Emelda Akukoro v. Kerry Akukoro

Opinion issued December 19, 2013
In The
Court of Appeals
For The
First District of Texas
NO. 01-12-01072-CV
EMELDA AKUKORO, Appellant
V.
KERRY AKUKORO, Appellee
On Appeal from the 245th District Court
Harris County, Texas
Trial Court Cause No. 2011-62330
MEMORANDUM OPINION
Emelda Akukoro appeals the trial court’s final decree of divorce. She
challenges (1) the trial court’s grant of Kerry Akukoro’s claims for equitable
reimbursement, (2) the trial court’s failure to offset those claims with her own
claims for reimbursement, (3) the trial court’s failure to file findings of fact and
conclusions of law, and (4) the trial court’s grant of Kerry’s motion for nunc pro
tunc judgment. We affirm.
Background
Pre-trial events
In October 2011, Kerry filed for divorce from Emelda. The trial court
entered a temporary restraining order and an order setting a hearing for temporary
orders. Among other things, the temporary restraining order prohibited both
parties from “[s]elling, transferring, assigning, mortgaging, encumbering, or in any
other manner alienating any of the property of Petitioner or Respondent, whether
personalty or realty, and whether separate or community, except as specifically
authorized by this order,” and “[m]aking withdrawals from any checking or
savings account in any financial institution for any purpose, except as specifically
authorized by this order.” It provided that each party was authorized “[t]o make
expenditures and incur indebtedness for reasonable and necessary living expenses
for food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and medical care,” “[t]o make
expenditures and incur indebtedness for reasonable attorney’s fees and expenses in
connection with this suit,” [t]o make withdrawals from accounts in financial
institutions only for the purposes authorized by this order,” and “[t]o engage in acts
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reasonable and necessary to conduct [their] usual business and occupation.” In
November 2011, Emelda answered and filed a counter-petition for divorce.
On December 19, 2011, the trial court signed partial agreed temporary
orders. The orders appointed Kerry and Emelda Temporary Joint Managing
Conservators of their four children, and provided that Emelda would have the
exclusive right to designate the primary residence of the children. Emelda was
also awarded exclusive and private use and possession of the couple’s house while
the divorce case was pending. The orders directed Kerry to pay Emelda monthly
child support. The orders also provided that Kerry and Emelda would each receive
50% of any income from an investment business they co-owned, Genuine Export,
Inc., and made various provisions regarding the operation of a co-owned home
health business, Blessed Home Health Services, Inc. (“Blessed Home”). The
orders contained the same prohibitions as the temporary restraining order regarding
disposing of property and making withdrawals from accounts.
After entry of the temporary orders, the parties entered into three
agreements. The Mediated Settlement Agreement encompassed all issues related
to the care of the children. 1 The parties’ first Rule 11 agreement provided that
1
This Mediated Settlement Agreement is not in the record.
3
Kerry would pay Emelda $125,000 for her ownership interest in Blessed Home. 2
On July 23, 2012, the parties entered into a second Rule 11 agreement, in which
they agreed that (1) all real estate and the amounts in all bank accounts would be
divided 50/50, (2) each person would keep the vehicles that were held in their own
name, and (3) each person would keep the personal property in their possession.
This agreement specified the amounts in each bank account, and noted that a Bank
of America account ending in 1710 held in Emelda’s name contained $61,126 and
a Wells Fargo Account ending in 8513 held in Emelda’s name contained $20,572.
It also specified that these accounts had contained $107,466.06 and $59,681.14,
respectively, in November 2011, subsequent to the trial court’s entry of the
temporary restraining order. The agreement also specified that the trial would be
limited to proving up the divorce and to the “equitable reimbursement claims of
both parties.”
Trial
Trial was held in October 2012. At trial, Kerry contended that his separate
estate had three bases for reimbursement. First, Kerry introduced evidence that, on
November 4, 2011, after the trial court had entered its temporary restraining order,
2
This Rule 11 agreement is not in the record; however, the parties agree that both
parties complied with its terms and there is no challenge to this agreement on
appeal.
4
the 1710 account contained $107,466.06 in community funds. As of February 6,
2012, the 1710 account contained only $61,126. Second, Kerry introduced
evidence that, on November 30, 2011, the 8513 account contained $59,681.14 in
community funds. As of January 31, 2012, the 8513 account contained only
$20,572. Kerry contended that Emelda had wasted the difference—a total of
$85,449.20—because she could not show the withdrawals were for reasonable and
necessary living expenses. Kerry requested that he receive reimbursement of half
of the amount that Emelda withdrew from the 1710 account, $23,170, and half of
the amount that Emelda withdrew from the 8513 account, $19,470.
