Bell v. Bell , 312 P.3d 951 ( 2013 )


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    2013 UT App 248
    _________________________________________________________
    THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS
    JOHN BELL,
    Petitioner and Appellee,
    v.
    STEPHANIE WADSWORTH BELL,
    Respondent and Appellant.
    Opinion
    No. 20110716‐CA
    Filed October 18, 2013
    Second District Court, Farmington Department
    The Honorable Robert Dale
    No. 094701611
    Stephanie Wadsworth Bell, Appellant Pro Se
    Terry R. Spencer, Attorney for Appellee
    SENIOR JUDGE RUSSELL W. BENCH authored this Opinion, in
    which JUDGES CAROLYN B. MCHUGH and
    MICHELE M. CHRISTIANSEN concurred.1
    BENCH, Senior Judge:
    ¶1      Stephanie Wadsworth Bell (Wife), pro se, appeals from the
    trial court’s Findings of Facts and Conclusions of Law and Order
    Granting Decree of Divorce. We affirm in part and reverse and
    remand in part.
    1
    The Honorable Russell W. Bench, Senior Judge, sat by
    special assignment as authorized by law. See generally Utah Code
    Jud. Admin. R. 11‐201(6).
    Bell v. Bell
    BACKGROUND
    ¶2     John Bell (Husband) and Wife were married in 1984. The
    parties have five grown children and two minor children. The two
    minor children are C.E.B., who has cerebral palsy, and N.B.
    ¶3     Husband filed a complaint for divorce seeking physical
    custody of the minor children.2 On May 24, 2011, the guardian ad
    litem (the GAL) filed a motion for an order to show cause. The
    GAL alleged that Wife had willfully violated an earlier court order
    by refusing to take N.B. to the therapist chosen by the GAL.
    ¶4     On June 20, 2011, the trial court entered its findings of fact
    and conclusions of law. The court determined that Wife should be
    awarded sole physical custody of the minor children and awarded
    the parties joint legal custody. The court found that Husband
    earned $5,212.76 in monthly income from the State of Utah. The
    court imputed an additional $1,200 per month to Husband for his
    part‐time employment with Eagle Gate College. The trial court also
    imputed income of $1,260 per month to Wife.
    ¶5      In calculating child support, the trial court considered
    Husband’s income from his employment with both the State of
    Utah and Eagle Gate College “in light of the high expenses,
    including toiletries and supplements, incurred by the parties’
    minor child, C.E.B., due to his handicaps.” The court determined
    that Husband should pay child support in the amount of $1,202.88
    per month. The court also determined that child support for C.E.B.
    should be terminated when he turns eighteen years of age to allow
    C.E.B. to obtain the Social Security and Medicaid benefits for which
    he will then be eligible. The court clarified that termination of child
    support for C.E.B. was premised upon C.E.B. receiving such
    2
    At the time of the complaint, three of the parties’ children
    were minors. In addition to N.B. and C.E.B., Husband sought
    custody of the parties’ daughter H.A.B.
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    Bell v. Bell
    benefits at age eighteen. The court further determined that each
    party be allowed to claim one minor child as a dependent each year
    until the oldest child, C.E.B., is no longer eligible to be claimed as
    a dependent for tax purposes.
    ¶6     The court determined that Husband’s expenses, after
    payment of child support but before alimony, were $2,500 per
    month and Wife’s expenses, including mortgage payments, were
    $3,700 per month. The court awarded alimony to Wife, stating,
    The Court finds, applying the Jones factors and taking
    into consideration the tax treatment of alimony
    payments, that it is fair and equitable that [Wife]
    should be awarded $1,800 per month alimony,
    payable directly by [Husband] to [Wife] in two equal
    payments to be made on or before the 10th and 25th of
    each month, respectively.
    ¶7     The trial court awarded the marital home valued at $190,000
    to Wife, which award included the equity of $94,000 and mortgage
    obligations. In light of this award to Wife, the court awarded
    Husband $119,000 from his 401(k) and 457 accounts. The court also
    awarded Wife her Woodward share of Husband’s retirement
    pension plan with the State of Utah. See generally Woodward v.
    Woodward, 
    656 P.2d 431
     (Utah 1982). The court determined that
    Husband should pay $4,000 toward Wife’s attorney fees in addition
    to a previously ordered $375 fee award.
