Indiana Law Review Recent Developments: Indiana Family Law Joseph W. Ruppert* Michael G. Ruppert' Introduction During the survey period, at least sixty Indiana appellate decisions were published involving the broad topic known as Family Law/ This Article is primarily limited to a review of Indiana Appellate Court decisions during the survey period which advance, clarify, or raise further questions regarding the state's body of family law, particularly the commonly recognized subjects of dissolution of marriage, paternity, child custody, support, and adoption. A significant piece of legislation that permits arbitration in certain family law cases was enacted during the survey period and will be discussed. I. Dissolution of Marrl^ge The following discussion considers some cases of note involving the topics of property distribution, spousal maintenance, marital agreements, and other matters in the context of dissolution of marriage. A. Property Distribution 1. Marital Property Issues.—The first of the three primary questions involved in marital asset distribution concerns the definition of marital property. The other two questions involve the valuation of the property and how it is to be * Associate, Ruppert & Schaefer, P.C. B.A., 1973, Purdue University; J.D., with distinction, 1979, St. Mary's University School of Law, San Antonio, Texas. ** Partner, Ruppert & Schaefer, P.C. B.A., 1974, Indiana University; J.D., 1977, Cleveland Marshall College of Law, Cleveland, Ohio. The author has received the designation of Certified Indiana Family Law specialist from the Indiana Family Law Certification Board. 1 . Ten articles of title 3 1 of the Indiana Code are specifically referred to as family law. Ind. Code § 31-11 to -31-20 (2004). Those articles cover marriage, domestic relations courts, the parent-child relationship, establishment of paternity, dissolution of marriage and legal separation, support of children and other dependents, custody and visitation rights, the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, adoption, and human reproduction. Title 3 1 also contains an article ofgeneral provisions and an article consisting of 149 sections of definitions pertaining to both family and juvenile law. An additional eleven articles of title 31 are specifically referred to as "juvenile law." See iND. Code § 3 1 -9-2-72 (2004) ("'Juvenile law' refers to [iND. Code §] 3 1 -30 [to] ... 3 1 -40."). Also, every legal proceeding in Indiana between parents involving child support or visitation with their children is governed by the Indiana Supreme Court's Child Support Rules and Guidelines and Parenting Time Guidelines. Throughout an additional fifteen other titles of the Indiana Code are provisions governing criminal offenses against children and the family, children's protection services, marriage and family therapists, and trust and fiduciaries. Federal legislation involving taxation, bankruptcy, and retirement benefits can be a consideration in virtually any property settlement. Other federal legislation impacts Native American adoptions, parental kidnapping, and state enforcement of child support obligations. 996 INDIANA LAW REVIEW [Vol. 39:995 distributed. Indiana courts have referred to asset distribution as a two-step process, involving a determination of the marital estate and its division.^ It is really more involved than that. Determining martial property sometimes involves a determination of whether something is in fact property and, if so, whether it is a marital asset. Many cases involving valuation of assets attest to the significance of that question. The marital property and valuation questions necessarily affect the final question—distribution.^ In re Marriage of Nickels^ demonstrates the persistent desire of litigants to exclude property from the marital estate at the time of the divorce (rather than at the beginning of the marriage) and exemplifies Indiana's all-inclusive marital property law. In Nickels, the husband and wife both brought real estate into the marriage which they retitled to themselves as entireties property.^ In addition, the wife inherited a substantial sum of money from her parents' estate prior to the marriage, which amount was distributed after the date of marriage and placed into a joint account.^ The wife had accumulated nearly twenty-six years of credit toward her pension at the time of the parties' marriage. The wife appealed the trial court's division of assets. Among other claims, the wife argued that the trial court erred by including the entire value of her pension and not just the portion that accumulated during the marriage.^ On appeal the court reiterated Indiana's unified pot theory of marital property: "All property, whether acquired before or during the marriage, is generally included in the marital estate for property division. This 'one pot theory specifically prohibits the exclusion of any assets from the scope of the trial court's power to divide and award. '"^ 2. Card v. Card, 825 N.E.2d 907, 91 1 (Ind. Ct. App. 2005) (citing Thompson v. Thompson, 811 N.E.2d 888, 912-13 (Ind. Ct. App. 2004)). 3 . See generally Robert J. Levy, Introduction to Divorce-Property Issues, 23 Fam. L.Q. 1 47 (1989). 4. 834 N.E.2d 1091 (Ind. Ct. App. 2005). 5. Mat 1096. 6. Id. at 1094, 1098. 7. M. at 1097-98. 8. Id. at 1098 (internal citations and quotation marks omitted) (quoting Wyzard v. Wyzard, 771 N.E.2d 754, 757 (Ind. Ct. App. 2002)). The Indiana Code defines "property" for purposes of dissolution of marriage as "all the assets of either party or both parties, including" current pension payments and the right to receive in the future vested retirement benefits. iND. Code § 31-9-2- 98(b) (2005). The Code provides: In an action for dissolution of marriage under IC 31-15-2-2, the court shall divide the property of the parties whether: ( 1 ) owned by either spouse before the marriage; (2) acquired by either spouse in his or her own right: (A) after the marriage; and (B) before final separation of the parties; or, (3) acquired by their joint efforts. Ind. Code § 31-15-7-4(a). Thus, a spouse may not select which of the parties' assets are to be 2006] FAMILY LAW 997 In short, the wife contended that only the portion of the pension that accrued during the marriage should have been subject to division. She argued effectively that the trial court should have used a "coverture fraction" to exclude the premarital portion of her pension.^ The court quickly disposed of the wife's argument on appeal because she refers us to no authority standing for the proposition that a trial court must use a coverture fraction formula to distribute a pension or retirement plan. Moreover, while a trial court may set aside to one party the value of a marital asset where the other party made no contribution to its acquisition, it is not required to do so.