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secured claims owing by Mr. Gurr. There are other instances
where petitioner and Mr. Gurr filed a joint action to clear the
title to certain property they owned or subordinated mortgage
rights on certain properties to inferior creditors. During 1993
alone, petitioner sold her interests in at least nine separate
real estate properties.
The marriage between petitioner and Mr. Gurr was not
harmonious. Petitioner and her daughter both testified that,
over the years, Mr. Gurr was abusive both physically and mentally
to petitioner and the children. Petitioner was not allowed any
role in the family finances, nor did Mr. Gurr keep petitioner
informed on their finances or how well the real estate activity
was doing. Mr. Gurr's allowances to petitioner for the household
and furnishings for the children were meager. Oftentimes, Mr.
Gurr threatened petitioner to obtain her signatures on various
documents in connection with the real estate activity. In spite
of these shortcomings, the marriage lasted for 43 years.
At the time of the divorce, a considerable amount of real
estate was owned by petitioner and Mr. Gurr. Several tracts were
in petitioner's name, and others were in the joint names of
petitioner and Mr. Gurr.
On October 24, 1995, the State court having jurisdiction of
the divorce proceeding approved a property settlement between
petitioner and Mr. Gurr. In that settlement, petitioner was
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