    ¶8     The trial court also determined that Wife had violated the
    court’s earlier order for therapy by intentionally interfering with
    N.B.’s counseling with the therapist selected by the GAL. The court
    ordered Wife to serve five days in jail for contempt. The court
    stayed the jail sentence based upon counsel’s representation that
    Wife would heed the order in the future.
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    Bell v. Bell
    ISSUES AND STANDARDS OF REVIEW
    ¶9      Although Wife attempts to assert multiple issues in her
    brief, this case turns on the merits of the following issues.3
    ¶10 Wife first argues that the trial court erred in awarding the
    parties joint legal custody when neither party filed the requisite
    parenting plan. We review custody determinations under an abuse
    of discretion standard, Hudema v. Carpenter, 
    1999 UT App 290
    , ¶ 21,
    
    989 P.2d 491
    , giving the trial court broad discretion to make an
    initial custody award, see Black v. Hennig, 
    2012 UT App 259
    , ¶ 10,
    
    286 P.3d 1256
    .
    ¶11 Wife next argues that the trial court erred in its child support
    determination by imputing income to her for purposes of
    calculating child support without determining her ability to
    produce income and by failing to consider the extraordinary
    expense of caring for C.E.B. “We review a trial court’s child
    support order for an abuse of discretion.” Connell v. Connell, 
    2010 UT App 139
    , ¶ 7, 
    233 P.3d 836
    .
    ¶12 Wife asserts that the trial court erred in its division of the
    marital estate. “Trial courts have considerable discretion in
    determining . . . property distribution in divorce cases, and [their
    decisions] will be upheld on appeal unless a clear and prejudicial
    abuse of discretion is demonstrated.” Trubetzkoy v. Trubetzkoy, 
    2009 UT App 77
    , ¶ 8, 
    205 P.3d 891
     (omission and alteration in original)
    (citation and internal quotation marks omitted). “Indeed, the trial
    court’s discretion is so broad that its actions enjoy a presumption
    of validity.” 
    Id.
     (citation and internal quotation marks omitted).
    ¶13 Wife also asserts that the trial court erred by failing to award
    sufficient attorney fees. “[W]e review a trial court’s decision
    regarding attorney fees in a divorce proceeding for an abuse of
    3
    Husband also asserts that the court erred in several
    particulars, but he filed no cross‐appeal.
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    Bell v. Bell
    discretion.” Connell, 
    2010 UT App 139
    , ¶ 6 (citation and internal
    quotation marks omitted).
    ANALYSIS
    I. Joint Custody
    ¶14 Wife maintains, and Husband agrees, that the trial court
    erred in awarding joint legal custody of the minor children to the
    parties in this matter because neither party filed a parenting plan
    as required by Utah Code section 30‐3‐10.2(1). In support of her
    argument, Wife cites Trubetzkoy v. Trubetzkoy, 
    2009 UT App 77
    , 
    205 P.3d 891
    , a case that she argues requires the filing of a parenting
    plan by one or both parties as a prerequisite to an award of joint
    legal custody. See id. ¶ 13 (“Reading the statutory provisions as a
    whole, we conclude that the legislature unambiguously provided
    that joint legal custody is available ‘if one or both parents have filed
    a parenting plan . . . and [the trial court] determines that joint legal
    custody . . . is in the best interest of the child.’ [Utah Code Ann.]
    § 30‐3‐10.2(1). Because neither party filed a parenting plan, joint
    legal custody was unavailable.” (omissions in original) (emphasis
    omitted)).
    ¶15 Although Wife may not have adequately preserved this
    argument below, we are generally “unwilling to disregard
    controlling authority that bears upon the ultimate resolution of a
    case solely because the parties did not raise it below.” Patterson v.
    Patterson, 
    2011 UT 68
    , ¶ 18, 
    266 P.3d 828
    ; see also id. ¶ 13 (“Our
    preservation requirement is self‐imposed and is therefore one of
    prudence rather than jurisdiction. Consequently, we exercise wide
    discretion when deciding whether to entertain or reject matters that
    are first raised on appeal.”). The Trubetzkoy case Wife cites is
    controlling authority for the proposition that the court may not
    award joint legal custody to the parties absent the filing of a
    parenting plan. The parties concede that neither filed a parenting
    plan. Because neither party filed a parenting plan, the trial court
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    exceeded its discretion in awarding joint legal custody to the
    parties. As a result, we reverse the trial court’s custody award and
    remand this issue to the court.
