Jorge Arredondo v. Holly Arredondo (mem. dec.)

MEMORANDUM DECISION
FILED
Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D), Nov 28 2018, 9:40 am
this Memorandum Decision shall not be CLERK
regarded as precedent or cited before any Indiana Supreme Court
Court of Appeals
and Tax Court
court except for the purpose of establishing
the defense of res judicata, collateral
estoppel, or the law of the case.
ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT ATTORNEY FOR APPELLEE
Mark Small Nissa M. Ricafort
Indianapolis, Indiana Broyles Kight & Ricafort, PC
Indianapolis, Indiana
IN THE
COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA
Jorge Arredondo, November 28, 2018
Appellant-Respondent, Court of Appeals Case No.
18A-DR-1239
v. Appeal from the Marion Superior
Court
Holly Arredondo, The Honorable John Hanley,
Appellee-Petitioner. Judge
The Honorable Christopher B.
Haile, Magistrate
Trial Court Cause No.
49D11-1611-DR-41110
Riley, Judge.
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 18A-DR-1239 | November 28, 2018 Page 1 of 9
STATEMENT OF THE CASE
[1] Appellant-Respondent, Jorge Arredondo (Jorge), appeals the trial court’s
Decree of Dissolution of Marriage to Appellee-Petitioner, Holly Arredondo
(Holly).
[2] We affirm.
ISSUE
[3] Jorge presents us with one issue on appeal, which we restate as: Whether the
trial court abused its discretion when it denied Jorge’s request to continue the
final hearing after his counsel withdrew.
FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY
[4] Jorge and Holly were married on July 5, 2014 and legally separated on
November 18, 2016. During the marriage, one child, L.A., was born on
September 23, 2015. Prior to the final hearing on February 14, 2018, the parties
participated in two contested hearings regarding child custody, parenting time,
and child support. Each time, both parties were represented by counsel and
presented evidence and witnesses on the contested issues. At the start of the
final hearing, Jorge requested a continuance in order to obtain new counsel and
noted that his counsel had just withdrawn her appearance the day prior to the
hearing. Holly’s counsel objected to Jorge’s request for a continuance, noting
that the cause had been pending since November 2016, that Jorge had
employed three different attorneys during this pendency, that Jorge had sought
and been granted several continuances of prior hearing dates, and had failed to
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participate in mediation on five different occasions despite the trial court’s order
to participate. The trial court denied Jorge’s request and proceeded to the final
hearing.
[5] On February 28, 2018, the trial court issued its Decree of Dissolution of
Marriage, and concluded in pertinent part:
5. It is in the best interests of the child that [Holly] have sole
custody of [L.A.]
6. [Jorge] shall have unsupervised parenting time as outlined in
Section II C 3C – Parenting Time age 19 months through 36
months – of the Indiana Parenting Time Guidelines with the
following modification for work schedules.
****
11. The parties are not able to communicate and there is a
history of conflict between them since this action was initiated.
12. The [c]ourt finds that a Parenting Time Coordinator would
assist the parties regarding parenting of [L.A.] and the [c]ourt
grants the Petition requesting one previously filed by [Holly] and
taken under advisement by the [c]ourt.
****
15. The [c]ourt finds that Petitioner’s Exhibit 5 – Child Support
Worksheet – is supported by the evidence in the record.
16. [Jorge] shall pay $128.00 per week child support through the
state support agency.
17. [Jorge] shall pay an additional $10.00 per week on his child
support arrearage of $3,121.00.
****
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23. [Jorge] shall have the marital residence located at 1533 W.
75th Place, Indianapolis, IN 46260 and be responsible for all
obligations on the property including utilities, insurance, and
taxes.
****
25. The presumption of an equal division of the marital estate
has been rebutted in this case by the short duration of the
marriage, the contribution of each spouse to the acquisition of
property, and the extent to which the property was acquired by
each spouse before marriage.
26. The [c]ourt finds that the real property was acquired by the
parties for $89,500.00 using [Jorge’s] sole funds and therefore
that amount of the value of the property should be set aside to
him and not divided by the parties.
27. The [c]ourt finds that Emigrant Direct and Edward Jones
funds were owned by Jorge prior to the marriage and should be
set off to him and not subject to division between the parties.
28. The [c]ourt finds that the Ascension Retirement should be set
off to [Holly] and not subject to division between the parties.
29. The [c]ourt finds that the balance of the marital estate should
be divided equally and the [Jorge] shall pay [Holly] the sum of
$52,550.05 within sixty days to equalize it.
****
34. [Jorge] has delayed these proceedings; not complied with
court orders; and refused to participate in mediation as ordered.
35. The [c]ourt orders [Jorge] to pay $5000.00 attorney fees to
[Holly’s counsel] within sixty days.
(Appellant’s App. Vol. IV, pp. 38-39, 41-42). On March 28, 2018, Jorge filed a
motion to correct error, which the trial court denied on April 10, 2018.
[6] Jorge now appeals. Additional facts will be provided as necessary.
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DISCUSSION AND DECISION
[7] While not contesting the trial court’s findings and conclusions in its Decree of
Dissolution, Jorge focuses on the trial court’s denial of his motion for
continuance. He maintains that the trial court abused its discretion by denying
his motion for continuance on the morning of the final hearing and asserts that
he was prejudiced by this decision.
[8] We review a trial court’s ruling on a motion to correct error for an abuse of
discretion. Old Utica School Preservation, Inc. v. Utica Twp., 7 N.E.3d 327, 330
(Ind. Ct. App. 2014), trans. denied. An abuse of discretion occurs when the trial
court’s decision is contrary to the logic and effect of the facts and circumstances
before it or the reasonable inferences therefrom. Id. Accordingly, a trial court
is vested with broad discretion to determine whether it will grant or deny a
motion to correct error. Williamson v. Williamson, 825 N.E.3d 33, 44 (Ind. Ct.