^° Magee v. Garry-Magee^^ presents a question of first impression regarding whether a valuable tax right should be included in the marital estate. ^^ In Magee, the parties executed a prenuptial agreement prior to the date of their marriage which included, among other matters, a provision that the parties would file joint income tax returns during the marriage if to do so would produce the smallest amount of aggregate tax.^^ One of the wife's contentions on appeal was that the trial court erred by requiring her to reimburse the husband for his increased tax liability caused by her refusal to file joint tax returns in 2002.^"^ Apparently, the wife accumulated a tax loss carryover through stock transactions in the wife's brokerage account, which account was her separate property according to the premarital agreement. The wife's refusal to file joint tax refunds deprived the husband of the tax reduction he could have received by claiming the losses. The wife argued that the trial court erred by subordinating the separate property provision of the agreement to the provision requiring joint tax returns where a tax savings would be realized. ^^ The court noted that whether "a tax loss carryover is property that could be subject to allocation in dissolution proceedings . . . considered marital property, absent a valid premarital agreement. See Huber v. Huber, 586 N.E.2d 887, 889 (Ind. Ct. App. 1992). 9. The court explained that a coverture fraction is just one method that a court may use to distribute pension benefits to the earning and the non-earning spouses. The numerator of the coverture fraction "is the period of time during which the marriage existed [while pension rights were accruing] and the denominator is the total period of time which the pension rights accrued." In re Marriage ofNickels, 834 N.E.2d at 1098 & n.2 (citing In re Marriage of Preston, 704 N.E.2d 1098, 1098 (Ind. Ct. App. 1999)). The total value of the pension is multiplied by the coverture fraction to determine the value accrued during the marriage. Id. Using the coverture fraction litigants typically argue that the premarital portion should be distributed to them and that the marital portion should be distributed in specific portions between the parties. 10. In re Marriage ofNickels, 834 N.E.2d at 1098 (citing In re Marriage ofPuUy, 652 N.E.2d 528, 530 (Ind. Ct. App. 1995)). 11. 833 N.E.2d 1083 (Ind. Ct. App. 2005). 12. Id. at 1086, 1092. 13. /J. at 1086. 14. Mat 1092. 15. Mat 1093. 998 INDIANA LAW REVIEW [Vol. 39:995 presents a matter of first impression in Indiana."'^ The court also "agree[d] . . . that a tax loss carryover is property subject to distribution in a dissolution proceeding under [Indiana Code section] 31-15-7-4."'^ The court also held that the trial court properly construed the premarital agreement. The agreement would have reserved the tax loss carryover entirely to the wife, but for the provision that the exclusion of separate property from marital property was specifically made subject to the provision that the parties file joint tax returns if that would achieve the greatest tax savings.'^ The Indiana Supreme Court has clarified property settlement law as it relates to personal injury awards for damages occurring during the marriage versus awards for future lost wages. The question presented in Beckley v. Beckley^^ was whether an award of benefits under the Federal Employer's Liability Act ("FELA") was a part of the marital estate subject to distribution.^^ In Beckley, the husband was injured in a work-related accident while employed by a railroad. He settled his claim under FELA, which covers employees of common carrier railroads for such accidents, for a lump sum in the amount of $175,000. Four months later, the wife filed a petition for dissolution of marriage. The trial court, having included all of the settlement in the marital estate, gave seventy-five percent of it to the husband and a quarter to the wife. Overall, the husband received sixty-nine percent of the estate and the wife received thirty-one percent.^^ On appeal, the wife complained about the unequal distribution and the husband complained about inclusion of any of the settlement in the marital estate because he claimed the settlement was for future lost wages.^^ The trial court had included all of the FELA award in the marital estate despite the fact that the award represented damages for both pain and suffering and future lost wages. The court of appeals remanded the case to the trial court with instructions to determine what portion of the FELA award represented compensation for damages occurring during the marriage and what portion represented future lost wages.^^ It held that only that portion representing compensation is divisible as a marital asset. The Indiana Supreme Court affirmed the trial court even though it agreed with the court of appeals because it reasoned that compensation for future lost wages is not a vested property interest subject to distribution in a dissolution of marriage.^"^ The supreme court began its analysis with two equally well-established propositions: (1) Indiana statutes define "property" as all the assets of either or 16. Mat 1092. 17. Id. 18. Id. at 1093. 19. 822 N.E.2d 158 (Ind. 2005). 20. Id at 160. 21. Id. 22. Id 23. Id.\ see Beckley v. Beckley, 790 N.E.2d 1033, 1037 (Ind. Ct. App. 2003). 24. Id at 162-63. 2006] FAMILY LAW 999 both parties and (2) earnings after the marriage are not marital property.^^ The husband in Beckley contended that FELA was similar to Indiana's Workers' Compensation Act and, thus, his FELA settlement should not be included as part of the marital estate subject to distribution. The supreme court acknowledged that FELA, like Indiana's Workers' Compensation Statute, was designed to shift the cost of work injuries and death from the employee to the employer.^^ However, the court went on to note "important distinctions between the two systems."^^ Notably, federal courts have steadfastly maintained that FELA is not a worker's compensation law but a negligence statute.^^ Additionally, Indiana's Workers' Compensation Statute provided benefits regardless of fault, so long as the injury arose out of and in the course of employment.^^ FELA, on the other hand, imposes liability only where the injuries are the result of negligence.^^ Most importantly for the court, an award under FELA may include damages for pain and suffering.^* The court then went on to announce a holding that arguably applies to all personal injury settlements or awards resulting from a tort. "[W]e hold that any part of a FELA award representing future losses is not marital property subject to distribution. Rather, only that portion of the award intended as compensation for past losses, that is, losses incurred during the marriage, is included in the marital estate."