Lankenau v. Lankenau, 2-1075A301

Decision Date09 August 1977
Docket NumberNo. 2-1075A301,2-1075A301
Citation365 N.E.2d 1241,174 Ind.App. 45
PartiesJanice LANKENAU, Appellant (Respondent Below), v. Arnold C. LANKENAU, Appellee (Petitioner Below).
CourtIndiana Appellate Court

Arden W. Zobrosky, Marion, for appellant.

Robert W. Schatz, Marion, for appellee.

LOWDERMILK, Judge.

This case was transferred to this office from the Second District in order to help eliminate the disparity in caseloads among the Districts.

Respondent-appellant, Janice Lankenau (Janice), perfects this appeal from the overruling of her Motion to Correct Errors after the trial court corrected its judgment pursuant to motion 1 made by petitioner-appellee, Arnold C. Lankenau (Arnold).

The facts necessary for our disposition of this appeal are as follows: On November 1, 1974, the trial court ordered the marriage of Janice and Arnold dissolved, and provided in further pertinent part of its Decree as follows:

" * * * ne

10. The Respondent shall have and recover from the Petitioner the sum of $36,400.00, which sum shall be payable to the Clerk of the Court, for the use of Respondent, in 520 weekly installments of $70.00 each, said payments to commence on the 8th day of November, 1974, and each succeeding week thereafter until paid in full.

* * * "r,

On March 13, 1975, Arnold filed a motion with the trial court seeking to have paragraph # 10 of the Dissolution Decree corrected. Arnold's motion provided in pertinent part as follows:

"MOTION TO CORRECT JUDGMENT

Comes now petitioner, . . . , and pursuant to Trial Rule 60 . . . shows the court as follows, to-wit:

1. That on the 1st day of November, 1974, this court entered a judgment in the above-entitled ca(u)se of action providing in part that respondent recover from petitioner the sum of $36,400.00 which sum shall be payable to the clerk of this court in 520 weekly installments of $70.00 each.

2. That said judgment contained an error, in that it was intended by the court to allow petitioner to have said weekly installments qualify as deductions for income tax purposes and in order to do so said order should provide that respondent recover from petitioner the sum of $36,400.00 which sum shall be payable to the clerk of this court in 521 weekly installments.

WHEREFORE, petitioner respectfully requests the court to amend and correct the judgment as set forth above, nunc pro tunc.

* * * ", p

The trial court heard oral argument on the motion, took its ruling under advisement, and on May 29, 1975 entered an order correcting its original judgment, which omitting formal parts, provided as follows:

" * * * co

1. That an error exists in the judgment heretofore entered by the Court, in that the Court in entering its judgment for the payment of alimony as set forth at No. 10 of said judgment, predicated such recovery and the payment schedule therein provided upon the Petitioner's utilization of such payments as a tax deduction pursuant to the United States Federal Revenue Code.

2. That failing therein, the matters of child support and property division provided by said judgment would be substantially affected, and that the judgment would not constitute the purposes or intention of the Court.

3. That Petitioner's motion to correct judgment should be sustained, and the judgment as originally entered, should be modified to accurately reflect the intention of the Court in this matter.

IT IS, THEREFORE, ORDERED, that the judgment as originally entered be, and the same is hereby modified, nunc pro tunc, as of the date of original entry, to provide as follows:

10. The Respondent shall have and recover from the Petitioner, the sum of $36,470.00, which sum shall be payable to the Clerk of this Court for the use of the Respondent in five hundred twenty-one (521) weekly installments of $70.00 each, said payments to commence on the 8th day of November, 1974, and on each succeeding week thereafter, until paid in full.

* * * "mme

ISSUE

1. Whether the order of the trial court, entered May 29, 1975, correcting its Final Dissolution Decree of November 1, 1974, was contrary to law.

TR 60(B)(1) provides:

"(B) Mistake Excusable neglect Newly-discovered evidence Fraud, etc. On motion and upon such terms as are just the court may relieve a party or his legal representative from a final judgment, order, default or proceeding for the following reasons:

(1) mistake, surprise, or excusable neglect;

* * * "ke,

A motion under TR 60(B) is addressed to the equitable discretion of the trial court. Soft Water Utilities, Inc. v. LeFevre (1973), 261 Ind. 260, 301 N.E.2d 745.

It appears clear to this court that a trial court does not abuse its discretion when it corrects a judgment to make that judgment conform to the intent of the trial court in entering the judgment in first instance. It is ...

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19 cases
  • Town of St. John v. Home Builders Ass'n of Northern Indiana, Inc.
    • United States
    • Indiana Appellate Court
    • 9 Diciembre 1981
    ...For example, on the motion of a party, TR. 60(B)(1) permits relief from a judgment where a "mistake" has occurred. In Lankenau v. Lankenau (1977), Ind.App., 365 N.E.2d 1241, this Court found a "mistake" justifying relief under TR. 60(B)(1) where a written judgment did not conform to the tri......
  • Indiana & Michigan Elec. Co. v. Harlan, 1-1285A324
    • United States
    • Indiana Appellate Court
    • 24 Febrero 1987
    ...months after the entry of a judgment and the trial court amended the judgment to correct an ambiguous omission. Lankenau v. Lankenau (1977), 174 Ind.App. 45, 365 N.E.2d 1241. Under Ind.Rules of Procedure, Trial Rule 59(J)(3) and (4), the trial court, in ruling on the motion to correct error......
  • Marriage of Murray, In re
    • United States
    • Indiana Appellate Court
    • 22 Marzo 1984
    ...case was enacted in order to eliminate the vexatious litigation which often accompanies a dissolution action. See Lankenau v. Lankenau (1977), 174 Ind.App. 45, 365 N.E.2d 1241. We conclude that the statute does bear a rational relation to a legitimate and compelling governmental interest. W......
  • Flynn v. Barker
    • United States
    • Indiana Appellate Court
    • 27 Junio 1983
    ...that judgment conform to the intent of the trial court in entering the judgment in [sic] first instance." Lankenau v. Lankenau (1977), 174 Ind.App. 45, at 48, 365 N.E.2d 1241, at 1243. In Lankenau the trial court was concerned with correcting a mistake in its prior judgment. The rationale o......
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