Court Opinion

ID: 9778423
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 21:03:58.617003+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:33:08.582742
License: Public Domain

William J. Wynne, Special Justice, dissenting. My dissent is based on the fact that appellee by her own testimony clearly understood that the lands owned by Marcus D. Faver were to go to his three sons upon his death and that the agreement which she signed some seventeen days prior to her marriage to him was for that purpose. She further testified Mr. Faver told her that unless she signed such agreement they could not get married. The principle that antenuptial agreements must be freely entered into, must not be unjust or inequitable and must not be tainted with fraud has been announced in many prior decisions of this Court. Wylie v. Wylie, 249 Ark. 316, 459 S.W. 2d 127 (1970); Hughes v. Hughes, 251 Ark. 63, 471 S.W. 2d 355 (1971). Here the appellee testified that Marcus Faver did not force her to do anything so that the contract between the parties would appear to have been freely entered. Neither is any contention made that such contract be tainted with fraud. If the same is to fail, then it must be struck down as being unjust or inequitable based upon the presumption of designed concealment arising solely because the provision for the intended wife is disproportionate to the means of the intended husband. It would appear that the marriage between these parties resulted primarily from their desire for compansionship. He was 69 and she was 66. The prior marriage of each party had been terminated by the death of their previous spouse. Similarly, each had three children as a result of their earlier marriage and both naturally thought of the interests of their children when remarriage was considered. It is difficult to understand how Marcus Faver could have been any more straight forward or candid with appellee. She testified he made it clear that unless she signed the agreement so that his boys could keep the lands, they could not get married. Appellee therefore clearly understood prior to the time she signed the agreement that Mr. Paver’s three sons would keep the farm and farm it. Under these circumstances it seems unjust and inequitable to declare invalid the antenuptial agreement between the parties which the majority here says must fail. I would further take this occasion as did Justice Conley Byrd in his concurring opinion in Arnold v. Arnold, 261 Ark. 734, 553 S.W. 2d 251 (1977) to point out that our laws on antenuptial agreements especially among persons beyond the childbearing age need to be substantially revised. Byrd, J., dissents.