^^ The court explicitly rejected the idea that "an entire lump sum settlement is included in the marital pot."^^ The supreme court, however, did not remand the case to the trial court for further proceedings consistent with its decision. Rather, the majority held that a presumption is created by the dissolution statute that all the assets of either or both parties are subject to division and that The party who seeks to rebut the presumption, i.e., the party who seeks to have property not included (or at least not divided), bears the burden of demonstrating that the statutory presumption should not apply. This is so because an exclusion from the marital estate directly implicates whether the marital property will be equally divided. And our dissolution statute provides that a party seeking to rebut the presumption of equal division of marital property bears the burden of proof in doing so.^^ Thus, the court held that the husband, who sought to exclude the FELA award as 25. /J. at 160. 26. Mat 161. 27. Id. 28. Id. 29. M. 30. Id. 31. Id. 32. Id. at 162. 33. Id. 34. Id. at 163 1000 INDIANA LAW REVIEW [Vol. 39:995 property, failed to carry his burden of proof to demonstrate the portion of the award that should not have been included in the marital estate; having failed to carry his burden, the majority could not say that the trial court erred by including the entire award in the marital estate subject to division.^^ Justice Dickson concurred with the majority's holding that the portion of the FELA settlement representing future lost earnings should be excluded from the marital pot while the portion intended as compensation for losses incurred during the marriage should be included.^^ However, he disagreed "with the majority's decision to create a presumption that all assets of either or both parties in a dissolution case are marital property subject to division."^^ Apparently, he was concerned that the presumption was too broad and created the risk of uncertainty as to various types of property outside the marital estate.^^ Justice Dickson criticized the majority for deciding against the husband based on an evidentiary presumption "that did not exist at the time the parties presented their evidence and the trial court evaluated it. At the least, the parties and the trial court should be given an opportunity to apply this new presumption to the facts of this case. I believe that remand is appropriate."^^^ Another case decided during this survey period which determined that an intangible could constitute divisible marriage property is DeSalle v. Gentry^^ In DeSalle, the main portion of the parties' personal property consisted of antique toys which the parties bought and sold at several toy show venues in the eastern continental United States."^^ The wife held fifty-one percent of the stock and the husband held forty-nine percent of the stock in the corporation they formed to buy and sell the toys."^^ On appeal, the husband complained, among other things, that the trial court erred by awarding the wife profitable toy show venues while he was awarded venues that were either unprofitable or no longer in existence. "^^ He argued that the venues were personal goodwill, which were excludable from divisible marital property, because only he could represent the business since he is well known in the toy show industry, and he knows all the dealers.'*^ The court disagreed with him. It concluded that the toy show venues were an aspect of the corporation's enterprise goodwill, a different intangible asset, which is divisible marital property."^^ The disagreement between the court and the husband was not fatal to his claim on appeal, however. The trial court, in attempting to divide the marital estate equally, abused its discretion when it impaired the husband's ability 35. Id. 36. Id. (Dickson, J., concurring and dissenting). 37. Id 38. See id. at 163-64. 39. Id at 165. 40. 818 N.E.2d 40 (Ind. Ct. App. 2004). 41. Mat 43. 42. Id 43. Id at 44. 44. Id. at 47. 45. Mat 47-48. 2006] FAMILY LAW 1001 to earn a future income by awarding him the poor performing venues. "^^ The absence of a permanent, physical location for the business means that the toy show venues are the sole place where the toys are bought and sold and, consequently, the sole source of [the husband's] income. . . . [T]he trial court's division of toy show venues effectively resulted in an injunction against [the husband's] future income. Therefore, we hold that the trial court abused its discretion when it divided the toy show venues between the former spouses."*^ 2. Property Valuation Issues.—It is a well-established rule of law in Indiana that a trial court may select a valuation date for marital property any time between the date the petition for dissolution is filed and the date a decree of dissolution is entered."^^ In Magee, the court noted that the parties' premarital agreement modified the rule for valuation,"*^ and provided as the valuation date of the wife's interest in a parcel of the husband's real estate the earliest of the parties' estrangement, their legal separation, the dissolution of their marriage, or the husband's death.^^ The trial court found that the term "estrangement" as used in the premarital agreement was ambiguous and that the parties' testimony regarding its meaning had little value. As a result, the trial court determined that estrangement was not applicable in this case.^' Obviously, the husband was alive, and the trial court apparently took legal separation literally to mean the filing of a legal separation petition. Accordingly, the trial court selected the date of dissolution as the date to value the wife's interest in the real estate of the husband's that she was to receive under the premarital agreement.^^ On appeal, the husband contended that the dissolution court erred when it construed the term estrangement and thus used an improper valuation date.^^ The court stated that "[a]ntenuptial agreements are legal contracts by which parties entering a marriage attempt to settle their respective interests in the property of the other during the course of the marriage and upon its termination."^"^ They should be "construed according to principals applicable to the construction of contracts generally, and . . . liberally construed to carry out the parties' intent."^^ In this case, the agreement alters the customary understanding of what is 46. Id. at 48. 47. Id. 48. Magee v. Garry-Magee, 833 N.E.2d 1083, 1087 (Ind. Ct. App. 2005) (citing Reese v. Reese, 671 N.E.2d 187, 191 (Ind. Ct. App. 1996)). The date of the filing for dissolution of marriage is the statutory "final separation date." See iND. CODE § 3 1-9-2-46 (2005). 49. Mag^^, 833 N.E.2d at 1087. 50. Id. at 1086. 51. /^. at 1088. 52. M. at 1086. 53. Mat 1087. 54. Id. 55. Id. (internal citation onlitted). 