Garcia

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

Appellant Rodolfo Arreola and respondent Elsa Garcia were married for six years and nine months. After a trial on May 15, 2023, the trial court entered a judgment of dissolution (the judgment). The judgment states the “only community property [assets] are the proceeds from the sale of [the] family residence . . . which are currently held in trust by [Garcia’s attorneys].” The court ordered as follows: (1) “[T]he $30,000 judgment in case number 18STLC08420 is [Arreola’s] separate debt”; (2) “[T]he $30,000 relocation assistance for Aileen and Bryan Arreola is [Arreola’s] separate debt”; (3) “[Arreola’s] portion of the proceeds [of the sale of the residence] is $41,559.30”; and (4) “[Arreola] was given notice of Family Code Section 271 sanctions and is ordered to pay sanctions in the amount of $5,000 to [Garcia’s attorneys].” Arreola filed a request for order (RFO) based on his belief that the trial court made a mathematical error in calculating his portion of the proceeds from the sale of the family home. He contended that, based on his calculations, he is entitled to $66,455.15, not $41,559.30 as the court ordered. The trial court denied the RFO,…