App. 2005). Similarly, the decision to grant or deny a continuance is within the
sound discretion of the trial court. Hess v. Hess, 679 N.E.2d 153, 154 (Ind. Ct.
App. 1997).
[9] Indiana Trial Rule 53.5 states: “Upon motion, trial may be postponed or
continued at the discretion of the court, and shall be allowed upon a showing of
good cause established by affidavit or other evidence.” When considering a
motion for continuance, the moving party must be free from fault and show
that his rights are likely to be prejudiced by the denial. Scott v. Crussen, 741
N.E.2d 743, 746 (Ind. Ct. App. 2000), trans. denied. “A denial of a motion for
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continuance is [considered to be an] abuse of discretion only if the movant
demonstrates good cause for granting it.” Blackford v. Boone Co. Area Plan
Com’n, 43 N.E.3d 655, 664 (Ind. Ct. App. 2015). “However, no abuse of
discretion will be found when the moving party has not demonstrated that he or
she was prejudiced by the denial.” Id. There are no mechanical tests for
deciding when a denial of a continuance is so arbitrary as to violate due
process. Id. The answer must be found in the circumstances present in every
case, particularly in the reasons presented to the trial court at the time the
request was denied. Id.
[10] On the morning of trial, Jorge moved for a continuance because his counsel had
filed an emergency motion to withdraw from his case the previous day. Prior to
filing the emergency motion, Jorge’s counsel had sent Jorge an email ten days’
prior providing in pertinent part:
Jorge,
I am required to give you 10-days’ notice before withdrawing on
your case should your account not be paid in time. The total
amount still needs to be paid by Monday. If you have questions
regarding your account, please give me a call Monday morning
to discuss. The following language is required by statute and will
be provided to the [c]ourt along with my motion to withdraw.
Again, I don’t plan on withdrawing; I am providing this just in
case.
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(Appellant’s App. Vol. IV, p. 20). Jorge presented evidence that he paid his
delinquent account in full on February 5, 2018, prior to Jorge’s counsel seeking
emergency leave to withdraw.
[11] While it could be argued that counsel did not give the 10-day required notice to
her client, it has been established that “[t]he unexpected and untimely
withdrawal of counsel does not necessarily entitle a party to a continuance.”
F.M. v. N.B., 979 N.E.2d 1036, 1040 (Ind. Ct. App. 2012). “Under some
circumstances, however, denial of a continuance based on the withdrawal of
counsel may be error when the moving party is free from fault and his rights are
likely to be prejudiced by the denial.” Id. (citing Koors v. Great Southwest Fire Ins.
Co., 530 N.E.2d 780, 783 (Ind. Ct. App. 1988), reh’g denied). Among the items
to be considered on appeal from the denial of a motion for continuance, we
must consider whether the denial of a continuance resulted in the deprivation of
counsel at a crucial stage in the proceedings. F.M., 979 N.E.2d at 1040. We
also consider whether the record demonstrates dilatory tactics on the part of the
movant designed to delay coming to trial. Id. at 1041. Additionally, we must
consider whether a delay would have prejudiced the opposing party to an extent
sufficient to justify denial of the continuance. Id.
[12] Under the particular circumstances of this case, we cannot conclude that Jorge
carried his burden in establishing prejudice by the trial court’s decision to deny
his motion. At the time of the final hearing, the cause had been pending for
several months. During the course of the proceedings, Jorge had been
represented by three different attorneys and several continuances had been
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granted—including two continuances of the final hearing. Two contested
hearings regarding child custody, parenting time, and child support had already
been conducted and each time, the parties had been represented by counsel and
had submitted evidence to the trial court. Jorge had failed to participate in
mediation efforts leading up to the final hearing, despite the trial court’s order.
[13] Even though the final hearing is a crucial stage of the proceedings, where Jorge
was unrepresented, Jorge was nevertheless able to adequately present his case,
cross-examine witnesses, and submit exhibits. While the trial court adopted
Holly’s values for the marital residence and personal property, the trial court
rejected Holly’s request for an equal division of the marital estate and instead
found that Jorge had rebutted this presumption. Deviating, the trial court
awarded each party the assets they had brought into the marriage and equally
divided the remaining assets, with Jorge being ordered to pay an equalizing
payment to Holly in an amount significantly less than Holly had requested.
Furthermore, Jorge had presented evidence and witnesses on child custody,
child support, and parenting time during the provisional hearing on April 11,
2017, and the modification hearing on January 10, 2018. During the final
hearing, Jorge also presented evidence on his income, which resulted in a
decrease of his weekly child support obligation. Moreover, in a finding
uncontested by Jorge, the trial court concluded that Jorge’s actions had
“delayed these proceedings; [he had] not complied with court orders; and [had]
refused to participate in mediation as ordered.” (Appellant’s App. Vol. IV, p.
42).
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[14] In sum, and based on the specific circumstances before us, we conclude that the
withdrawal of Jorge’s counsel at a critical stage in the proceedings did not
prejudice him. Accordingly, the trial court did not abuse its discretion by
denying his motion to continue.
CONCLUSION
[15] Based on the foregoing, we hold that the trial court did not abuse its discretion
by denying Jorge’s motion to continue after his counsel withdrew on the day
prior to the final hearing.
[16] Affirmed.
[17] Vaidik, C. J. and Kirsch, J. concur
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