Third, Kerry testified that he had paid $2,000 per month from January 2012
to October 2012 towards the mortgage on the couple’s house, which included
approximately $1,215 towards the monthly payment plus approximately $785
towards principal to catch up the arrearages in the account based on an agreement
with the bank. Kerry requested that he be reimbursed one half of the total amount
he paid towards the mortgage, $10,000.
Kerry’s claims for reimbursement totaled $52,640. Kerry requested that
the trial court award him 100% of the interest in the house and 100% of his
retirement account, instead of the 50% of each of these as allocated in the July 23,
2012 Rule 11 agreement, in order to make this reimbursement. The parties had
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agreed in their second Rule 11 agreement that their equity in the home totaled
$56,000, and therefore Emelda’s 50% interest was worth roughly $28,000. The
after-tax value of 50% of Kerry’s retirement account was approximately $25,000.
Accordingly, these two items combined totaled approximately $53,000.
Emelda testified that she received $8,000 to $10,000 per month in each of
November and December 2011 and January and February 2012 from Blessed
Home, and then received a lump sum of $125,000 when she sold her interest in the
business. She also testified that she received $2,000 per month in child support
from Kerry. She agreed that Kerry paid all of the expenses associated with their
house.
Regarding her expenses, Emelda testified that she spent no more than $4,000
on family expenses per month. She testified that although she was awarded sole
possession of the couple’s house during the pendency of the case, she moved in
January 2012 to another location, where she prepaid $14,000 for a year’s worth of
rent. She also testified that she incurred $49,669 in legal expenses related to the
divorce prior to the date of trial.
Emelda testified that she understood the withdrawal and spending
prohibitions in the temporary orders, but that she had used the $85,449.20
withdrawn from the 1710 and 8513 accounts between October 2011 and February
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2012 for her “business and family expenses.” She testified that she used
approximately $46,000 that she withdrew from the 1710 account to buy a new
business and approximately $40,000 that she withdrew from the 8513 account for
“family expenses.”
Emelda also testified that, although she agreed in the July 23, 2012 Rule 11
agreement to split the $61,126 in the 1710 account and the $20,572 contained in
the 8513 account equally with Kerry, she withdrew and spent that money. She
testified that at the time she entered into the agreement, she had already withdrawn
and spent the $61,126 in the 1710 account on her legal, business, and family
expenses. She testified that she purchased another business for $200,000 after
selling her interest in Blessed Home, using the $125,000 she received from the sale
of her interest in Blessed Home plus an additional $75,000.
Emelda testified that she had claims to offset Kerry’s claims for
reimbursement. Specifically, Emelda testified that she gave Kerry money so that
he could buy a car, and he promised to pay her back that money. Kerry objected to
this testimony as not relevant, and the trial court sustained the objection.
The trial court entered written findings on October 8, 2012. It found that
Emelda “spent, transferred, or otherwise removed” the $61,126 contained in the
1710 account and the $20,572 contained in the 8513 account that she had agreed in
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the July 23, 2012 Rule 11 agreement to split with Kerry 50/50, and that $40,849 of
these amounts were Kerry’s funds. The trial court also found that Kerry expended
$20,000 toward the payment of loans arising from the mortgage on the couple’s
house, and that Kerry’s equitable reimbursement claim for $10,000 based on these
payments should be granted. The trial court concluded that Emelda should be
awarded the 1710 and 8513 accounts, and Kerry should be awarded 100% of the
interest in the couple’s house and 100% of his retirement plan. It signed a final
decree of divorce on October 31, 2012.
Post-trial events
On November 6, 2012, Emelda filed a request for findings of fact and
conclusions of law pursuant to Rule 296 of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure.
The trial court annotated the request on December 3, 2012, indicating that the
request had been called to the court’s attention on November 28, 2012. The trial
court did not enter additional findings or conclusions based upon the request. On
December 5, 2012, Emelda filed a notice of past due findings of fact and
conclusions of law.
