Gerwe v. Gerwe , 424 P.3d 1113 ( 2018 )


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    2018 UT App 75
    THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS
    SHANNON OLIVIA GERWE,
    Appellee,
    v.
    BRIAN SCOTT GERWE,
    Appellant.
    Opinion
    No. 20160117-CA
    Filed April 26, 2018
    Second District Court, Farmington Department
    The Honorable Thomas L. Kay
    No. 144700123
    Andrew G. Deiss, Brent A. Orozco, and Diana F.
    Bradley, Attorneys for Appellant
    Russell Yauney, Attorney for Appellee
    JUDGE DIANA HAGEN authored this Opinion, in which JUDGES
    KATE A. TOOMEY and DAVID N. MORTENSEN concurred.
    HAGEN, Judge:
    ¶1     Brian Scott Gerwe (Husband) challenges the district
    court’s order setting aside a postnuptial agreement (the
    Postnuptial Agreement) Husband entered into with Shannon
    Olivia Gerwe (Wife) as well as various findings of fact and
    conclusions of law associated with the court’s divorce decree.
    We affirm.
    BACKGROUND
    ¶2     In January 2014, Wife petitioned for divorce from
    Husband. On June 25, 2014, the parties entered into the
    Postnuptial Agreement, which divided the parties’ assets and set
    forth their financial obligations. In August 2014, Wife moved the
    Gerwe v. Gerwe
    court to set aside the Postnuptial Agreement on grounds that
    Husband fraudulently induced her to sign it.
    ¶3     Following an evidentiary hearing, the court granted
    Wife’s motion. It found that Husband had induced Wife to sign
    the Postnuptial Agreement in hopes of reconciliation when
    Husband “had no intent to reconcile with” Wife. This was
    evidenced by (1) the “shortness of time between the signing of
    the document and the request to move forward with the
    divorce,” (2) the “text messages from [Husband] sent to [Wife]
    almost immediately after the document was signed,” and (3) the
    fact that the “six factors [Husband] cited to about why he did not
    want to get back together, were not valid, and were only used as
    an attempt to justify his actions.”
    ¶4     After a bench trial, the district court entered findings of
    fact and conclusions of law in support of the divorce decree.
    Relevant to this appeal, the court found that: (1) Wife was
    entitled to half the marital funds in a brokerage account but was
    not responsible for a loan Husband claimed had been used to
    fund the account; (2) the total value of personal property
    remaining in Husband’s possession was $48,000, and half of that
    value should be awarded to Wife; and (3) based on Husband’s
    current gross income is $9,373 per month, he was required to
    pay Wife child support in the amount of $671 per month and
    alimony in the amount of $1,000 per month.
    ¶5    Husband now appeals the court’s order to set aside the
    Postnuptial Agreement as well as various findings of fact and
    conclusions of law associated with the divorce decree.
    ISSUES AND STANDARDS OF REVIEW
    ¶6    Husband raises four issues on appeal. First, Husband
    argues that the district court failed to utilize the “clear and
    convincing” evidentiary standard when it set aside the
    Postnuptial Agreement and failed to make sufficient findings on
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    the essential elements of fraudulent inducement. Husband
    acknowledges that he did not raise this issue below and would
    normally be barred from asserting it on appeal. He asks this
    court to reach the merits of his argument under the plain error
    exception to the preservation rule. 1 “The party seeking the
    benefit of the plain error exception must demonstrate that (i) an
    error exists; (ii) the error should have been obvious to the trial
    court; and (iii) the error is harmful, i.e., absent the error, there is
    a reasonable likelihood of a more favorable outcome” for the
    appellant. Meadow Valley Contractors, Inc. v. State Dep’t of
    Transpo., 
    2011 UT 35
    , ¶ 17, 
    266 P.3d 671
     (quotation simplified).
    To the extent Husband challenges the sufficiency of the evidence
    supporting a finding of fraudulent inducement, “we will not set
    aside a [district] court’s factual findings ‘unless clearly
    erroneous,’ giving ‘due regard to the [district] court’s
    opportunity to judge the credibility of the witnesses.’” Shuman v.
    Shuman, 
    2017 UT App 192
    , ¶ 3, 
    406 P.3d 258
     (quoting Utah R.
    Civ. P. 52(a)(4)).
    ¶7      Second, Husband contends that the district court erred
    when it awarded each party half the marital funds in the
    brokerage account but allocated to him the entirety of a loan he
    claimed was used to fund the account. “In a divorce action, there
    is no fixed formula upon which to determine a division of debts.