    II. Child Support/Imputation of Income
    ¶16 Wife next argues that the trial court erred in its child support
    determination by imputing income to her for purposes of
    calculating child support. She asserts that the court’s imputed
    monthly income determination to her of $1,260 is not adequately
    supported by the evidence. Husband argues that Wife has failed to
    marshal the evidence. “‘[T]o properly discharge the [marshaling]
    duty . . . , the challenger must present, in comprehensive and
    fastidious order, every scrap of competent evidence introduced at
    trial which supports the very findings the appellant resists.’”
    Oneida/SLIC v. Oneida Cold Storage & Warehouse, Inc., 
    872 P.2d 1051
    ,
    1053 (Utah Ct. App. 1994) (second alteration and omission in
    original) (quoting West Valley City v. Majestic Inv. Co., 
    818 P.2d 1311
    ,
    1315 (Utah Ct. App. 1991)).
    ¶17 Wife attempts to meet her marshaling burden by setting
    forth some of the evidence in support of the trial court’s imputation
    of income determination. Wife provides the following facts in
    support of that determination: Wife has an advanced education;
    Wife worked sporadically throughout the marriage; Wife, at times,
    babysat or taught music lessons in her home; Wife has taught as
    many as five or six students; and Wife testified that she thought she
    could make considerable money teaching music.
    ¶18 Our review of the record reveals some additional evidence
    pertaining to Wife’s ability to earn income. For instance, Wife
    testified that most recently she had three music students, with each
    paying her just under $20 per week or around $65 per month.
    Additionally, Husband testified that Wife has a bachelor’s degree
    in education and a master’s degree in viola performance and that
    Wife has gone back to school to get additional education in
    American Sign Language and special education instruction.
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    Bell v. Bell
    Husband further testified that Wife could make around $44,300
    annually as a special education teacher, with a typical starting
    salary of $27,900. The parties’ adult son, who was living with Wife
    at the time of the trial, testified that since the case began he has
    watched C.E.B. daily for approximately three to five hours. Wife
    testified that she had at one time worked half‐days as an aide at a
    special education elementary school and that during that time she
    had a babysitter for C.E.B. Wife also testified that C.E.B. did well
    with the babysitters, who did not typically charge but were not able
    to watch C.E.B. for a long period of time such as a full day.
    ¶19    The court found that
    Although currently unemployed, . . . [Wife]
    has a Master’s Degree and a teaching certificate. The
    Court further finds that while [Wife] is the primary
    caregiver for C.E.B., which takes a significant amount
    of time, she is presently capable of and in a position
    to, e.g., teach some music lessons. The Court
    therefore finds that it is fair and equitable to impute
    income to [Wife] of $1,260.00 per month, gross, while
    [Wife] is the primary caretaker for C.E.B.
    The evidence pertaining to Wife’s ability to teach music in her
    home demonstrates that she is capable of earning approximately
    $65 per month per student. The evidence does not, however, reveal
    the length or the number of lessons Wife would be required to
    teach each student to earn $65 a month. Therefore, it is unclear how
    many students Wife would have to teach, how many hours she
    would have to work per week, and whether it would be feasible
    given her responsibilities as the primary caregiver for a severely
    disabled child.4 As such, without the benefit of the reasoning and
    additional findings by the trial court, we conclude that the trial
    4
    The evidence at trial reveals that C.E.B. requires a signifi‐
    cant amount of care—C.E.B. quite often has seizures, and it takes
    a considerable amount of time to feed, bathe, and care for him.
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    Bell v. Bell
    court’s findings are inadequate to support its imputation of income
    determination, and we remand the child support matter to the trial
    court.5
    III. Division of the Marital Estate
    ¶20 Wife contends that the trial court erred in its division of the
    marital estate. Wife asserts that the court did not divide the marital
    property equally and failed to make adequate findings to support
    its unequal distribution of the parties’ marital property.
    ¶21 In its property distribution determination, the trial court
    must consider several issues, as follows:
    First, the court must identify the property in dispute
    and determine whether each item is marital or
    separate property. Next, the trial court should
    consider whether there are exceptional circumstances
    that overcome the general presumption that marital
    property be divided equally between the parties. The
    5
    On remand, the court should also review its decision to
    base the termination of C.E.B.’s child support on his ability to
    receive Social Security and Medicaid benefits in amounts cur‐
    rently unknown, which may or may not be sufficient to support
    C.E.B. after the age of majority. See Utah Code Ann. § 78B‐12‐
    105(1) (LexisNexis 2012) (“Every mother and father shall support
    their children.”); id. § 78B‐12‐102(7)(c) (“‘Child’ means . . . a son
    or daughter of any age who is incapacitated from earning a
    living and, if able to provide some financial resources to the
    family, is not able to support self by own means.”); see also Kiesel
    v. Kiesel, 
    619 P.2d 1374
    , 1377 (Utah 1980) (holding that the trial
    court was justified in continuing support payments to a child
    beyond her twenty‐first birthday where child lacked the capacity
    to earn a living (citing 
    Utah Code Ann. § 78
    ‐45‐1, ‐2 (1953) (pro‐
    viding a definition of the term “child” similar to that used by the
    current statute))).
