Dahlin v. Dahlin, 3-877A202

• Citation: 397 N.E.2d 606
• Decision Date: 04 December 1979
• Docket Number: No. 3-877A202,3-877A202
• Parties: George C. DAHLIN, Appellant, v. Enid G. DAHLIN, Appellee.
• Court: Court of Appeals of Indiana

Page 606

397 N.E.2d 606

George C. DAHLIN, Appellant, v. Enid G. DAHLIN, Appellee.

No. 3-877A202.

Court of Appeals of Indiana, Third District.

Dec. 4, 1979.

Arthur I. Raelson, Roule & Raelson, LaPorte, for appellant.

John J. Davie, LaPorte, for appellee.

HOFFMAN, Judge.

The marriage of George and Enid Dahlin was dissolved by the court below on February 24, 1977, pursuant to a petition filed by Enid on April 29, 1976. The sole issue in this appeal is whether the court abused its discretion when it awarded approximately one-half of the parties' property to Enid.

A division of property pursuant to a dissolution of marriage is governed by the following statute:

"In an action pursuant to section 3(a) (subsection (a) of 31-1-11.5-3), the court shall divide the property of the parties, whether owned by either spouse prior to the marriage, acquired by either spouse in his or her own right after the marriage and prior to final separation of the parties, or acquired by their joint efforts, in a just and reasonable manner, either by division of the property in kind, or by setting the same or parts thereof over to one (1) of the spouses and requiring either to pay such sum as may be just and proper, or by ordering the sale of the same under such conditions as the court may prescribe and dividing the proceeds of such sale.

"In determining what is just and reasonable the court shall consider the following factors :

(a) the contribution of each spouse to the acquisition of the property, including the contribution of a spouse as homemaker;

(b) the extent to which the property was acquired by each spouse prior to the marriage or through inheritance or gift;

(c) the economic circumstances of the 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 therein for such periods as the court may deem just to the spouse having custody of any children;

(d) the conduct of the parties during the marriage as related to the disposition or dissipation of their property;

(e) the earnings or earning ability of the parties as related to a final division of property and final determination of the property rights of the parties." (Emphasis added.)

IC 1971, 31-1-11.5-11 (1978 Burns Supp.).

In reviewing a division of marital property this Court presumes that the trial court followed the law; that it considered the statutory factors in making its decision. In re Marriage of Patus (1978), Ind.App., 372 N.E.2d 493, at 495.

It is not our function to weigh the evidence nor to substitute our judgment for that of the trial court, In re Marriage of Patus, supra ; rather, this Court's sole duty is to review the record to determine whether the trial court committed an abuse of discretion when it divided the parties' property. In re Marriage of Patus, supra, 372 N.E.2d at 496; Wilcox v. Wilcox (1977), Ind.App., 365 N.E.2d 792, at 795. Such an abuse of discretion exists only where the award is clearly against the logic and effect of the facts and circumstances before the court. Wilcox v. Wilcox, supra, 365 N.E.2d 796.

The record here discloses that the marriage of the parties lasted less than four years and produced no children. The record also shows that Enid had a limited amount of individual property, both prior to and at the end of her marriage to George. What property she did possess consisted primarily of her household furnishings, a used car and a number of show dogs. Enid devoted her time primarily to maintaining the parties' home, although she was employed on a part-time basis on a number of occasions. Her duties as a homemaker included caring for the few head of livestock on the parties' farm, generally managing the household and caring for between ten and fifteen dogs.

Finally, although the record shows that Enid (then age 50) had a considerably lesser earning ability than George (then age 63), it also shows that George would be forced to retire on a $500 per month pension within a year and a half of the decree.

It is George's argument that the court below ignored both subsection (a) and subsection (b) of the statute when it divided the marital assets. He bases this argument on the following additional facts, none of which were controverted: (1) that he entered the marriage with a net worth of approximately $65,000; (2) that Enid...