    However, such allocation must be based upon adequate factual
    findings which ruling we will not disturb absent an abuse of
    1. As this court has previously observed, “[o]ur supreme court
    recently noted the ‘ongoing debate about the propriety of civil
    plain error review,’ but did not take the opportunity to resolve
    that debate for purposes of Utah law.” Frugal Flamingo Quick
    Stop v. Farm Bureau Mutual Ins. Co., 
    2018 UT App 41
    , ¶ 10 n.3
    (quoting Utah Stream Access Coal. v. Orange St. Dev., 
    2017 UT 82
    ,
    ¶ 14 n.2). We decline to resolve this issue here because the
    appellee has not challenged the applicability of plain error
    review.
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    discretion.” Rehn v. Rehn, 
    1999 UT App 41
    , ¶ 19, 
    974 P.2d 306
    (quotation simplified).
    ¶8     Third, Husband contends that the district court abused its
    discretion in distributing the value of the parties’ personal
    property. “[D]istrict courts have considerable discretion
    concerning property distribution in a divorce . . . [and] we will
    uphold the decision of the district court . . . unless a clear and
    prejudicial abuse of discretion is demonstrated.” Dahl v. Dahl,
    
    2015 UT 79
    , ¶ 119 (quotation simplified).
    ¶9      Finally, Husband contends that the district court abused
    its discretion by failing to calculate alimony and child support
    based on his projected salary. A district court’s award of alimony
    is reviewed for abuse of discretion. Bakanowski v. Bakanowski,
    
    2003 UT App 357
    , ¶ 7, 
    80 P.3d 153
    .
    ANALYSIS
    I. Fraudulent Inducement
    ¶10 Husband argues that the district court committed plain
    error when it set aside the Postnuptial Agreement because it
    failed to use the “clear and convincing” evidentiary standard.
    Husband also asserts that the court failed to make sufficient
    findings on the essential elements of fraudulent inducement and
    that the evidence was insufficient to support such findings.
    ¶11 To prevail on a claim of fraudulent inducement, the party
    alleging fraud “must present clear and convincing evidence” of
    the following:
    (1) that a representation was made (2) concerning a
    presently existing material fact (3) which was false
    and (4) which the representor either (a) knew to be
    false or (b) made recklessly, knowing that there
    was insufficient knowledge upon which to base
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    such a representation, (5) for the purpose of
    inducing the other party to act upon it and (6) that
    the other party, acting reasonably and in ignorance
    of its falsity, (7) did in fact rely upon it (8) and was
    thereby induced to act (9) to that party’s injury and
    damage.
    Daines v. Vincent, 
    2008 UT 51
    , ¶ 38, 
    190 P.3d 1269
     (quotation
    simplified). “[F]or a matter to be clear and convincing to a
    particular mind it must at least have reached the point where
    there remains no serious or substantial doubt as to the
    correctness of the conclusion.” Greener v. Greener, 
    212 P.2d 194
    ,
    205 (Utah 1949).
    ¶12 On appeal, Husband has not established that the district
    court committed plain error in ruling that Wife had proven
    fraudulent inducement. “The burden of showing error is on the
    party who seeks to upset the judgment.” State v. Jones, 
    657 P.2d 1263
    , 1267 (Utah 1982). Accordingly, “[i]n the absence of record
    evidence to the contrary, we assume regularity in the
    proceedings below, and affirm the judgment.” 
    Id.
    ¶13 Although the district court did not expressly state that
    Wife presented clear and convincing evidence of fraudulent
    inducement, it never suggested that a lower standard of proof
    applied. A reviewing court “will not presume from a silent
    record that the court applied an incorrect legal standard” but
    “must presume the regularity and validity of the [district]
    court’s proceedings, and that it applied the correct legal
    standard, in the absence of evidence to the contrary.” State v.
    Cash, 
    951 N.E.2d 486
    , 492 (Ohio Ct. App. 2011); see also Granville
    Med. Center v. Tipton, 
    586 S.E.2d 791
    , 795 (N.C. Ct. App. 2003)
    (rejecting claim that district court applied the wrong legal
    standard below because “[w]here the record is silent on a
    particular point, we presume that the trial court acted
    correctly”); Committee for Responsible Planning v. City of Indian
    Wells, 
    257 Cal. Rptr. 635
    , 638 (Cal. Ct. App. 1989) (“In the absence
    of any contrary indication in the record, we therefore assume
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    Gerwe v. Gerwe
    that the trial court followed the correct legal standard in ruling
    on the motion.”). Because nothing in the record suggests that the
    court applied something less than the clear and convincing
    standard, 2 Husband cannot establish error.