On November 30, 2012, Kerry filed a “Motion for Judgment Nunc Pro Tunc
and Request for Hearing to Enter.” Kerry requested a judgment nunc pro tunc
because “[t]he judgment signed by the court contains a clerical error; specifically,
8
it failed to accurately and consistently reflects [sic] the previously filed Mediated
Settlement agreement terms related to health insurance for said children.” The
October 31, 2012 decree required that Kerry pay for health insurance for the
children. The trial court granted the motion and signed a nunc pro tunc final
decree of divorce on January 16, 2013, which required that Emelda pay for health
insurance for the children.
Discussion
Emelda contends the trial court abused its discretion in concluding that she
wasted community assets and that Kerry was entitled to reimbursement. She also
contends that the trial court abused its discretion in sustaining Kerry’s objection to
Emelda’s testimony regarding her claims of offset. Further, she contends that the
judgment must be reversed because the trial court did not file findings of fact and
conclusions of law after she filed a timely request. Finally, she contends that the
trial court erred in granting Kerry’s motion for a nunc pro tunc judgment, because
the error in the judgment was a judicial error and not a clerical error. We address
these contentions in turn.
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A. Did the trial court err in concluding Kerry was entitled to equitable
reimbursement?
In her first issue, Emelda contends the trial court abused its discretion in
concluding that she wasted community assets and that Kerry was entitled to
equitable reimbursement.
1. Standard of Review and Applicable Law
We review a trial court’s division of marital property for an abuse of
discretion. Barras v. Barras, 396 S.W.3d 154, 164 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th
Dist.] 2013, pet. denied). The trial court has broad discretion when dividing the
marital estate at divorce. Murff v. Murff, 615 S.W.2d 696, 698 (Tex. 1981). “To
disturb a trial court’s division of property, a party must show that the court clearly
abused its discretion by a division or an order that is manifestly unjust or unfair.”
Barras, 396 S.W.3d at 164. A trial court does not abuse its discretion if there is
some evidence of a substantive and probative nature to support the decision. Id. A
trial court abuses its discretion if it acted unreasonably or arbitrarily, or without
reference to any guiding rules or principles. Id.
Reimbursement is an equitable right that arises when the funds or assets of
one estate are used to benefit and enhance another estate without itself receiving
some benefit. Id. at 173. In a claim for reimbursement, the trial court shall
determine the rights of the parties and apply equitable principles to determine
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whether to recognize the claim after considering the parties’ relative circumstances
and, in appropriate circumstances, order a division of the claim in a just and right
manner. TEX. FAM. CODE ANN. § 7.007 (West Supp. 2013); Barras, 396 S.W.3d at
173. Because a trial court resolves claims for reimbursement under equitable
principles, claims for reimbursement may be offset against each other where
appropriate. TEX. FAM. CODE ANN. § 3.402(b) (West Supp. 2013); Barras, 396
S.W.3d at 173. The party claiming the right of reimbursement has the burden of
pleading and proving that the expenditures were made and that they are
reimbursable. Barras, 396 S.W.3d at 173–74. “A trial court’s discretion in
evaluating a claim for reimbursement is equally as broad as that discretion
exercised by a trial court in making a just and right division of the community
estate.” Id. at 174 (citing Penick v. Penick, 783 S.W.2d 194, 198 (Tex. 1988)).
The trial court may also consider whether a party wasted community assets
in determining a just and right division and whether a party is entitled to
reimbursement. See Schlueter v. Schlueter, 975 S.W.2d 584, 589 (Tex. 1998). “A
fiduciary duty exists between a husband and a wife as to the community property
controlled by each spouse.” Zieba v. Martin, 928 S.W.2d 782, 789 (Tex. App.—
Houston [14th Dist.] 1996, no pet.) (op. on reh’g). “A presumption of ‘constructive
fraud,’ i.e., waste, arises when one spouse disposes of the other spouse’s interest in
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community property without the other’s knowledge or consent.” Puntarelli v.
Peterson, 405 S.W.3d 131, 138–39 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2013, no pet.).
No dishonesty of purpose or intent to deceive must be established, because proof
of subjective intent is required only to show actual fraud on the community, not
constructive fraud on the community. Id. at 139. Once the presumption arises, the
burden of proof shifts to the disposing spouse to prove the fairness of the
disposition of the other spouse’s one-half community ownership. Id.
2. Analysis
Emelda contends that the trial court erred in awarding Kerry an equitable
reimbursement for three reasons. First, Emelda contends she did not waste
community assets, because she spent the money in accounts 1710 and 8513 on
living expenses, business expenses, and attorney’s fees. Second, Emelda contends
that to prove waste, Kerry was required to prove the heightened culpability
standard of actual fraud, which he failed to do. Finally, Emelda contends the trial
court erred in calculating the equitable reimbursement and awarded Kerry more
than he was entitled to receive.