1002 INDIANA LAW REVIEW [Vol. 39:995 included in marital property.^^ "The Agreement also modifies the rule of law that a trial court may select a valuation date any time between the date a petition for dissolution is filed and the date a decree of dissolution is entered."^^ The court went on to state that the trial court's definition of "estrangement" altered the agreement by improperly adding a condition not in the agreement.^^ "Both the dissolution court and this court must apply the triggering events clause as it is written even if the draftsmanship is flawed."^^ Therefore, "estrangement must be construed as "a diversion or waning of affections that may or may not be accompanied by a physical separation, regardless of whether legal proceedings have been initiated."^^ Here, estrangement had occurred because ofthe husband's "verified declaration [of the] irretrievable breakdown of the marriage."^^ The issue presented in Goossens v. Goossens^^ was whether the trial court erred by using the lower of two amounts testified to by the wife as the value of the marital residence.^^ At the final hearing, the wife submitted a verified financial statement which contained her opinion that the value of the marital residence was $97,500. She also submitted into evidence a tax assessment showing that the assessed value was $97,500. However, during her direct examination, she testified that she thought the house was worth $90,000, an amount which her own attorney noted was different from her original estimates. The trial court found that the value of the marital residence was $90,000, which, obviously, had an affect upon the amount of the equity in the residence.^"^ The husband appealed and claimed that the assignment of value by the trial court was error. The court of appeals did not agree.^^ Where the trial court's evaluation of property is within the range of values supported by the evidence, the court does not abuse its discretion. . . . Whether or not we would have come to the same conclusion as the trial court had we been the finder of fact, the fact remains that the trial court's finding was within the range of values supported by the evidence. We therefore conclude that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in assigning value to the Jackson Boulevard property.^^ Adjusting the value of a marital asset by debt incurred by one of the parties after the date of filing the petition for dissolution of marriage was rejected in In 56. Id. 57. Id. 58. Id. at 1087-88. 59. Mat 1088. 60. Id. 61. Mat 1089. 62. 829 N.E.2d 36 (Ind. Ct. App. 2005). 63. Id. at 38. 64. Id. 65. Id. 66. Id. at 38-39 (internal citations omitted). 2006] FAMILY LAW 1003 re Marriage ofNickels.^^ In Nickels the husband owned a garage business that apparently was a sole proprietorship. Among the assets comprising the business were a checking account and accounts receivable. However, the trial court's valuation of the accounts was approximately $3000 lower than what the evidence indicated. On appeal the husband contended that the trial court merely "balanced" the value of the accounts against "'unspecified business debt' and his need to borrow $3,000 when 'she took everything. '"^^ The court rejected this argument because "Husband testified that he borrowed the $3000 after he filed the petition for dissolution Therefore, the trial court's valuation of Husband's 'Garage Account' at $4487 is not supported by the evidence."^^ 3. Asset Distribution Issues.—For the most part, the foregoing cases claim error in the distribution of the marital estate as the result of improper exclusion or inclusion of assets in the estate or the improper valuation of an asset. In Gard V. Garcf^ the trial court attempted to use factors to deviate from the presumption of an equal division of the marital estate^* because it wanted to adjust the content of the marital estate.^^ The trial court then applied the percentages for distribution 67. In re Marriage of Nickels, 834 N.E.2d 1091, 1 100 (Ind. Ct. App. 2005). 68. /J. at 1099. 69. Id. (emphasis added). 70. 825 N.E.2d 907 (Ind. Ct. App. 2005). 7 1 . Ind. Code § 3 1 - 15-7-5 (2005) provides the presumption of an equal division of marital property and a non-exhaustive list of factors to rebut it: The court shall presume that an equal division of the marital property between the parties is just and reasonable. However, this presumption may be rebutted by a party who presents relevant evidence, including evidence concerning the following factors, that an equal division would not be just and reasonable: (1) The contribution of each spouse to the acquisition of the property, regardless of whether the contribution was income producing. (2) The extent to which the property was acquired by each spouse: (A) before the marriage; or (B) through inheritance or gift. (3) The economic circumstances of each spouse at the time the disposition of the property is to become effective, including the desirability of awarding the family residence or the right to dwell in the family residence for such periods as the court considers just to the spouse having custody of any children. (4) The conduct of the parties during the marriage as related to the disposition or dissipation of their property. (5) The earnings or earning ability of the parties as related to: (A) a final division of property; and (B) a final determination of the property rights of the parties. 72. In another finding of fact the trial court wrote: Wife introduced evidence of Husband's net worth at the date of marriage of - $135,013.14. The Court has already credited Husband with the sum of $31,400 in pre- marital funds used to establish an investment account, increasing Husband's net worth to -$103,613.14. Husband testified that an additional $8,000.00 of alimony to previous 1004 INDIANA LAW REVIEW [Vol. 39:995 that it found appropriate to the altered marital estate7^ Because of these altered percentages, the husband owed the wife over $100,000. The wife obviously recognized that she received sixty-five percent of a reduced marital estate. Both parties filed motions to correct calculation errors.^"^ The husband appealed contending that the trial court should have disregarded his pre-marital debts and the marital assets used to satisfy those debts in determining the marital estate.^^ Among the husband's arguments was that it appeared that the trial court "without saying so . . . concluded [Husband's] pre-marriage debts had dissipated marital assets."^^ Although the court in Gard did not find any evidence that the trial court had relied upon dissipation, it did find it necessary to recite a concise primer on marital assets and debts for its remand.^^ It noted that in this case the trial court improperly included the husband's premarital liabilities and assets.