appellee.

                            No. 4D2022-2182

                           [February 21, 2024]

  Appeal from the Circuit Court for the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, Palm
Beach  County;    James     L.    Martz,    Judge;   L.T.    Case    No.
502018DR008059XXXXSB.

  Joshua K. Friedman and Jennifer A. Patti of Brodie & Friedman, P.A.,
Boca Raton, for appellant.

   Susan R. Brown of Susan R. Brown, P.A., Plantation, for appellee.

GERBER, J.

   The former wife appeals from the circuit court’s original final judgment,
supplemental final judgment, and amended supplemental final judgment,
which collectively comprise the court’s equitable distribution
determination. The former wife argues, among other things, that the
circuit court’s equitable distribution determination did not include factual
findings required by section 61.075(1) and (3), Florida Statutes (2021),
thus mandating reversal. We agree with that argument and reverse for the
circuit court to make such statutorily required findings.

   Section 61.075(3) provides:

      In any contested dissolution action wherein a stipulation and
      agreement has not been entered and filed, any distribution of
      marital assets or marital liabilities shall be supported by
      factual findings in the judgment or order based on competent
      substantial evidence with reference to the factors enumerated
      in subsection (1). The distribution of all marital assets and
      marital liabilities, whether equal or unequal, shall include
      specific written findings of fact as to the following:

      (a) Clear identification of nonmarital assets and ownership
      interests;

      (b) Identification of marital assets, including the individual
      valuation of significant assets, and designation of which
      spouse shall be entitled to each asset;

      (c) Identification of the marital liabilities and designation of
      which spouse shall be responsible for each liability;

      (d) Any other findings necessary to advise the parties or the
      reviewing court of the trial court’s rationale for the
      distribution of marital assets and allocation of liabilities.

§ 61.075(3), Fla. Stat. (2021) (emphases added).

   Here, although the supplemental final judgment states the circuit
court’s equitable distribution worksheet was based “upon agreement of the
parties[,]” no such agreement existed. As the parties’ pretrial stipulation
stated: “[I]ssue[] for the court to decide: … equitable distribution of marital
property and marital assets/debts and determination on what is non-
marital property.”

    Moreover, although the circuit court’s equitable distribution
determination reflected the circuit court took a substantial amount of
evidence and referred to facts which could support an unequal distribution
of the marital assets and liabilities, the court did not make specific findings
referencing the factors enumerated in section 61.075(1), thus compelling
reversal on that ground alone. Fernandez-Tretiakova v. Fernandez, 313
So. 3d 623, 624 (Fla. 4th DCA 2021).

    Further, the circuit court did not make specific written findings of fact
clearly identifying “nonmarital assets and ownership interests” per section
61.075(3)(a) even though the equitable distribution worksheet provided a
significant monetary distribution of nonmarital assets. “These factual
findings required by section 61.075(3) are necessary in order to facilitate
effective appellate review of the trial court’s property distribution scheme.”
Crooks v. Crooks, 967 So. 2d 969, 970 (Fla. 4th DCA 2007) (citation
omitted).

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   The circuit court failed to make these findings even though the former
wife’s motion for rehearing had reminded the court that such findings were
statutorily required and, without such findings, reversible error could
occur. As we stated in Callwood v. Callwood, 221 So. 3d 1198 (Fla. 4th
DCA 2017):

         Reversible error occurs where the equitable distribution in
      the final judgment is not supported by factual findings with
      reference to the factors listed in section 61.075(1), as required
      by section 61.075(3) when a stipulation and agreement has
      not been entered and filed. Although compliance with section
      61.075(3)’s requirements of written findings of fact is not
      necessary when the parties have reached a valid agreement
      regarding equitable distribution, these requirements must be
      met when there is no such agreement and a distribution
      scheme is ordered by the court.

Id. at 1201 (internal citation and quotation marks omitted).

   The former wife’s failure to furnish transcripts of the two evidentiary
hearings leading to the circuit court’s equitable distribution determination
does not preclude us from reversing for the applicable statutorily required
findings to be made. See Garrison v. Garrison, 255 So. 3d 877, 878 (Fla.
4th DCA 2018) (even without a transcript of the trial proceedings, “[f]ailure
to make the statutorily required findings [under section 61.075] requires
reversal”); Badgley v. Sanchez, 165 So. 3d 742, 744 (Fla. 4th DCA 2015)
(“We are cognizant of husband’s failure to provide this court a transcript,
but have held a trial court’s failure to make statutorily-required [equitable
distribution] findings nonetheless warrants reversal.”); Whelan v. Whelan,
736 So. 2d 732, 733 (Fla. 4th DCA 1999) (“Even when no trial transcript
is provided to the reviewing court, failure to make sufficient findings
regarding value of property and identification of marital assets and debts
constitutes reversible error and requires remand for appropriate findings
to be made.”) (citation, brackets, and internal quotation marks omitted).

   Based on the foregoing, we reverse the circuit court’s original final
judgment, supplemental final judgment, and amended supplemental final
judgment, to the extent those judgments collectively comprise the circuit
court’s equitable distribution determination. We remand for the circuit
court to make the statutorily required factual findings in a second
amended final judgment which encapsulates the court’s entire equitable
distribution determination.

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    We note that in at least one prior case requiring remand for the purpose
of making the statutorily required findings, we have not required the
circuit court “to take any additional evidence or conduct further
proceedings if the record before it is sufficient.” Fernandez-Tretiakova, 313
So. 3d at 625. Here, however, given the passage of time since the two
evidentiary hearings leading to the prior equitable distribution
determination, and the lack of transcripts from those hearings, the circuit
court, in its discretion, may: (1) take additional evidence and conduct
further proceedings to enable the circuit court to make the statutorily
required findings; and (2) amend and/or update its prior equitable
distribution determination in light of any additional evidence presented.
Cf. Banton v. Parker-Banton, 756 So. 2d 155, 156 (Fla. 4th DCA 2000)
(“When reversible error occurs with regard to valuation or distribution, the
entire distribution scheme must be reversed and remanded to allow the
trial court to ensure both parties receive equity and justice.”).

   On the former wife’s remaining arguments on appeal, we affirm without
further discussion.

   Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded for proceedings
consistent with this opinion.

MAY and CIKLIN, JJ., concur.

                            *        *         *

   Not final until disposition of timely filed motion for rehearing.

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