Court Opinion

ID: 9790042
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 01:45:30.182759+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:37:25.906516
License: Public Domain

Ott, J.
(dissenting) — The property rights here in controversy were adjudicated in the divorce decree. The questioned provision of the decree reads as follows:
“ . . . provided that if the wife shall at any time sell the said home, the wife hereby agrees that the husband shall be entitled to receive from all the net proceeds derived from the sale of the said home in excess of $6,500.00, the sum of $1,000.00 or ys of said net proceeds in excess of $6,500.00, whichever of said sums is the lesser.”
The quoted provision is not ambiguous. The term “net proceeds” means the amount realized by the wife from the sale of the property, after deducting the amount of the mortgage and expenses of sale.
The majority do not hold that the decree is ambiguous on its face, but state that an ambiguity arises by virtue of the admission of the parties that there was a mortgage of *7record at the time the decree was entered. The majority infer that the residence property was treated by the court as a community asset, free and clear of encumbrances, because the mortgage was not specifically mentioned in the settlement agreement or the decree. Such an inference ignores § 9 of the property settlement agreement, infra, and gives a limited meaning to the term “net proceeds.”
A court cannot read into a writing an ambiguity where none exists. Crofton v. Bargreen, 53 Wn. (2d) 243, 332 P. (2d) 1081 (1958). The majority resort to extrinsic evidence (furnished eight years after the decree became final) to create an ambiguity. The use of extrinsic evidence to create an ambiguity in a writing is contrary to the settled law of this state. In Washintgon Fish & Oyster Co. v. G. P. Halferty & Co., 44 Wn. (2d) 646, 658, 269 P. (2d) 806 (1954), we said:
“. . . We said in Van Doren Roofing & Cornice Co. v. Guardian Cas. & Guaranty Co., 99 Wash. 68, 168 Pac. 1124:
“ ‘The rule is universal that the written contract itself must be resorted to as the source of authority for receiving parol evidence. Parol evidence is never admissible to create an ambiguity, but only to explain or remove an ambiguity apparent on the face of the instrument, or to identify a subject-matter otherwise uncertain.’
“It is the function of the court to examine a contract to determine whether it is either so ambiguous or incomplete as to admit of parol evidence to ascertain the intent of the parties.”
See, also, Schwieger v. Harry W. Robbins & Co., 48 Wn. (2d) 22, 290 P. (2d) 984 (1955); Nichols v. Doak, 48 Wash. 457, 93 Pac. 919 (1908).
Further, in construing a decree, resort may not be had to evidence of the understanding or intention of the parties to the agreement upon which the decree was based. Chappell v. Chappell, 45 Wash. 652, 89 Pac. 166 (1907); City Bank Farmers Trust Co. v. McGowan, 43 F. Supp. 790 (1942). See Hanley v. Most, 9 Wn. (2d) 474, 115 P. (2d) 951 (1941); 1 Freeman on Judgments (5th ed) 132, § 76.
Applying the settled law of this state to the facts pre*8sented by this appeal, extrinsic evidence cannot be considered to establish an ambiguity in a decree which is unambiguous on its face. If it can be said that the decree is ambiguous, I am in accord with the majority that the rule of construction is
“ . . . that, where one construction would make a contract unreasonable, and another, equally consistent with its language, would make it reasonable, the interpretation, which makes it a rational and probable agreement must be adopted.”
I do not agree that the construction placed upon the decree by the appellant is more reasonable than the construction urged by the respondent. To the contrary, respondent’s construction is, in my opinion, the more reasonable one.
The record shows that, at the time of the divorce, the community’s only asset of substance was the equity in the home. The husband’s earnings were nominal. They had three infant children to support, Dale Z., three years and eleven months of age, and Volney T. and Viston R., Jr., twins, two years and ten months of age. The wife was awarded the custody of the children and the duty to maintain a home and provide food, clothing, education, and medical needs for these infants until they reached the age of majority. The husband agreed to contribute one hundred fifty dollars a month toward the cost of maintaining the home and child support. By the terms of § 9 of the agreement, this contribution could never be increased, even in the event of a changed condition.
It was evident that, because of the infancy of the children, the wife had a full-time job caring for them and, therefore, could not supplement the husband’s support contributions by seeking employment. The amount of one hundred fifty dollars a month was not sufficient to provide the food, clothing, and medical attention for herself and three children, pay the monthly heat, light, water, and telephone bills, pay the taxes, insurance, and upkeep on the home, and, finally pay the interest (thirty dollars a month) and the installments on the mortgage.
*9The property settlement anticipated that, in order for her to supply the mere necessities of life for herself and the children, she could increase the mortgage on the home and thus obtain additional funds to provide these necessities. The amount of this fixed additional allowance for support was limited to sixty-five hundred dollars, and, if more was received, the husband would share in the excess. By this agreement, the husband was assured that his monthly support payments over a period of eighteen years would never be increased, and that responsibility for supplying the deficit for the support of his three children until they reached the age of majority was entirely that of his wife.
Further, the home did not sell for the additional sum. The wife was able to realize only $3,286.90 more than the mortgage and costs of sale. The record shows that this sum was entirely used to supplement the support payments for the children in the seven years and four months preceding this action, and that the wife, in fact, realized nothing for herself. Assuming, however, that $3,286.90 was actually received and available, it represented returns from the sale of community property, of which amount the wife would normally be entitled to one half; therefore, the husband’s additional contribution, in fact, amounted to only $1,643.45 for eighteen years of support and care for his three sons. However, the majority require the wife to pay to the husband one thousand dollars from the proceeds of the sale which will make his added contribution for the support of his three sons until they reach the age of majority only $643.45. By the terms of the agreement, the payment of the deficit for the support of the children for the next ten years will be made by the wife alone.
The respondent’s construction of the decree, when read in the light of these realities, was most generous and reasonable as it related to the appellant.
The appellant, in effect, is simply seeking to modify the decree of divorce as it relates to the property settlement. The decree was entered in 1950. This action was com*10menced in 1958. A petition to modify or vacate a decree must be brought within one year after the entry thereof. RCW 4.72.010, 4.72.020, 4.72.030. As an action to modify the decree, it is not timely.
Finally, the net proceeds amounted to $3,286.90, which amount was less than sixty-five hundred dollars, and, by the terms of the decree the husband is entitled to nothing therefrom.
The judgment should be affirmed.
Finley and Foster, JJ., concur with Ott, J.