    ¶14 Husband also claims the district court committed plain
    error because it did not make express factual findings on each of
    the nine elements of fraudulent inducement. On plain error
    review, we cannot assume that the court committed any legal
    error simply because it did not expressly recite each element of
    fraudulent inducement in announcing its ruling. Nothing in the
    record would lead us to conclude that the court set aside the
    Postnuptial Agreement without first finding that Wife
    established each element of fraudulent inducement by clear and
    convincing evidence.
    ¶15 Relatedly, Husband claims that the evidence was
    insufficient to support such findings. The court’s ruling
    identified three evidentiary grounds for setting aside the
    Postnuptial Agreement based on fraud: (1) “[t]he shortness of
    time between the signing of the document and the request to
    move forward with the divorce”; (2) the text messages between
    Husband and Wife, which were sent immediately after the
    Postnuptial Agreement was signed; and (3) Husband’s
    testimony “about why he did not want to get back together [with
    Wife], [was] not valid, and [was] only used as an attempt to
    justify his actions.”
    2. As evidence that the district court did not apply the clear and
    convincing evidence standard, Husband points to the judge’s
    statement that, if the Postnuptial Agreement was not set aside,
    the parties would “be doing a petition to modify anyway, and I
    think we ought to just get it done.” The court’s observation that
    its ruling might ultimately streamline the resolution of this case
    does not suggest that it applied the wrong evidentiary standard
    in making that ruling.
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    ¶16 “On appeal, we consider the facts in a light most
    favorable to the district court’s ruling, including its findings.”
    See Mota v. Mota, 
    2016 UT App 201
    , ¶ 2 n.2, 
    382 P.3d 1080
    .
    Viewed in that light, these findings support each element of
    fraudulent inducement. Specifically, these facts are sufficient to
    establish that (1) Husband made a representation (2) concerning
    the material fact that he intended to reconcile (3) which was false
    and (4) which Husband knew to be false (5) for the purpose of
    inducing Wife to sign the Postnuptial Agreement and (6) that
    Wife acted reasonably and in ignorance of its falsity (7) when she
    did in fact rely upon it (8) and was thereby induced to enter into
    the Postnuptial Agreement (9) to her injury and damage. See
    Danies, 
    2008 UT 51
    , ¶ 38. Based on the evidence presented, the
    district court reasonably could have concluded by clear and
    convincing evidence that Husband induced Wife to agree to the
    Postnuptial Agreement through fraud. Because Husband has not
    established plain error, we affirm the district court’s ruling
    setting aside the Postnuptial Agreement.
    II. Marital Debt
    ¶17 Husband contends that the district court erred when it
    allocated to each party half the value of the marital funds in the
    brokerage account but allocated to him the entire debt from a
    loan that Husband claims was used to fund that account. It is
    within the discretion of the district court to allocate and divide
    debts between the parties as long as such findings are based on
    adequate facts. See Rehn v. Rehn, 
    1999 UT App 41
    , ¶ 19, 
    974 P.2d 306
    . “Showing an abuse of discretion is a heavy burden, and we
    can properly find abuse only if no reasonable person would take
    the view adopted by the [district] court.” DeAvila v. DeAvila,
    
    2017 UT App 146
    , ¶ 12, 
    402 P.3d 184
     (quotation simplified).
    ¶18 At trial, Husband testified that the value of the brokerage
    account at the time of separation was approximately $506,200,
    but the record does not appear to contain any account
    statements or other documentary evidence supporting this
    assessment. Husband and his mother each testified that
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    Husband’s mother largely funded the account with the intent
    that Husband would manage the money she invested for her
    benefit. Because Husband also deposited marital funds into the
    account, he created a spreadsheet to separately track the deposits
    and capital gains and losses belonging to his mother. According
    to Husband’s spreadsheet that was admitted at trial, marital
    funds accounted for only twenty-two percent of the brokerage
    account, or $128,600 after taxes. He further testified that, with
    Wife’s consent, he used $40,000 to purchase some personal
    property, leaving a balance of $88,600.
