Family Law, Seriously: $7,325 Sanctions Award Under Section 271 Affirmed Where Ex-Wife Failed To Sign Stipulated Judgment After Agreeing To Written Settlement Terms

Postjudgment Activities Are Covered Under Section 271.

            This next case, Marriage of Randazzo, Case No. E073891 (4^th Dist., Div. 2 Feb. 23, 2021) (unpublished), falls under our “SERIOUSLY” new category which we have added to our blog.

            What happened here, in brief, was that ex-wife moved to set aside a judgment entered after she refused to sign a stipulated judgment based on a written settlement agreement to which she agreed.  The family law judge was not impressed, sanctioning her $7,325 in Family Code section 271 fees for not attempting to resolve the dispute as required in dissolution matters.

            Nothing in section 271 makes it inapplicable to postjudgment proceedings unless the court previously reserved jurisdiction to award future sanctions in the judgment.  There was no such language in the judgment, such that the trial judge had jurisdiction to award sanctions. 

            Seriously ….