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    trial court is then required to assign values to each
    item of marital property so that the distribution
    strategy, whether equal or weighted in favor of one
    party, can be implemented. Finally, the court must
    distribute the items of marital property in a manner
    consistent with that distribution strategy, with a view
    toward allowing each party to go forward with his or
    her separate life.
    Stonehocker v. Stonehocker, 
    2008 UT App 11
    , ¶ 15, 
    176 P.3d 476
    (citations omitted). In addition, the trial court must make findings
    on those issues, as summarized by the Utah Supreme Court in
    Gardner v. Gardner, 
    748 P.2d 1076
     (Utah 1988):
    Failure of the trial court to make findings on all
    material issues is reversible error unless the facts in
    the record are clear, uncontroverted, and capable of
    supporting only a finding in favor of the
    judgment. . . . The findings of fact must show that the
    court’s judgment or decree follows logically from,
    and is supported by, the evidence. The findings
    should be sufficiently detailed and include enough
    subsidiary facts to disclose the steps by which the
    ultimate conclusion on each factual issue was
    reached.
    Id. at 1078 (omission in original) (citations and internal quotation
    marks omitted).
    ¶22 The trial court made the following findings on the
    distribution of the parties’ property:
    24. The parties stipulated that the marital
    home, . . . has a current appraised value of $190,000.
    The home has approximately $94,000 of equity.
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    25. The Court finds that the marital home
    should be awarded to [Wife], together with all its
    equity and the mortgage obligation.
    ....
    28. The Court finds that all the parties’ musical
    instruments should be awarded to [Wife].
    29. [Wife] should return the antique ironing
    board to [Husband] within ten days from entry of the
    Decree.
    30. [Husband] should return the leaf blower to
    [Wife] within ten days from entry of the Decree.
    31. All other personal property should remain
    with the party currently in possession of that
    property.
    ....
    38. In light of the Court’s award of the marital
    home, together with all equity therein, and other
    personal property, to [Wife], [Husband] should be
    awarded his 401(k) and 457 accounts (in the
    approximate amount of $119,000.00), free and clear of
    any claim by [Wife].[6]
    6
    We note that the trial court did not provide any oral
    rulings as it took the matter under advisement. The court did,
    however, enter a First Amended Supplemental Decree of Di‐
    vorce. In the amended decree, the trial court made the same
    findings as previously articulated, albeit with slightly different
    language, but did not make any further substantiative findings
    (continued...)
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    Bell v. Bell
    Unfortunately, these findings provide this court with neither
    enough detail nor enough subsidiary facts to disclose the steps by
    which the ultimate property distribution was reached.
    ¶23 In particular, the trial court assigned no value to the musical
    instruments awarded to Wife. In addition, it did not provide any
    explanation for the apparent unequal property division which
    awards $94,000 in home equity to Wife but $119,000 of 401(k) and
    457 accounts to Husband. Nor did the court list what, if any,
    exceptional circumstances the court considered that were sufficient
    to overcome the general presumption that marital property be
    divided equally between the parties. See Stonehocker, 
    2008 UT App 11
    , ¶ 15; see also Bradford v. Bradford, 
    1999 UT App 373
    , ¶ 27, 
    993 P.2d 887
     (holding that where exceptional circumstances exist, they
    must be “memoralize[d] in . . . detailed findings” (citation and
    internal quotation marks omitted)). As such, we are unable to
    determine whether the court erred in its unequal property
    distribution determination. As a result, we remand the matter to
    the trial court.
    IV. Attorney Fees
    ¶24 Wife argues that the trial court erred by failing to award her
    sufficient attorney fees. Specifically, Wife argues that she should
    have been awarded all the attorney and legal fees she has incurred
    from the divorce proceeding because she is unemployed,
    impecunious, and in desperate need of assistance. Husband agrees
    that the court erred in its award of attorney fees and failed to make
    the proper findings. Based on Husband’s concession of error and
    Wife’s pro se status, we look past any potential preservation
    problems and address Wife’s argument. Cf. Nelson v. Jacobsen, 
    669 P.2d 1207
    , 1213 (Utah 1983) (“[B]ecause of [the pro se litigant’s] lack
    6
    (...continued)
    or include any explanation or reasoning for its property distribu‐
    tion determination.