    ¶19 Husband argued that Wife’s $44,300 share of the
    brokerage account should be reduced by $22,820.05, half of a
    $45,641 loan that Husband owed to Uniformed Services. At trial,
    Husband testified that he used the Uniformed Services loan to
    pay off a prior $50,000 loan that he had taken out in June or July
    2013. According to Husband, the proceeds of the prior loan were
    deposited into the brokerage account and his spreadsheet
    reflects a $50,000 deposit at that time. But the parties have not
    cited—and our own exhaustive review of the record has not
    found—any documentary evidence establishing the existence or
    balance of either loan or how the proceeds of those loans were
    used. There are no loan documents, account statements, or
    receipts showing either that the proceeds of the prior loan were
    deposited into the brokerage account or that the Uniformed
    Services loan was used to pay off the prior loan.
    ¶20 The district court noted that it “didn’t have a whole lot of
    great evidence” regarding the value of the brokerage account.
    Recognizing that it could not do more with the scarce evidence
    before it, the court found that the value of the marital property
    in the brokerage account was limited to $88,600, the amount
    Husband had agreed belonged to the marital estate. The court
    also rejected Husband’s claim that his $45,641 Uniformed
    Services loan constituted marital debt and ruled that Wife was
    not obligated to pay the $22,820.05 that Husband requested.
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    ¶21 On this record, Husband cannot establish that the district
    court abused its discretion in finding that the Uniformed
    Services loan was not marital debt. Other than his own
    testimony and an entry in the spreadsheet that he created,
    Husband offered no evidence to prove either the existence of the
    loan or that the loan proceeds had been used to fund the
    brokerage account. See, e.g., Ouk v. Ouk, 
    2015 UT App 104
    , ¶ 13,
    
    348 P.3d 751
     (affirming finding that “Husband did not meet his
    burden at trial to provide any evidence or documentation
    proving that all of the proceeds from the line of credit went into”
    his business); Godfrey v. Godfrey, 
    854 P.2d 585
    , 587–88 (Utah Ct.
    App. 1993) (vacating a finding of marital debt where husband
    failed to produce “any documentation supporting the existence
    of a lien,” such as “loan papers, mortgage or trust deeds,
    cancelled checks, etc.”). In ruling that the Uniformed Services
    loan was “his debt, not hers,” the court implicitly found that
    Husband had failed to carry his burden to prove that the loan
    was a marital debt. Given the lack of documentation regarding
    the loan or the use of its proceeds, the district court acted within
    its discretion by refusing to reduce Wife’s share of the brokerage
    account by half of the loan’s balance. 3
    3. In addressing the marital debt issue in his opening brief,
    Husband inserted a single paragraph claiming that the district
    court “took a similarly inequitable tack in apportioning the
    IRAs.” Although it is not identified as a separate issue on appeal,
    Husband argues that Wife’s share of the IRAs should have been
    reduced because she dissipated marital assets by mismanaging
    her own IRA account after the parties separated. To the extent
    Husband intended to raise dissipation of marital assets as a
    separate issue on appeal, Husband’s “overall analysis of the
    issue is so lacking as to shift the burden of research and
    argument to the reviewing court.” Sandusky v. Sandusky, 
    2018 UT App 34
    , ¶ 17 (quotation simplified). In particular, Husband does
    not analyze or offer any support for the proposition that
    unprofitable investing decisions constitute dissipation of marital
    (continued…)
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    Gerwe v. Gerwe
    III. Personal Property
    ¶22 Husband contends that the district court abused its
    discretion in valuing the parties’ personal property at $48,000
    and awarding Wife one half of that amount. A district court has
    considerable discretion to distribute property in a divorce
    proceeding, and such distributions are presumed valid. Dahl v.
    Dahl, 
    2015 UT 79
    , ¶ 119. We therefore will uphold the district
    court’s decision on appeal “unless a clear and prejudicial abuse
    of discretion is demonstrated.” 
    Id.
     (quotation simplified). In
    reviewing the district court’s decisions, “we will not set aside
    findings of fact, whether based on oral or documentary
    evidence, unless they are clearly erroneous, and we give due
    regard to the district court’s superior position from which to
    judge the credibility of witnesses.” Id. ¶ 121.
    ¶23 The district court reviewed significant evidence on the
    value of the parties’ shared personal property. At trial, Wife
    asked for specific personal property to be returned to her. She
    also submitted a list of shared personal property that would
    remain with Husband. Wife produced receipts for each of the
    items on the list, argued that the total value of that shared
    personal property was approximately $66,000, and asked for half
    that amount. Husband never claimed that Wife had possession
    of any of those items, but argued that Wife’s valuation was
    (…continued)
    assets, nor does he explain how the district court exceeded its
    broad discretion by declining to deviate from the general rule
    that a marital estate is valued at the time of the divorce decree.