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a. Did the trial court err in determining that Emelda “spent,
transferred, or otherwise removed” $40,849 of Kerry’s funds
from the 1710 and 8513 accounts?
At trial, Emelda admitted that, although she had agreed in the July 23, 2012
Rule 11 agreement to split the $61,126 in the 1710 account and the $20,572 in the
8513 account with Kerry 50/50, she instead withdrew and spent this money. The
trial court found that Emelda “spent, transferred, or otherwise removed” these
amounts, and that $40,849 of these amounts were Kerry’s funds. Emelda contends
that this was not waste of community assets, because she spent the money on
family expenses, business expenses, and attorney’s fees. However, regardless of
her reasons for withdrawing these funds, Emelda agreed in the Rule 11 agreement
that Kerry would receive $40,849 from the funds in the 1710 and 8513 accounts.
But the record demonstrates that Emelda spent most, if not all, of this money
before she even entered into the Rule 11 agreement with Kerry and represented to
him that he would receive this money. Accordingly, we hold that the trial court did
not err in finding that Kerry was entitled to an equitable reimbursement of $40,849.
See Barras, 396 S.W.3d at 173–74 (emphasizing trial court’s broad discretion in
dividing community estate); Puntarelli, 405 S.W.3d at 138–39 (presumption of
waste arises when one spouse disposes of the other spouse’s interest in community
property without the other’s knowledge or consent).
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b. Was Kerry required to prove the heightened culpability
standard of actual fraud in order to receive an equitable
reimbursement with respect to funds in the 1710 and 8513
accounts?
Emelda contends that, in order to recover on his reimbursement claims
related to withdrawal of funds from the 1710 and 8513 accounts, Kerry was
required to prove the heightened culpability standard of actual fraud. We disagree.
“A presumption of ‘constructive fraud,’ i.e., waste, arises when one spouse
disposes of the other spouse’s interest in community property without the other’s
knowledge or consent.” Puntarelli, 405 S.W.3d at 138–39. Here, there is no
dispute that Emelda spent the $61,126 in the 1710 account and the $20,572 in the
8513 account, and yet, agreed in writing that Kerry should receive 50% of each of
these amounts. Further, it is undisputed that Kerry had no knowledge that Emelda
had disposed of these funds. In fact, the record reflects that Kerry did not learn
that these funds had been withdrawn from the accounts until Emelda admitted this
at trial. Because a presumption of waste arose based on the evidence that Emelda
had disposed of the $40,849 without Kerry’s knowledge, Kerry was not required to
establish that Emelda had dishonesty of purpose or intent to deceive in disposing of
these funds. Id. at 139. Accordingly, we reject Emelda’s contention that Kerry
was required to prove actual fraud in order to recover on his equitable
reimbursement claims regarding the 1710 and 8513 accounts. See id. at 138–39.
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c. Did the trial court err in its calculation of Kerry’s equitable
reimbursement claim?
Emelda contends that the trial court erred in awarding Kerry 100% of the
interest in the couple’s house. The second Rule 11 agreement reflects that the
parties agreed that each would be awarded a 50% interest in the house. At trial,
when Kerry requested that the trial court award him 100% of the interest in the
house in order to give effect to his reimbursement request, Emelda did not object
on the basis of any purported miscalculation, nor did she argue that the Rule 11
agreement was unenforceable. Accordingly, Emelda has not preserved for our
review her contention that the trial court erred by miscalculating the value of
Kerry’s reimbursement claim or the value of the couple’s equity in the house. See
TEX. R. APP. P. 33.1(a) (prerequisite for presenting complaint on appeal is a record
showing complaint was timely made to trial court and ruling obtained).
We conclude that the trial court did not err in entering judgment for Kerry
on his equitable reimbursement claims. Accordingly, we overrule Emelda’s first
issue.
B. Did the trial court err in excluding Emelda’s offset evidence?
In her second issue, Emelda contends that the trial court abused its discretion
in sustaining Kerry’s objection to her testimony regarding her claims for offset.
