Wine v. Wine

In Wine v. Wine, 4th Dist. No. 06CA6, 2006 Ohio 6995, an ex-wife moved for relief from a dissolution decree containing an unfavorable property settlement. She claimed in her 60(B) motion that she only agreed to the terms of the property distribution because she was unrepresented, under emotional duress, and had been threatened by her ex-husband. The trial court denied the ex-wife's motion and the appellate court upheld the denial. Acknowledging that the termination of a marital relationship is an extremely stressful event, the appellate court nevertheless concluded that "the stress associated with this type of situation does not somehow relieve a self-represented party of the duty and obligation to understand and protect their interests." Id., P15.