Winegeart v. Winegeart

910 N.W.2d 906 (2018)

Free access to 20,000 Casebriefs

Facts

H and W were married and divorced and then married for the second time in 2012. They owned a home where they resided with their three children: B.C., K.L., and J.C. On October 4, 2016, H filed for divorce. W subsequently obtained a protection order against H, and both parties vacated the home. H moved to Texas. The circuit court ordered the parties to undergo mediation. After the session, H signed an agreement with a real estate agent to list the jointly owned real estate. The listing agreement included a commission for the realtor. A third party signed an agreement to purchase the property for $330,000. W refused to sign the purchase agreement, asserting that during mediation, H had orally agreed to sell the property without paying for a realtor. H filed a motion asking the court to order W to sign the purchase agreement. Over the objection of H's attorney, the mediator testified that it was his 'understanding . . . that there were no Realtor commissions to be paid, that this was going to be a private sale.' The court found that the parties had not entered into an enforceable oral agreement in regard to realtor fees. The court ordered W to sign the purchase agreement. W appealed. W asserts that the parties entered into an enforceable oral agreement during mediation and that the court abused its discretion in refusing to enforce' that agreement. H argues in part that communications occurring in the course of mediation are confidential and cannot be used to prove the existence of an agreement. W also signed a confidentiality agreement that prevents relying on those communications.

Nature Of The Case

This section contains the nature of the case and procedural background.

Issues

The legal issues presented in this case will be displayed here.

Holding & Decision

The court's holding and decision will be displayed here.

Legal Analysis

Legal analysis from Dean's Law Dictionary will be displayed here.

© 2007-2025 ABN Study Partner

© 2025 Casebriefsco.com. All Rights Reserved.