^^ To make clear to the trial court the distinction between the determination of marital property and its distribution, the court of appeals went on to note: Husband states that he does not challenge the current 60%-40% division of the marital estate, but given that $95,613.14 must be subtracted from its value, the trial court may determine that a different distribution is more just and reasonable. In this second step of marital property division [i.e. distribution of the assets], the trial court is not prohibited from considering Husband's premarital debts and their satisfaction with marital assets as factors relating to an appropriate division of the marital wife was not paid; the Court finds that Husband's net worth at the time of the marriage was -$95,613.14. Gard, 825 N.E.2d at 909. The court then concluded that the wife was primarily a homemaker and entitled to sixty-five percent of the marital estate and that the husband was entitled to thirty-five percent of the marital estate. Id. 73. Id. 74. Id. The trial court's entry on the wife's motion to correct errors reads in part: [Wife] . . . asserts that the Court erred in deducting from, rather than adding to, the total value of the marital estate, a pre-existing financial obligation of [Husband] which was satisfied during the marital relationship by marital assets. The Court agrees, GRANTS [Wife's] Motion, and adopts the values of the marital estate contained in amended Paragraph 11 of the Court's Findings of Facts. . . . [T]he Court finds that, had those valuation and computational errors not been made, the Court would not have ordered the 65%-35% distribution of the marital estate. The Court further finds and now ORDERS that [Wife] shall receive 60% ... of the marital estate. Accordingly, the Court now ORDERS [Husband] to pay [Wife] the sum of $227,372.99 as a final distribution .... Id. at 909-10 (alterations in original). 75. Id. 76. Id. at 91 1 n.2 (internal quotation marks omitted). 77. /J. at 910-11. 78. Id. 2006] FAMILY LAW 1005 assets existing at the time of the final separation/^ In Hatten v. Hatten^^ the trial court made an unequal distribution of assets favoring the husband in the dissolution of approximately a forty year marriage by awarding him all of a jointly titled investment account because it was traceable to an inheritance the he had received in 1988. The wife appealed this distribution an abuse of discretion.^ ^ On appeal, the court found that the trial court's findings were not supported by the evidence and did not support the judgment. The trial court found that the Merrill Lynch account "remained a separate and distinct account throughout the marriage," but also found that the parties had "had the mutual benefit of approximately $23,000 of expenditures from the Merrill Lynch account during the marriage." . . . Wife testified that originally, the account was held in Husband's name alone, but at some point. Husband added her name to the account of his own volition. Funds from the account were used to [repair the marital residence] . . . [and] for regular household expenses for both Husband and Wife .... Under these circumstances, we do not believe that the account can be considered "separate and distinct." Moreover, although it is true, as the trial court found, that Wife did not make any separate financial contribution to the account, the fact that she used a portion of her own inheritance for household expenses and the purchase of a car for Husband in part protected the funds in the Merrill Lynch account from having to be used for those purposes. Finally, the fact that Wife enjoyed the benefit of other commingled funds over the course of the marriage does not disqualify her from also enjoying the benefit of these commingled funds. We therefore hold that the trial court abused its discretion in awarding the entire value of the Merrill Lynch account to Husband.^^ Judge Baker dissented and opined that the trial court's findings were sufficient for deviation from the presumption of an equal division.^^ The majority responded to Judge Baker's criticism to make clear that its decision was based upon rejection of the mere traceability as a basis for deviation: "We recognize the precedent of Keller, but disagree with the conclusion reached therein. People commingle assets for a variety of reasons; however, the mere fact of traceability of assets should not be the basis for deviation from the presumptive equal division. We therefore decline to follow Keller herein."^ 79. ld.2X9\\. 80. 825 N.E.2d 791 (Ind. Ct. App.), trans, denied, 841 N.E.2d 180 (Ind. 2005). 81. /rf. at 792-93. 82. Id. 2X196. 83. Id. at 797 (Baker, J., dissenting) (citing Keller v. Keller, 639 N.E.2d 372 (Ind. Ct. App. 1994)). 84. Id. at 796 (majority opinion). 1006 INDIANA LAW REVIEW [Vol. 39:995 B. Spousal Maintenance Issues Two cases decided during the survey period, Haville v. Haville^^ and Zan v. Zan^^ provide answers at this time to the question of whether agreed-to spousal maintenance is subsequently modifiable where the court could have originally ordered the spousal maintenance. That question was specifically left open in the Indiana Supreme Court decision in Voigt v. Voigt}^ In Haville, the parties agreed at the time of their divorce that the husband would pay the wife maintenance in the amount of $400 per month for the remainder of her life due to the disabling effects of multiple sclerosis. ^^ The agreement to pay life time spousal maintenance was part of the parties' settlement agreement which was approved and incorporated by the court in its decree for dissolution of marriage. Also included in the settlement agreement were provisions providing: (1) that each party released all claims and rights which he or she had against the other by reason of their relationship as the husband and the wife; (2) that each party accepted the provisions of the agreement in full release and settlement of any and all claims that either had against the other; (3) that the settlement agreement was binding upon the heirs, executors and administrators of the parties; and (4) that the agreement settled all property and spousal maintenance rights between the parties.^^ Five years later the wife petitioned to modify the monthly maintenance seeking an increase. The husband moved to dismiss the petition. The trial court granted the motion to dismiss on the grounds that the agreement was not modifiable because the maintenance payments would continue after the husband's death which the trial court believed it could not have ordered.^^ The court of appeals affirmed,^' and the supreme court granted transfer.^^ A united supreme court voted to affirm the trial court's decision but split 3-2 on the question of whether Indiana law authorizes orders for incapacity maintenance that continue after the obligor's death.