Jones v. Jones

── Jones v. Jones ── Court: Idaho Court of Appeals Date: April 20, 2026 Category: General IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF IDAHO Docket No. 52992 CHRISTOPHER D. JONES, ) ) Filed: April 20, 2026 Petitioner-Appellant, ) ) Melanie Gagnepain, Clerk v. ) THIS IS AN UNPUBLISHED ) JESSICA A. JONES, OPINION AND SHALL NOT ) BE CITED AS AUTHORITY Respondent-Respondent on Appeal. ) ) Appeal from the District Court of the Fourth Judicial District, State of Idaho, Ada County. Hon. Gerald F. Schroeder, District Judge. Hon. David Lorello, Magistrate. Decision of the district court, on intermediate appeal from the magistrate court, affirmed. Christopher D. Jones, Meridian, pro se appellant. Leon Rothstein, Attorney at Law; Leon Rothstein, Boise, for respondent. ________________________________________________ HUSKEY, Judge Christopher D. Jones appeals from the decision of the district court, on intermediate appeal from the magistrate court, affirming the denial of his second motion for relief from judgment. We affirm. I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND Christopher1 and Jessica A. Jones were a married couple. They filed a stipulation for the entry of a judgment and decree of divorce on October 25, 2021. During their marriage, Christopher owned a company--Burst Biologics. Based on the value of Burst Biologics at the time Christopher and Jessica executed the stipulation, they agreed that Christopher would make an equalization payment to Jessica in the amount of $1,150,000 for her share of their community property. They agreed Christopher would pay Jessica $200,000 upon entry of the judgment and the remaining 1 This Court’s opinions generally refer to parties by their surnames. However, the parties in this case share the same surname and so for clarity, the Court will identify the parties by their first names. No disrespect is intended by this designation. 1 balance, amortized over eight years with an interest rate of five percent, would be paid in monthly payments of $12,026.92. As security for the debt, Christopher agreed to execute a promissory note with the remaining balance and deliver the note to Jessica “commensurate with the entry of [the] Judgment.” As further security, and until the balance is paid in full, Christopher agreed to maintain a life insurance policy equal to or more than the amount owed to Jessica; in the event Christopher dies before the balance is paid, the amount owed would be payable to Jessica. Christopher and Jessica also agreed Christopher could pre-pay the remaining balance at any time without penalty. The stipulated judgment and decree of divorce was entered by the magistrate court on October 29, 2021. Several months before Christopher entered the stipulation with Jessica, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began investigating Burst Biologics. After the judgment was entered in the divorce proceeding, the FDA issued a warning letter which caused Burst Biologics to suffer a significant loss of business. Christopher chose not to challenge the FDA’s findings and instead, closed Burst Biologics and declared bankruptcy. On October 27, 2022, Jessica filed a motion for contempt after Christopher failed to make the monthly equalization payments. Christopher entered a not guilty plea, stating he was unable to comply with the judgmen