Treadway v. Treadway, Unpublished Decision (1-10-2002)
Treadway v. Treadway, Unpublished Decision (1-10-2002)
Opinion of the Court
Appellant and appellee were married on October 6, 1963. On August 14, 1998, a pro se decree of dissolution was filed, incorporating the parties' separation agreement. On December 29, 2000, over two years later, appellant filed a motion to vacate the decree of dissolution, invoking the provisions of Civ.R. 60(B)(5). Appellant submitted her own affidavit therewith. Appellee filed a response on February 21, 2001.
On March 7, 2001, the trial court issued a judgment entry denying appellant's motion to vacate. Appellant thereupon filed a motion requesting the court reconsider its entry denying the motion to vacate. Appellant attached therewith affidavits from four individuals averring that appellant and appellee continued to live together after the dissolution. After reviewing the motion to reconsider and appellee's memorandum contra, the court denied further reconsideration, via a judgment entry filed April 2, 2001.
Appellant timely filed a notice of appeal regarding both the March 7, 2001 and April 2, 2001 judgment entries. She herein raises the following sole Assignment of Error:
I. THE TRIAL COURT ABUSED ITS DISCRETION BY FAILING TO ALLOW AN EVIDENTIARY HEARING WHEN PETITIONER-APPELLANT IN HER 60(B) MOTION, WHICH WAS SUPPORTED BY HER ADULT CHILDREN, A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AND A NEIGHBOR, ALLEGED THAT: (1) THE PARTIES CONTINUED LIVING TOGETHER AFTER THE FINAL DISSOLUTION HEARING; (2) SHE WAS SUFFERING FROM DEPRESSION AT THE TIME OF THE HEARING, SHE IS NOW ON MEDICATION, AND SHE IS NOW TREATED BY EXPERTS WHOSE TESTIMONY SHE WISHED TO PRESENT; (3) SHE WAS BULLIED, ABUSED, AND THREATENED WITH DEATH EVEN AT GUNPOINT; (4) SHE WAS PROHIBITED FROM REPRESENTATION BY AN ATTORNEY BECAUSE HER HUSBAND DESPISES THEM; (5) A MAJOR ASSET, THE HUSBAND'S BUSINESS, WAS NOT VALUED OR PROPERLY DIVIDED; (6) THE SPOUSAL SUPPORT PROVISION WAS UNFAIR IN LIGHT OF THE LENGTH OF THE MARRIAGE AND THE WIFE'S INABILITY TO WORK. AN EVIDENTIARY HEARING BECAME IMPERATIVE WHEN IT APPEARED THAT THE APPELLEE MAY HAVE SUBMITTED ALTERED DOCUMENTS IN SUPPORT OF HIS POSITION AND WITNESS SIGNATURES MAY HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE SEPARATION AGREEMENT AFTER THE FACT.
Civ.R. 60(B) reads as follows:
On motion and upon such terms as are just, the court may relieve a party or his legal representative from a final judgment, order or proceeding for the following reasons: (1) mistake, inadvertence, surprise or excusable neglect; (2) newly discovered evidence which by due diligence could not have been discovered in time to move for a new trial under Rule 59(B); (3) fraud (whether heretofore denominated intrinsic or extrinsic), misrepresentation or other misconduct of an adverse party; (4) the judgment has been satisfied, released or discharged, or a prior judgment upon which it is based has been reversed or otherwise vacated, or it is no longer equitable that the judgment should have prospective application; or (5) any other reason justifying relief from the judgment. The motion shall be made within a reasonable time, and for reasons (1), (2) and (3) not more than one year after the judgment, order or proceeding was entered or taken. A motion under this subdivision (B) does not affect the finality of a judgment or suspend its operation.
Civ.R. 60(B) represents an attempt to "strike a proper balance between the conflicting principles that litigation must be brought to an end and justice should be done." Colley v. Bazell (1980),
If any prong of this requirement is not satisfied, relief shall be denied. Argo at 391. Further "[i]f the material submitted by the movant in support of a motion for relief from judgment contains no operative facts or meager and limited facts and conclusions of law, it will not be an abuse of discretion for the trial court to refuse to grant a hearing and overrule the motion." Adomeit v. Baltimore (1974),
As noted previously, appellant cited Civ.R. 60(B)(5) as grounds for her motion to vacate. Her affidavit in support thereof states that she and appellee lived together after the granting of the dissolution, and that she continued to do ironing and cooking chores for him. Appellant also averred that appellee mentally abused and threatened to kill her. She asserted that she has been suffering from depression and arthritis, and was bullied by appellee and prohibited from obtaining her own legal advice. She stated she went through with the dissolution with the hope that the marriage would survive. Finally, she asserted that appellee's insurance business was not evaluated or divided in the dissolution.1
Appellee filed a responsive affidavit in which, inter alia, he denied abusing or threatening appellant or hindering her from obtaining counsel. He denied continuing to live with appellant, averring instead that during the period prior to the sale of the farm in October 1998, he would stop there "during the early morning hours" after his work day, sleep for a few hours, and get up to take care of the farm animals. He maintained that no sexual relations took place with appellant and that he had limited contact with her during these episodes. He denied receiving meals from appellant, except for some sandwiches while he completed haying chores.
Ohio law makes clear that Civ.R. 60(B)(5) should not be used as a substitute for any of the other more specific provisions of Civ.R. 60(B). Caruso-Ciresi, Inc. v. Lohman (1983),
The trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying appellant an evidentiary hearing regarding her motion to vacate the dissolution decree. Appellant's sole Assignment of Error is overruled.
Costs are assessed to appellant.
Hon. Sheila G. Farmer, P. J. Hon. John W. Wise, J. Hon. John F. Boggins, J. concur.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.