^^ The majority, led by Justice Dickson, agreed with the wife that a trial court does have the authority to make an incapacity award that continues after the death of the obligor.^"^ 85. 825 N.E.2d 375 (Ind. 2005). 86. 820 N.E.2d 1284 (Ind. Ct. App. 2005). 87. 670 N.E.2d 1271, 1280 n.l3 (Ind. 1996). What Voigt did decide was that a trial court may not grant a contested post-decree modification of agreed-to spousal maintenance if the maintenance was of a form it could not have originally ordered. Id. at 1290. 88. //av///e, 825 N.E.2d at 376. 89. Id. at 316-n. 90. Id. at 311. 91. Haville v. Haville, 787 N.E.2d410 (Ind. Ct. App. 2003), superseded by 825 N.E.2d 375 (Ind. 2005). 92. //av///^, 825 N.E.2d at 376. 93. W. at 378-79. 94. Mat 377-78. 2006] FAMILY LAW 1007 Indiana case law thus does not prohibit a maintenance obligation from surviving the death of the obligor where the decree so provides. Furthermore, maintenance for a spouse's incapacity, lasting beyond the death of the obligor, is authorized by statute. Where a spouse is incapacitated such that the spouse's ability of self-support is materially affected, a court "may find that maintenance for the spouse is necessary during the period of incapacity, subject to further order of the court." The duration of this authorized maintenance obligation is expressly measured by the period of the recipient's incapacity and not by the lifetime of the obligor.^^ Having found that the trial court could have ordered the spousal maintenance to last beyond the obligor's lifetime, the court, however, found that by the terms of the agreement the spousal maintenance was not modifiable.^^ Because a trial court cannot order non-modifiable spousal maintenance, "the trial court lacked authority to thereafter modify the maintenance obligation created by the previously approved settlement agreement."^^ Chief Justice Shepherd, in a concurring opinion, stated his belief that the majority wrongly decided the question whether an Indiana court could order incapacity maintenance beyond the death of the obligor.^^ Arguing that our legislature abolished the idea of alimony as support for a former spouse, he noted that, prior to its abolition, a trial court could only order alimony for support which terminated upon the death of the spouse, unless the parties agreed otherwise. ^^ Thus, in his opinion, the legislature did not intend to authorize judges to order maintenance beyond the death of the obligor. Rather, the legislature intended to recognize that certain impairments may last for quite a long time.'^ Barring a subsequent supreme court decision to the contrary, the court in Zan V. Zan did squarely address the issue left open by Voigt}^^ In Zan, the husband agreed to pay $800 a month to the wife in rehabilitative maintenance for a period of three years, so long as he remained employed in his current capacity. The parties specifically agreed that, should his employment change, then that event would be considered a substantial change in circumstances for purposes of modification of the amount of maintenance payable to the wife.*^^ The wife used the spousal maintenance payments to live off of and made minimal efforts to obtain education which, according to the parties' agreement, was the object of the rehabilitative spousal maintenance so that she could improve her employment 95. Id. (internal citation omitted). 96. W. at 378. 97. Id. (citing Voigt v. Voigt, 670 N.E.2d 1271, 1280 (Ind. 1996)). 98. Id. at 379 (Shepard, C.J., concurring). 99. /rf. at 379-80. 100. Id. 101. Zan V. Zan, 820 N.E.2d 1284, 1286 (Ind. Ct. App. 2005). 102. Id. 1008 INDIANA LAW REVIEW [Vol. 39:995 opportunities. ^^^ The husband apparently got tired of this and filed his petition to modify or revoke the spousal maintenance. The trial court modified the agreement by providing that the former husband would not have to pay any further maintenance to the wife unless she enrolled in an education program by a date certain and successfully completed it.'^ On appeal, the wife contended that the trial court erred in modifying the agreement because it lacked the authority to originally order the husband to make the spousal maintenance payments. The husband then argued on appeal that the court did have the authority to order him to make rehabilitative maintenance payments. *°^ The court agreed with the husband and found that the trial court clearly had the authority, pursuant to Indiana Code section 31-15-7-2(3),^^ to order the husband to make rehabilitative maintenance payments without the agreement of the parties. ^^^ This was the question left unanswered in Voigt. In Voigt, our supreme court established a general principal: "[w]here a court had no authority to impose the kind of maintenance award that the parties forged in a settlement agreement, the court cannot subsequently modify the maintenance obligation without the consent of the parties." The court reserved the question whether a court may modify a maintenance obligation that originated in a settlement agreement but that rested on one of the grounds—including rehabilitative maintenance—on which the court could have ordered the same maintenance in the absence of agreement. Although our supreme court has not squarely decided the issue presented 103. Id. 104. M. at 1286-87. 105. Mat 1287. 106. IND. Code §31-15-7-2(3) (2005). After considering: (A) the educational level of each spouse at the time of marriage and at the time the action is commended; (B) whether an interruption in the education, training, or employment of a spouse who is seeking maintenance occurred during the marriage as a result of homemaking or child care responsibilities, or both; (C) the earning capacity of each spouse, including educational background, training, employment skills, work experience, and length ofpresence in or absence from the job market; and (D) the time and expense necessary to acquire sufficient education or training to enable the spouse who is seeking maintenance to find appropriate employment; a court may find that rehabilitative maintenance for the spouse seeking maintenance is necessary in an amount and for a period of time that the court considers appropriate, but not to exceed three (3) years from the date of the final decree. Id. 107. Zan, 820 N.E.2d at 1288. 2006] FAMILY LAW 1009 today, it is our view that the trial court may modify the Agreement under these circumstances. To hold otherwise may circumvent the parties' ability or desire to bargain independently without court intervention. Put another way, a party may be loathe to enter into an agreement such as the one here, knowing that a court could not intervene in the event of changed circumstances . ' ^^ The countervailing view was expressed by ChiefJudge Kirsch in a dissenting opinion. In short, he would prohibit the modification of any maintenance provision in a negotiated property settlement agreement—whether the trial court could have awarded the maintenance or not.'