    See Rayner v. Rayner, 
    2013 UT App 269
    , ¶¶ 19–21, 
    316 P.3d 455
    (explaining the general rule that marital estate is valued at the
    time of decree or trial, the district court’s broad discretion in
    deciding whether to deviate from this rule, and the factors
    relevant to whether a party has dissipated marital assets).
    Because this issue is inadequately briefed, we decline to address
    it further.
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    inflated because it was based on the purchase price of the items
    and failed to reflect their depreciation in value. Based on the
    evidence presented, the district court estimated the value of the
    shared personal property at $48,000. Because the property
    remained in Husband’s possession, the district court ruled that
    Wife was entitled to half of its value, which amounted to
    $24,000.
    ¶24 On appeal, Husband claims the district court abused its
    discretion by awarding Wife half the value of the shared
    personal property without taking into account the portion of that
    property already in Wife’s possession. Husband argues that
    “[t]he only way the [district] court’s ruling could have been
    correct is if [Husband] kept all the personal property thereby
    obligating him to pay [Wife] her half of the total value.” But that
    is precisely what happened. Contrary to Husband’s claim, the
    court did not determine “the value of all marital property,
    including that retained by [Wife], to be $48,000.” Instead, $48,000
    represented the value of only those items listed that Wife agreed
    would remain in Husband’s possession.
    ¶25 Husband points to evidence that Wife kept a vehicle
    worth $13,000, suggesting that her share of the personal property
    should have been offset by that amount. But both parties had
    purchased vehicles during the marriage and neither vehicle was
    included in the list of shared personal property that Wife
    submitted. Wife submitted evidence that the value of her vehicle
    was between $10,782 and $13,140. Husband testified that he sold
    his vehicle that had been purchased during the marriage for
    $9,000, although Wife testified that the fair market value of his
    vehicle was $21,000. Given the evidence that each party kept his
    or her own vehicle and that the value of each vehicle was at least
    arguably similar, it was reasonable for the court to exclude the
    value of both vehicles in calculating the amount of shared
    personal property.
    ¶26 Husband has not demonstrated that the district court
    exceeded its discretion in valuing the shared personal property,
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    excluding the parties’ vehicles, at $48,000. Accordingly, we
    affirm the district court’s award of $24,000 as Wife’s share of the
    value of the remaining personal property retained by Husband.
    IV. Child Support and Alimony
    ¶27 Husband contends that the district court abused its
    discretion by calculating alimony and child support based on his
    monthly income at the time of trial rather than on the lower
    salary expected to result from an imminent job change. At trial,
    Husband testified that $9,373 was “an accurate reflection of [his
    monthly] income.” However, he explained that he had planned
    to separate from his military service and had accepted a job offer
    with a commercial airline where his monthly salary would start
    at $1,824. We conclude that the court did not abuse its discretion
    in basing the child support and alimony awards on Husband’s
    income at the time of trial rather than on his claimed anticipated
    future income.
    ¶28 With respect to child support, the district court properly
    based its award on Husband’s verified income. Utah law
    establishes presumptive guidelines for the award of child
    support based on the parents’ adjusted gross income. See Utah
    Code Ann. §§ 78B-12-202, -301 (LexisNexis 2012). “Each parent
    shall provide verification of current income,” including “year-to-
    date pay stubs or employer statements and complete copies of
    tax returns,” unless the court finds that such verification is not
    reasonably available. Id. § 78B-12-203(5)(b) (LexisNexis 2012).
    Because Husband had not yet changed jobs, he had no pay stubs
    or other documentation to verify his reduced income. Nor did he
    produce an offer letter from his new employer, confirming that
    he had been hired and setting forth his anticipated salary.
    Moreover, whether the anticipated salary change would come to
    pass was speculative until he actually separated from the
    military and began his new employment. Based on the lack of
    verification and the uncertainty regarding Husband’s future
    employment, the district court acted well within its discretion in
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    basing the award of child support on Husband’s income at the
    time of trial.
    ¶29 Husband also argues that the district court abused its
    discretion when it failed to take his imminent job change into
    account when awarding alimony. Unlike child support, which is
    presumptively calculated based on income, the district court
    must consider multiple factors in determining alimony. These
    factors include “the ability of the payor spouse to provide
    support” as well as “the financial condition and needs of the
    recipient spouse” and “the recipient’s earning capacity or ability
    to produce income.” 
    Id.
     § 30-3-5(8)(a) (Supp. 2017) (laying out
    the statutory factors for an alimony determination).
