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holding failure to raise section 38.002 presentment at the trial court waived issue on appeal
Summary of this case from SALEM v. ASIOpinion
No. 01-09-00615-CV
Opinion issued December 23, 2010.
On Appeal from the 311th District Court, Harris County, Texas, Trial Court Cause No. 2004-25057.
MEMORANDUM OPINION
Randall Coleman appeals the trial court's order granting his former wife's petition for enforcement of their final divorce decree. In five issues he contends (1) the final divorce decree imposed an improper penalty; (2) the order granting the motion for enforcement imposed an improper penalty; and (3) the trial court erred in awarding attorney's fees for the motion for enforcement. We affirm the judgment of the trial court.
Background
The trial court rendered an agreed final decree of divorce on August 7, 2008 pursuant to a mediated agreement between the parties, Randall Coleman and Joan Parnell Coleman. The decree required Randall to pay $350,000 to Joan by July 28, 2008 in addition to $9,500 on the first of every month starting on May 1, 2008. The $9,500 payments were to continue until Randall paid the full $350,000 plus ten percent interest on any unpaid amounts. At some point Randall filed a motion for new trial in response to the final divorce decree, but he never made any payments under the decree. Joan filed a petition for enforcement and attorney's fees on November 7, 2008 and an amended petition on February 2, 2009. Randall's original answer raised affirmative defenses of legal justification, performance, waiver of performance, estoppel, illegality, and usury. The trial court conducted a hearing on the motion to enforce on May 14, 2009 and rendered an order on the motion for enforcement at that time. A final order was entered on June 5, 2009. The trial court ordered Randall to pay $464,629.98 to Joan, which included the $350,000 lump sum, nine months of past-due $9,500 payments, and compound interest. The order stated that it did not effect the monthly $9,500 payments under the divorce decree, and they would continue to accrue until Randall paid the entire past-due amount. Finally, the trial court awarded $14,980 in attorney's fees to Joan with eight percent post-judgment interest. Joan's attorney, Bobby Newman, testified to his fees at the hearing and attempted to include actions taken on a motion for sanctions in the total amount. The trial court declined to rule on the motion for sanctions and directed Joan's attorney to testify as to his fees in connection with the enforcement action. Newman testified as to his years of practice, the range of reasonable rates for similar cases in Harris County, and that $14,980 in fees was reasonable and necessary. Randall did not ask Newman any questions or make any objections to his testimony. Randall timely appealed the order granting Joan's motion for enforcement and attorney's fees.Challenge to Divorce Decree
In his first issue, Randall contends the award of $464,629.88 in the enforcement order is impermissible because the final divorce decree contained an penalty under contract law. A divorce decree is a final judgment and must be appealed within the trial court's plenary power, at most 105 days after the judgment is signed. See Hagen v. Hagen, 282 S.W.3d 899, 902 (Tex. 2009); In re Provine, 312 S.W.3d 824, 829-30 (Tex. App.-Houston [1st] 2009, no pet.). If an appeal is not timely perfected from the divorce decree, res judicata bars a subsequent collateral attack. Hagen v. Hagen, 282 S.W.3d 899, 902 (Tex. 2009); Treadway v. Shanks, 110 S.W.3d 1, 5 (Tex. App.-Houston [1st] 2000) aff'd, 110 S.W.3d 444 (Tex. 2003). Even if a final judgment is erroneous or voidable, it is not void and subject to collateral attack if a trial court had jurisdiction over the parties and subject matter. Hagen, 282 S.W.3d at 902; see also Jones v. Jones, 900 S.W.3d 786, 788 (Tex. App.-San Antonio 1995, writ denied). A motion to enforce a divorce decree is equivalent to a new suit. See TEX. FAM. CODE ANN. § 9.001 (Vernon 2006); Allmond v. Loe, Warren, Rosenfield, Kaitcer, Hibbs Windsor, P.C., No. 2-09-132-CV, 2010 WL 1267786, at *1 (Tex. App.-Fort Worth Apr. 1, 2010, pet. denied). An appeal from a motion to enforce may not collaterally attack an unappealed divorce decree. See Hagen, 282 S.W.3d at 902; see also Jones, 900 S.W.3d at 788. The trial court signed the final divorce decree on August 7, 2008. Randall filed a motion for new trial, but 105 days has passed without either party filing an appeal from the final decree. Randall instead appealed from the judgment granting Joan's petition to enforce. Randall may not collaterally attack a provision of an unappealed divorce decree. See Jones, 900 S.W.3d at 788. We overrule Randall's first issue.Challenge to Motion to Enforce
In his second issue, Randall contends the order on the motion to enforce includes an impermissible penalty under contract law because it allows the $9,500 payments to continue to accrue under the divorce decree. Randall's attack on the enforcement judgment is another attempt to challenge the original divorce decree and use the motion to enforce to alter the terms of the property division. The judgment states in relevant part:It is ordered that the Judgment granted herein does not effect the requirement that RANDALL COLEMAN shall continue to pay $9,500 on the 1st of each month in the future to JOAN COLEMAN until the $350,000 and all other required payments as set out in the Decree are satisfied and the amounts due JOAN COLEMAN are paid in full.The judgment merely restates Randall's existing obligations and stressed that the new judgment does not change those obligations. As stated above, Randall may not collaterally attack provisions in an unappealed divorce decree. See id. Further, the trial court in considering a motion to enforce or clarify may not amend, modify, alter, or change the property division under a divorce decree. See TEX. FAM. CODE ANN. § 9.007(a) (Vernon 2006); Shanks, 110 S.W.3d at 449; In re Provine, 312 S.W.3d at 830. Here, the decree includes the monthly $9,500 payments as part of the property division, therefore Randall may not use an appeal from a motion to enforce as a way to eliminate the obligation. See TEX. FAM. CODE ANN. § 9.007(a); see also Jones, 900 S.W.3d at 788; Provine, 312 S.W.3d at 830. We overrule his second issue.