°^ Negotiated maintenance provisions are only one part of a negotiated property agreement. In exchange for such provisions, a party may give up other property claims or may agree to such a provision solely because of tax consequences of such a provision. Thus, modifying a negotiated maintenance provision implicates the entire division of the marital estate. Moreover, modifying the provision in effect adds a term to the parties' contract for which they did not bargain and for which they neither gave, nor received, consideration. Here, the parties could have made maintenance conditional on wife's satisfactory educational progress. They did not.^^^ C Miscellaneous Issues 1. Jurisdiction to Enforce Divorce Decree.—In Fackler v. Powell}^^ the former spouses disputed the amount of money that the former husband was to pay to the wife under a certain promissory note related to a construction project which the wife was awarded in the parties' settlement agreement. ^^^ The wife sought to have the dispute adjudicated in a court other than the one that issued the dissolution decree. The trial court held that it had subject matterjurisdiction over the dispute. ^^^ The husband appealed, the court of appeals affirmed, and the husband sought, and the supreme granted, transfer. ^^"^ The supreme court started its analysis, with the firmly established rule that a court that issues a dissolution decree retains exclusive and continuing responsibility for any future modifications and related matters concerning the care, custody, control, and support of any minor children. Among the policy reasons supporting 108. Id. 109. Id. at 1290 (Kirsch, J., dissenting). 110. Id 111. 816 N.E.2d 476 (Ind. Ct. App. 2004), superseded by 839 N.E.2d 165 (Ind. 2005). 112. /d at 478-79. 113. M. at 481. 114. Fackler v. Powell, 839 N.E.2d 165 (Ind. 2005). 1010 INDIANA LAW REVIEW [Vol. 39:995 this rule is that deciding these matters frequently "involve factual determination[s] that substantial and continuing, changed circumstances render the existing terms unreasonable"; an inquiry that the dissolution court is in the best position to conduct."^ Recognizing that the case before it did not involve child-related issues, the court went on to hold: "But even under these circumstances, we believe the interests of judicial efficiency and comity are best served by requiring litigants to seek clarification and enforcement ofproperty settlement agreements in the dissolution court. Both precedent and broader policy considerations support this result."^ *^ Justice Boehm dissented in a separate opinion in which Justice Dickson concurred.''^ Viewing the former wife's claim as nothing more than a suit to collect on a promissory note that was assigned to her in a divorce proceeding, it was his opinion that she was free to seek enforcement in any court of competent jurisdiction.'*^ 2. Attorney's Feesfor Bad Faith Litigation.—French v. French^^^ and Gaw V. Gaw^^^ presented, among other issues, requests for attorney's fees under the statute permitting an award of attorney's fees in civil actions for frivolous, unreasonable, or groundless claims or defenses.'^' In French, the trial court awarded the former husband $500 in attorney's fees against the wife in a post-decree contempt action. '^^ In the original dissolution decree, the trial court had ordered the husband to assume certain attorney's fees for a civil case litigated by the parties during the marriage without a determination of the amount owed. A year later, the wife, who was represented by the attorney to whom the parties owed the fees for the civil action, brought a contempt action against the husband for failure to pay the fees. In response to the contempt action the trial court found that the husband was not in contempt because the amount to pay was not and could not be determined by it. Nevertheless, the wife once again filed another petition for contempt for failure 115. Id. at 161 (internal citations omitted). 116. Id. 1 17. Id. at 170 (Boehm, J,, dissenting), 118. Id. 1 19. 821 N.E.2d 891 (Ind. Ct. App.), reh'g denied (Ind. Ct. App. 2005). 120. 822 N.E.2d 188 (Ind. Ct. App. 2005). 121. Ind. Code § 34-52-l-l(b) (2005) provides: In any civil action, the court may award attorney's fees as part of the cost to the prevailing party, if the court finds that either party: (1) brought the action or defense on a claim or defense that is frivolous, unreasonable, or groundless; (2) continued to litigate the action or defense after the party's claim or defense clearly became frivolous, unreasonable, or groundless; or, (3) litigated the action in bad faith. 122. Fr^nc/i, 821N.E.2dat898. 2006] FAMILY LAW 1011 to pay the same fees.'^^ Again the trial court rejected the petition for contempt and ordered the wife to pay the husband $500 "for having to defend [the wife's] baseless Petition for Contempt. "^^"^ The wife appealed. The court reviewed its prior decision defining the terms of the frivolous litigation statute. It noted that in a previous decision it had defined a claim or defense as frivolous (a) if it is taken primarily for the purpose of harassing or maliciously injuring a person, or (b) if the lawyer is unable to malce a good faith and rational argument on the merits of the action, or (c) if the lawyer is unable to support the action taken by a good faith and rational argument for an extension, modification, or reversal of existing law. A claim or defense is unreasonable under the statute, if, based on a totality of the circumstances, including the law and the facts known at the time of the filing, no reasonable attorney would consider that the claim or defense was worthy of justification. Finally, we determined a claim or defense to be groundless if no facts exist which support the legal claim relied on and presented by the losing party. Furthermore, we held that a claim or defense is neither groundless nor frivolous merely because a party loses on the merits. '^^ Finding that both of the trial court's decisions on the former wife's petitions for contempt were clear and well reasoned, the court concluded that her brief on appeal left them with a clear conviction that the trial court did not err.'^^ Even though her argument may be novel, the absolute lack of any supporting Indiana or out-of-state case law and the absence of a good faith argument after the trial court's repeated and consistent analyses, makes us hesitant to categorize [the wife's] actions as zealous advocacy. Rather, we conclude that with her continuous filings [the wife] crossed the boundary into unnecessary and unwarranted litigation. ^^^ In Gaw V. Gaw the wife filed a motion to join a third party creditor as a defendant in her dissolution proceeding because of her frustration over the application of her and her husband's payments on several loan accounts with the creditor. *^^ The trial court issued an order joining the creditor as a party without holding a hearing on the matter. ^^^ The creditor responded by filing motions to dismiss, for summary judgment, to correct error and to reconsider, along with a motion requesting attorney's fees under Indiana Code section 34-52-1-1.'