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    Bell v. Bell
    of technical knowledge of law and procedure [a layman acting as
    his own attorney] should be accorded every consideration that may
    reasonably be indulged.” (third alteration in original) (citation and
    internal quotation marks omitted)).
    ¶25 The trial court awarded attorney fees to Wife based on the
    following findings,
    The Court finds, in light of all the relevant
    financial and other circumstances, including an
    application of the factors set forth in Rule 102, Utah
    Rules of Civil Procedure, that it is fair and equitable
    under all the circumstances that [Husband] should
    pay $4,000.00 of [Wife’s] attorney’s fees incurred, in
    addition to the $375.00 [Husband] was previously
    ordered to pay in the Court’s May 10, 2011 Order. In
    making this finding, the Court has reviewed the
    Affidavit of Attorney’s Fees filed by [Wife’s] counsel
    and has taken into consideration the arguments of
    the parties both for and against an award of fees.
    “[T]he trial court’s award or denial of attorney fees must be based
    on evidence of the financial need of the receiving spouse, the ability
    of the other spouse to pay, and the reasonableness of the requested
    fees.” Leppert v. Leppert, 
    2009 UT App 10
    , ¶ 25, 
    200 P.3d 223
    (alteration in original) (citation and internal quotation marks
    omitted).
    ¶26 Here, the trial court simply ordered attorney fees “in light
    of all the relevant financial and other circumstances.” The court
    failed to include specific findings on the financial need of Wife and
    the ability of Husband to pay. Because the trial court does not
    provide us with the requisite findings pertaining to the extent of
    Wife’s need and Husband’s ability to pay, we are unable to
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    determine whether Wife was awarded sufficient attorney fees
    below. As such, we remand the matter.7
    V. Remaining Issues
    ¶27 Even though appellate courts are generally lenient with pro
    se litigants, those litigants must still follow the appellate rules. See
    Lundahl v. Quinn, 
    2003 UT 11
    , ¶¶ 3–4, 
    67 P.3d 1000
    . Although we
    give Wife every reasonable indulgence due to her pro se status, her
    brief fails to meet even lenient standards for briefing, as explained
    below, on Wife’s arguments pertaining to the court’s alimony
    decision, contempt of court finding, visitation determination,
    bifurcation ruling, and child tax exemption decision. As such, we
    decline to consider these arguments.
    ¶28 Wife contends that the trial court erred in its alimony
    determination by failing to consider that Wife directly contributed
    to an increase in Husband’s skill by allowing him to attend school
    7
    Wife also seeks her attorney fees incurred on appeal.
    Throughout the majority of this appeal, Wife has appeared pro
    se and would not be entitled to attorney fees associated with
    such representation. See Jones, Waldo, Holbrook & McDonough v.
    Dawson, 
    923 P.2d 1366
    , 1374 (Utah 1996) (providing that the
    general rule is that “pro se litigants should not recover attorney
    fees for successful litigation” (citation and internal quotation
    marks omitted)). We do, however, note that Wife was repre‐
    sented by counsel during the early stages of her appeal until
    counsel’s withdrawal on February 1, 2012.
    Wife’s appellate counsel filed the notice of appeal, notice
    of transcript request, various motions to extend time to file a
    docketing statement, and a docketing statement. Because Wife
    has prevailed on several of the issues on appeal, we award Wife
    such reasonable appellate attorney fees as she actually incurred
    and remand the matter to the trial court for calculation of those
    fees.