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1. Standard of Review and Applicable Law
We review the trial court’s decision to exclude evidence for an abuse of
discretion. McBride v. McBride, 396 S.W.3d 724, 730 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th
Dist.] 2013, pet. denied). To preserve error concerning the exclusion of evidence,
the complaining party must actually offer the evidence and secure an adverse
ruling from the court. Sink v. Sink, 364 S.W.3d 340, 347 (Tex. App.—Dallas 2012,
no pet.) (citing Fletcher v. Minn. Min. & Mfg. Co., 57 S.W.3d 602, 606 (Tex.
App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2001, pet. denied)). While the reviewing court may
sometimes be able to discern from the record the general nature of the evidence
and the propriety of the trial court’s ruling, it cannot, without an offer of proof,
determine whether exclusion of the evidence was harmful. Id. Thus, when
evidence is excluded by the trial court, the proponent of the evidence must
preserve the evidence in the record in order to complain of the exclusion on appeal.
See Fletcher, 57 S.W.3d at 606; see also TEX. R. EVID. 103(a), (b). If the party
fails to make an offer of proof, it must introduce the excluded testimony into the
record by a formal bill of exception. See Southwest Country Enters., Inc. v. Lucky
Lady Oil Co., 991 S.W.2d 490, 494–95 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 1999, pet.
denied). Failure to demonstrate the substance of the excluded evidence through an
16
offer of proof or bill of exception results in waiver of any error in its exclusion.
See id. at 494.
2. Analysis
Emelda contends that she has several bases for offset, including claims
regarding two cars and a claim regarding a bank account, and that the trial court
abused its discretion in excluding her testimony regarding these claims. The
following exchange occurred at trial:
Emelda’s attorney: Did you ever give your husband money to buy a car?
Emelda: Yes.
Emelda’s attorney: And he promised to replace that.
Emelda: Yes.
Emelda’s attorney: Can you tell the Court approximately how much.
Kerry’s attorney: Let me object to time on this and relevancy, Your Honor.
The Court: Time frame, sir?
Emelda’s attorney: That was in 2011?
Emelda: Yes.
The Court: Prior to the Rule 11 Agreement?
Emelda’s attorney: Yes, Judge.
The Court: Sustain the objection.
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This is the entirety of the testimony in the record related to Emelda’s claims for
offset. Emelda did not make an offer of proof or bill of exception regarding the
evidence she intended to introduce. Accordingly, we hold that she did not preserve
this complaint for review. See Sink, 364 S.W.3d at 347; Fletcher, 57 S.W.3d at
606; Southwest Country Enters., 991 S.W.2d at 494.
We overrule Emelda’s second issue.
C. Was Emelda harmed by the trial court’s failure to file findings of fact and
conclusions of law in response to her request?
In her third issue, Emelda contends the trial court erred in failing to file
findings of fact and conclusions of law after she filed a timely request.
1. Standard of Review and Applicable Law
Under Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 296, when a party makes a proper and
timely request for findings of fact and conclusions of law and the trial court fails to
comply, harm is presumed unless the record affirmatively shows that the
requesting party was not harmed by their absence. TEX. R. CIV. P. 296; Watts v.
Oliver, 396 S.W.3d 124, 130 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2013, no pet.)
(citing Tenery v. Tenery, 932 S.W.2d 29, 30 (Tex. 1996) (per curiam)). Findings
of fact and conclusions of law must be requested within 20 days after judgment,
and if no findings and conclusions are filed, the requesting party must file a notice
of past due findings within 30 days of its original request. See TEX. R. CIV. P. 296,
18
297. If the record shows that the failure to file findings of fact and conclusions of
law did not prevent the appellant from properly presenting their case to the
appellate court, error is not harmful. See Watts, 396 S.W.3d at 130 (citing Tenery,
932 S.W.2d at 30); Rumscheidt v. Rumscheidt, 362 S.W.3d 661, 665 (Tex. App.—
Houston [14th Dist.] 2011, no pet.).
2. Analysis
The trial court entered written findings following trial. After the final
judgment was signed, Emelda timely requested findings of fact and conclusions of
law pursuant to Rule 296. See TEX. R. CIV. P. 296. She also timely filed a notice
of past due findings. See TEX. R. CIV. P. 297. However, the record shows that the
failure to file findings of fact and conclusions of law in response to her request did
not prevent Emelda from properly presenting her case on appeal, and therefore any
error is not harmful.3 See Watts, 396 S.W.3d at 130–31 (where party was able to
challenge grounds for adverse award, there was no harm in trial court’s failure to
3
Emelda contends that harm should be presumed for three reasons: (1) the trial
court found for Kerry on his reimbursement claim; (2) the trial court did not
consider her claims for offset, “nor provide[] any explanation as to why it didn’t
take them into account in the property division;” and (3) the appellate court should
not consider “findings recited in the judgment.” But none of these is persuasive.