^^ The trial court conducted a hearing on the motions and dismissed the third party 123. Id. 124. Id. 125. Id. at 897 (internal citations omitted). 126. Mat 898. 127. Id. (internal citation omitted). 128. Gaw V. Gaw, 822 N.E.2d 188, 189-90 (Ind. Ct. App. 2005). 129. W. at 190. 130. Id. 1012 INDIANA LAW REVIEW [Vol. 39:995 creditor but declined to find that the joinder had been wrongful and, thus, denied the creditor's petition for attorney's fees. On appeal, the creditor first argued that the trial court abused its discretion when it joined it as a party to the dissolution proceedings. The appellate court found the issue moot.^^^ "However, we would be remiss if we failed to address the impropriety ofjoining a third-party creditor to a dissolution proceeding."^^^ Noting that the wife neither filed a claim against the creditor nor established that joinder was mandatory or permissive, the court observed: "Neither the rules of trial procedure nor the dissolution of marriage statutes are so broad as to require third parties to be dragged into marriage dissolution proceedings by their heels and there compelled to litigate issues that are but tangential to that cause of action." ^^^ The court rejected the wife's argument that In re Marriage ofDall^^^ made creditors a proper party to join . ' ^^ However, the holding in Dall speaks only to the propriety of joining a nonparty to a divorce proceeding when a party claims that the marital estate includes an equitable interest in real property titled in that nonparty. The holding in Dall does not support the joinder of a third- party creditor like Sterling to a dissolution proceeding. Finally, we also note that the trial court granted [the wife's] motion to join Sterling two days after it was filed, without a hearing, and likely before Sterling had even received its notice by mail. Under these facts and circumstances, the trial court abused its discretion when it joined Sterling as a party to the Gaws' dissolution proceeding. ^^^ Turning to the creditor's claim that it was an abuse of discretion to deny its petition for attorney's fees, the court concluded that the wife's argument to join Sterling was not completely unsupportable.^^^ In addition. Sterling argues that [the wife] filed the motion to join in bad faith for the purpose of harassment. Bad faith "implies the conscious doing of a wrong because of dishonest purpose or moral obliquity." Sterling points to no evidence indicating that [the wife's] motion to join was motivated by any dishonest purpose. [The wife] and her attorney were clearly frustrated by Sterling's heavy-handed attitude. Although, [the wife's] joinder of Sterling borders on being unreasonable and groundless, we cannot conclude that the trial court abused its discretion 131. Id. 132. Id. 1 33. M. at 191 (quoting State ex rel. Stanton v. Super. Ct. Lake County, 355 N.E.2d 406, 407- 08 (Ind. 1976)). 134. 681 N.E.2d 718 (Ind. Ct. App. 1997). 135. Gflw, 822N.E.2datl91. 136. Id. at 192 (internal citation omitted). 137. Id 2006] FAMILY LAW 1013 when it denied Sterling attorney's fees 138 4. Relieffrom Judgmentfor Fraud Not Supported by Opinion of Value.—In Wheatcraft v. Wheatcraft^^^ the wife filed a motion to set aside a mediated settlement agreement that had been approved by the court over wife's objection. ^"^^ At the hearing on the motion to set aside, the wife claimed that the husband had committed fraud to induce her to sign the settlement agreement and that she had signed the agreement under duress. The wife testified that she feared the husband might hurt her if she did not sign the agreement based solely on his insistence that the parties successfully conclude mediation that day and her feeling that she was "beaten down" by the husband. ^"^^ The wife's fraud claim was based on the husband's opinion of the value of his business at mediation. At the mediation, the husband opined that the business was worth approximately $43,000 based on what he had been told by an appraiser. According to the wife, her first attorney had done nothing to value the business. The trial court found that the wife's claims were baseless. ^"^^ On appeal, the wife alleged that the husband committed actual fraud or, alternatively, constructive fraud when he represented the value of the company. The court of appeals did not agree. ^"^^ The elements of actual fraud which a plaintiff must prove are: (1) a material misrepresentation of a past or existing fact which (2) was untrue, (3) was made with knowledge of or in reckless ignorance of its falsity, (4) was made with the intent to deceive, (5) was rightfully relied upon by the complaining party, and (6) which proximately cause the injury or damage complained of The elements of constructive fraud are: (1) a duty owing by the party to be charged to the complaining party due to their relationship, (2) violation of that duty by the making of deceptive material misrepresentations of past or existing facts or remaining silent when a duty to speak exists, (3) reliance thereon by the complaining party, (4) injury to the complaining party as a proximate result thereof, and (5) the gaining of an advantage by the party to be charged at the expense of the complaining party. ^"^ Noting that it is well settled that fraud requires a misrepresentation of a material fact, the court held: Expressions of opinions cannot be the basis for an action in fraud. "[T]he general rule is that statements of value are regarded as mere expressions of opinion." More specifically, this court has held that an appraisal is a 138. Id. at 192-93 (citations omitted). 139. 825 N.E.2d 23 (Ind. Ct. App. 2005). 140. Id. at 27. 141. /J. at 28. 142. Id. at 29-30. 143. Mat 31. 144. Id. at 30 (internal citation omitted). 1014 INDIANA LAW REVIEW [Vol. 39:995 matter of opinion, and is not, therefore, actionable under a theory of fraud. Accordingly, we hold that in this case, Wife cannot show actionable fraud based upon Husband's representation regarding the company's valuation."*^ 5. Family Law Arbitration.—Effective July 1, 2005, Indiana Code chapter 34-57-5 provides for family law arbitration.^'*^ Indiana Code section 34-56-5-2 permits parties to agree in writing to submit to arbitration by a family law arbitrator actions for dissolution of marriage, to establish child support, custody or parenting time or to modify a decree, judgment or order entered under Title 31.'"^^ Unless the parties agree in writing to repudiate the agreement to submit to 145. /