    ¶30 Here, the court considered the statutory factors and found
    that Wife “has a need for alimony.” Although Wife has a college
    degree and was making approximately $12 per hour at the time
    of trial, she was not employed full-time. The court imputed her
    earning capacity at minimum wage, or $1,257 per month because
    “she has been out of the job market for a long time.” The court
    found that, given her monthly costs, Wife “needs more money
    than the child support and minimum wage provide.” Given
    Husband’s admitted income of $9,373 per month, the court
    explained that “there is no question that [Husband] makes more
    money than [Wife].” Ultimately, the court awarded $1,000 per
    month in alimony based on both Wife’s need and Husband’s
    current ability to pay.
    ¶31 The district court did not abuse its discretion in
    considering Husband’s current earnings to determine his ability
    to provide support. In basing the alimony award on Husband’s
    income at the time of trial, the court appears to have made an
    implicit credibility determination regarding Husband’s claim
    concerning his ability to provide support. At a post-trial hearing
    regarding the findings of fact in the divorce decree, the court
    noted that Husband came “into trial making a huge amount of
    money as a Colonel in the Air Force, and then all of a sudden is
    making no money because, you know, now it’s time to pay
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    somebody.” “It is the province of the trier of fact to assess the
    credibility of witnesses, and we will not second guess the trial
    court where there is a reasonable basis to support its findings.”
    Reed v. Reed, 
    806 P.2d 1182
    , 1184 (Utah 1991). It was within the
    court’s discretion to discredit Husband’s claim that he was
    unable—as opposed to merely unwilling—to provide the
    support ordered by the court.
    ¶32 In addition, the district court acted within its discretion in
    assessing Husband’s ability to provide support based on his
    military pay where the anticipated decrease in salary was not
    only speculative but also temporary. Indeed, “where the
    husband has experienced a temporary decrease in income, his
    historical earnings must be taken into account in determining the
    amount of alimony to be paid.” Olson v. Olson, 
    704 P.2d 564
    , 566
    (Utah 1985) (quotation simplified). Husband testified that his
    initial salary in his new job would be significantly lower than his
    current income. However, he acknowledged that his salary
    would increase dramatically after the first year, from $24 per
    hour to nearly $40 per hour. Husband also testified that the job
    did not involve a 40-hour workweek, and that he was
    guaranteed either 65 or 72 hours per week. Based on this
    information, it appears that Husband’s monthly income would
    at least approximate his military pay within one year. Because
    the anticipated decrease was temporary, the district court
    properly looked to historical earnings to determine Husband’s
    ability to provide support. See 
    id.
    ¶33 Finally, Husband claims that the district court abused its
    discretion because it was required to consider the imminent
    decrease in his salary under the governing statute. Utah law
    provides that “[w]hen a marriage of long duration dissolves on
    the threshold of a major change in the income of one of the
    spouses due to the collective efforts of both, that change shall be
    considered . . . in determining the amount of alimony.” 
    Utah Code Ann. § 30-3-5
    (8)(g) (LexisNexis 2013). Husband does not
    explain, however, how his anticipated change in income is the
    result of the parties’ collective efforts. Rather, the change in
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    income appears “unrelated to the efforts put forward by the
    spouses during marriage.” Martinez v. Martinez, 
    818 P.2d 538
    ,
    542 (Utah 1991). Typically, this statutory provision deals with an
    enhancement in a spouse’s earning capacity that stems from the
    collective efforts of both spouses, such as where one spouse has
    provided financial funding, care for the couple’s children, or
    other support while the other spouse attends school or engages
    in professional development. See, e.g., Ashby v. Ashby, 
    2010 UT 7
    ,
    ¶ 26, 
    227 P.3d 246
     (under the governing statute, “one spouse’s
    support of their student spouse’s educational efforts is properly
    considered as a factor in making the alimony determination”).
    Husband has cited no authority suggesting that this provision
    applies to a temporary change in income based on a voluntary
    decision of the payor spouse to seek less lucrative employment.
    Accordingly, we hold that the court did not exceed its discretion
    in declining to adjust the alimony award based on Husband’s
    anticipated change in income.
    CONCLUSION
    ¶34 The district court did not commit plain error in setting
    aside the Postnuptial Agreement based on fraudulent
    inducement, nor did it exceed its discretion in allocating marital
    property and awarding child support and alimony. Accordingly,
    the district court’s judgment is affirmed.
    20160117-CA                    15               
    2018 UT App 75