First, the mere fact that Kerry prevailed on his reimbursement claim does not
demonstrate harm. Next, with respect to Emelda’s offset claim, the trial court
excluded Emelda’s evidence, as discussed in issue two, above, and therefore, there
was no evidence to support it. Finally, Emelda’s claim that we cannot rely on the
findings filed by the trial court is without merit, because the trial court properly
recited them in a document other than the final judgment.
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file findings of fact and conclusions of law); see also Rumscheidt, 362 S.W.3d at
665–66. The trial court entered written findings on the salient issues on October
26, and there is no missing finding that prevented Emelda from presenting her
appeal to this Court. Accordingly, we conclude that Emelda was not harmed by the
trial court’s failure to file findings of fact and conclusions of law in response to her
request. See Tenery, 932 S.W.2d at 30; Watts, 396 S.W.3d at 130–31.
We overrule Emelda’s third issue.
D. Did the trial court err in correcting the judgment?
In her fourth issue, Emelda contends that the trial court erred in granting
Kerry’s motion for a nunc pro tunc judgment, because the error in the judgment
was a judicial error and not a clerical error. We do not need to determine whether
the error sought to be corrected was clerical or judicial, because Kerry’s motion
was filed within 30 days of the signing of the final judgment and sought to correct
the judgment.
1. Applicable Law
The trial court retains plenary power over a case for a minimum of thirty
days after signing a final judgment. TEX. R. CIV. P. 329b(d); Lane Bank Equip.
Co. v. Smith S. Equip., Inc., 10 S.W.3d 308, 310 (Tex. 2000). The plenary power
of the court can be extended by timely filing, within 30 days of the judgment, an
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appropriate postjudgment motion, such as a motion for new trial or a motion to
modify, correct, or reform the judgment. See TEX. R. CIV. P. 329b(a), (e), (g);
Lane Bank, 10 S.W.3d at 310. If such a motion is filed and not determined within
75 days of the date of the judgment, the motion is overruled by operation of law.
TEX. R. CIV. P. 329b(c). However, in such a case, the trial court may still grant a
new trial, vacate, modify, correct, or reform the judgment until 30 days after the
expiration of the 75 day period. See TEX. R. CIV. P. 329b(e), (g).
2. Analysis
In his “Motion for Judgment Nunc Pro Tunc and Request for Hearing to
Enter,” Kerry averred that the final decree of divorce signed by the trial court on
October 31, 2012 incorrectly incorporated the terms of the parties’ MSA with
respect to their children’s health insurance. Emelda does not contend that the
October 31 decree correctly reflected the terms of the parties’ MSA, nor does she
contend that the MSA was not enforceable; instead, she contends that, because the
final decree was initially drafted by Kerry’s attorney, the error was judicial, rather
than clerical, and could not be corrected by a judgment nunc pro tunc.
Although Kerry’s motion was presented as a request for a nunc pro tunc
judgment pursuant to Rule 316, in considering whether a motion operates to extend
the trial court’s plenary power under Rule 329b, the substance of the motion, not
21
its title, determines the relief sought. 4 See Surgitek v. Abel, 997 S.W.2d 598, 601
(Tex. 1999); see also TEX. R. CIV. P. 71. Here, it is undisputed that Kerry’s
motion asked the trial court to correct the judgment. The motion was filed on
November 30, 2012, within 30 days after the October 31, 2012 final judgment. See
TEX. R. CIV. P. 329b(a), (g). The motion was not determined by January 14, 2013,
the 75th day after judgment, and accordingly, the trial court retained plenary power
to correct the judgment until the 105th day after judgment, February 13, 2013.
TEX. R. CIV. P. 329b(c), (e), (g). The trial court granted Kerry’s motion and
corrected the judgment on January 16, 2013, before the trial court’s plenary power
had expired. See TEX. R. CIV. P. 329b(e), (g).
We overrule Emelda’s fourth issue.
Conclusion
We affirm the judgment of the trial court.
Rebeca Huddle
Justice
Panel consists of Chief Justice Radack and Justices Bland and Huddle.
4
We note that Rule 329b distinguishes between Rule 316 and Rule 329b motions
because Rule 316 motions may be filed after the trial court’s plenary power has
expired.
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