Court Opinion

ID: 9653118
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 17:39:04.548896+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:12:56.439424
License: Public Domain

FLANIGAN, Judge
(concurring).
I concur.
I wish to add a few comments with respect to the principal opinion’s treatment of Donna’s first point. In State ex rel. McClintock v. Black, 608 S.W.2d 405 (Mo. banc 1980), the Supreme Court said, at p. 406:
“[OJnce the time for appeal has run, the order of the trial court, although it has failed to divide all of the marital property, is res judicata and final as to the property with which it has dealt.” (Emphasis in original) Accordingly, a motion to vacate that decree, filed in the dissolution action itself, did not lie.
The Court added, however, the following observation, at p. 407:
“It would seem that if the property not distributed by the order of the trial court is marital property (a question we do not decide in this case), a remedy should be made available. Mo. Const., art. I, § 14. We can reasonably anticipate that the General Assembly will fill in this patent gap in the Dissolution of Marriage Law. In the meantime, we suggest that Sharon file in the trial court a separate proceeding seeking equitable relief in this rather unique fact situation. If a party feels aggrieved, the propriety of this subsequent proceeding, or its result, can be tested on appeal.” (Emphasis in original)
The foregoing suggestion may be appropriate here.