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    during the marriage. Wife does not, however, provide this court
    with either a citation to the record showing that this issue was
    preserved below or a statement of the grounds for seeking review
    of her alimony issue. See Utah R. App. P. 24(a)(5)(A)–(B). We are
    unable to find a point in the record at which Wife raised this
    argument or indicated to the trial court that it failed to consider her
    contribution to Husband’s increased skills. Thus, we decline to
    consider Wife’s alimony argument. See 438 Main St. v. Easy Heat,
    Inc., 
    2004 UT 72
    , ¶ 51, 
    99 P.3d 801
     (“Issues that are not raised at
    trial are usually deemed waived.”).8
    ¶29 Wife also contends that the trial court erred in finding her in
    contempt of court without permitting her the statutory time period
    to respond. Again, Wife does not provide this court with either a
    citation to the record showing that this issue was preserved in the
    trial court or a statement of grounds for seeking review of this
    issue. Based on our review of the record, we determine that Wife
    did not inform the court that she was entitled to or needed more
    time to reply. Instead, after the GAL filed the contempt motion on
    May 24, the parties proceeded with the trial on May 31, and the
    court heard arguments pertaining to the contempt issue on June 8,
    the last day of trial. Thereafter, the court took the matter under
    advisement and issued its decision including its contempt finding
    on June 20. Because Wife proceeded to address the contempt issues
    without notifying the trial court of a need for additional time, we
    decline to consider this issue further.
    ¶30 Wife asserts that there is insufficient evidence to support the
    trial court’s finding that she violated its order by intentionally
    interfering with N.B.’s counseling. Wife’s argument essentially
    8
    Wife also notes in her brief that Husband is paying only a
    portion of the monthly alimony awarded to Wife and argues that
    Husband should be required to pay the full amount. Any efforts
    to enforce the provisions of the decree of divorce must be ad‐
    dressed first to the trial court.
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    reargues the facts that were before the trial court. “However, a
    party challenging a trial court’s factual finding must do more than
    merely reargue the evidence supporting his or her position; rather,
    the party is required to first marshal the evidence in support of the
    finding.” Hi‐Country Estates Homeowners Ass’n v. Bagley & Co., 
    2008 UT App 105
    , ¶ 19, 
    182 P.3d 417
     (citation and internal quotation
    marks omitted). Because Wife does not marshal the evidence, we
    affirm the trial court’s contempt findings and conclusions.
    ¶31 Lastly, we decline to address Wife’s arguments pertaining
    to the trial court’s visitation determination, bifurcation
    determination, and child tax exemption decision for inadequate
    briefing. Rule 24(a)(9) of the Utah Rules of Appellate Procedure
    requires that the argument section of a brief “contain the
    contentions and reasons of the appellant with respect to the issues
    presented, . . . with citations to the authorities, statutes, and parts
    of the record relied on.” Utah R. App. P. 24(a)(9); see also State v.
    Green, 
    2004 UT 76
    , ¶ 13, 
    99 P.3d 820
     (“Implicitly, rule 24(a)(9)
    requires not just bald citation to authority but development of that
    authority and reasoned analysis based on that authority.” (citation
    and internal quotation marks omitted)).
    ¶32 Wife’s entire analysis concerning the court’s visitation ruling
    consists of her assertion that Husband sexually abused the minor
    children. In so arguing, Wife fails to address the evidence
    indicating that no abuse occurred, i.e., the children’s denial that
    any abuse occurred and the investigating detective’s testimony that
    he closed the investigation because there was no evidence to
    support the allegations of sexual abuse. Because Wife fails to
    provide any reasoned analysis on the visitation issue, we conclude
    that she has failed to demonstrate any error in the trial court’s
    visitation ruling.
    ¶33 Regarding the trial court’s bifurcation ruling and child tax
    exemption determination, Wife recites the facts and states her
    desired outcome. Wife does not, however, provide any authority
    to explain the legal basis for that desired outcome. Because Wife
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    fails to provide any legal authority or analysis for her argument
    that the court erred in its bifurcation ruling and child tax
    exemption determination, we decline to consider these issues
    further.
    CONCLUSION
    ¶34 Because neither party filed a parenting plan, joint legal
    custody was unavailable. As such, the trial court exceeded its
    discretion in awarding joint legal custody to the parties in this
    matter. Thus, we reverse the trial court’s joint legal custody ruling
    and remand this issue to the court.
    ¶35 In light of the trial court’s failure to make adequate findings
    or otherwise explain the basis for its imputation of income, marital
    property distribution, and attorney fees determinations, we cannot
    say that the trial court acted within its discretion in its
    determinations. We therefore reverse the court’s imputation of
    income, marital property, and attorney fees rulings and remand
    those issues.
    ¶36 We decline to address Wife’s arguments pertaining to the
    trial court’s alimony decision, contempt of court finding, division
    of the marital estate, visitation determination, bifurcation ruling,
    and child tax exemption decision based on her failure to meet the
    briefing and preservation standards. As a result, we affirm the
    court’s decision on each of these issues.
    ¶37    Affirmed in part and reversed and remanded in part.
    20110716‐CA                      16               
    2013 UT App 248