Court Opinion

ID: 9647359
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 13:34:06.227555+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:11:48.501454
License: Public Domain

COOK, Justice,
concurring.
The instant contract, as did the contract in Williams v. Williams, 569 S.W.2d 867 (Tex.1978), violated the law when it was written. Contracts violating the law are ordinarily void. 15 S. Williston, A Treatise on the Law of Contracts § 1762, at 201-02 (1972). However, such contracts may be upheld when to do otherwise would actually frustrate public policy. Restatement (Second) of Contracts § 179 comment c (1981). If the contract entered into by Audrian and Lillian Beck were not enforced, the public policy that spouses may divide their property as Audrian and Lillian did would be thwarted.
I write separately to emphasize that retroactive validation based on subsequent law should be conservatively applied. This doctrine should be used only where the public policy is so clearly and broadly stated as to be unmistakable. The amendment of the state constitution to allow recharac-terization of property is such an instance.
I concur in the judgment of this court.