Bowman v. Bowman

• Decision Date: 04 April 1957
• Citation: 308 P.2d 906,149 Cal.App.2d 773
• Court: California Court of Appeals Court of Appeals
• Parties: Joan BOWMAN, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. Dale BOWMAN, Defendant and Appellant. Civ. 17243.

Page 906

308 P.2d 906

149 Cal.App.2d 773

Joan BOWMAN, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. Dale BOWMAN, Defendant and Appellant.

Civ. 17243.

District Court of Appeal, First District, Division 1, California.

April 4, 1957.

Hearing Denied May 29, 1957.

Cornish & Cornish, Berkeley, for appellant.

Harris, Darter & Older, Oakland, Cyril Viadro, San Francisco, for respondent.

BRAY, Justice.

This appeal by defendant from portions of an interlocutory decree of divorce, after denial of a motion for new trial, raises two questions: (1) Is the property of the parties community or joint tenancy? (2) The propriety of the order of $75 per month support for each of two of the three children.

Record.

After 13 years of marriage plaintiff sued defendant for divorce on the grounds of extreme cruelty, asking for custody of the three children of the parties and a division of the community property, which allegedly included the family home. Defendant cross-complained on similar grounds asking for the custody of the children and alleged the home to be in joint tenancy. The court granted plaintiff the divorce, found the home to be community property, awarded it and the household furnishings to plaintiff, granted her custody of the children, subject to defendant's right of visitation, ordered defendant to pay plaintiff for the support of two of the children, $75 each per month, $60 per month for the support of the third child, and granted plaintiff $1 per month as alimony. Defendant was awarded a 1951 Plymouth, a life insurance policy, a trailer and money in a credit union. Defendant appeals from the portion of the decree finding the home to be community property and awarding it to plaintiff, and from the $75 allowance to the two children.

1. Joint Tenancy or Community Property.

The deed to the property was taken in joint tenancy. This fact raises a rebuttable presumption that the property was in fact held in joint tenancy, and places on the party claiming it to be community property the burden of overcoming the presumption. Schindler v. Schindler, 1954, 126 Cal.App.2d 597, 272 P.2d 566; Jones v. Jones, 1955, 135 Cal.App.2d 52, 286 P.2d 908. The fact that the property was purchased with community funds, standing alone, is insufficient to rebut the presumption created by the form of the deed. Gudelj v. Gudelj, 1953, 41 Cal.2d 202, 259 P.2d 656. Parol evidence of an oral agreement by, or intention of, the parties to hold it as community property is admissible. Tomaier v. Tomaier, 1944, 23 Cal.2d 754, 146 P.2d 905. While the presumption cannot be rebutted by an understanding of one party uncommunicated to the other, Gudelj v. Gudelj, supra, an understanding to hold it as community property, in spite of the form of the deed, may be shown by the conduct and declarations of the parties. Thomasset v. Thomasset, 1953, 122 Cal.App.2d 116, 264 P.2d 626; Socol v. King, 1950, 36 Cal.2d 342, 223 P.2d 627. Here there was admittedly no express agreement that the property was to be held other than as shown by the deed. Defendant claims there was no evidence of any mutual understanding or intention of the parties to hold the property as community property and that, therefore, the presumption was not overcome.

Our task, then, is to determine whether there is substantial evidence of such understanding or intention. The home was purchased shortly after marriage, with moneys loaned by plaintiff's parents to make the down payment. This was repaid and the other payments on the property, from defendant's salary. Plaintiff did not remember discussing the purchase with her husband and the realtor. She did not know how the deed was made out, although she signed some papers at the realtor's office at the time of purchase. She and defendant never discussed the deed nor how it was to be made out. She thought it was community property as she thought that when persons were married, everything was community property. Defendant testified that at the time of the purchase he, plaintiff and a realtor had a conversation as to how the property was to be deeded. Plaintiff's parents advised that it be deeded in joint tenancy. The realtor agreed on the theory that should anything happen to one spouse, the other spouse would automatically get the home without probate. It was always defendant's understanding that it was held in joint tenancy and not as community property. In explaining his idea of the difference between the two, he stated that there would be no difference except that if one should die, the other would automatically obtain the property without probate, but in 'ordinary everyday living there would be no difference * * *' The property was bought with the intent that it should be a home for him, his wife and children. He was asked, 'And that was your intention, it was to be community property and the home for them all, didn't you?' He answered 'It was to be ours.' Again he stated: 'It is joint tenancy. It belongs to us.' The fact that the original down payment came from the wife's parents and that community funds paid for the property, although by no means conclusive on the question, is of some significance. In his questionnaire defendant listed the home under 'community property' although he added 'joint tenancy.'

While the court could have found to the contrary, there is substantial evidence to overcome the presumption and to show that both parties considered the property as community property and never intended it to have any of the attributes of joint tenancy except to avoid probate. Defendant considered the property 'ours,' belonging 'to us,' not separate. The only reason given for taking the deed in joint tenancy form was to dispense...