Judge extends order of protection, bars husband from job sites and orders key equipment returned to Dixon Tree Services

A Dixon County judge extended an order of protection on July 11 and ordered temporary limits on how David Dixon may interact with Dixon Tree Services LLC, including a ban on going to job sites and a requirement that a rented bucket truck and chipper be returned to the company within five days.

The order aims to preserve the business as a marital asset while the divorce and property division proceed. The judge said he would not resolve ownership or valuation now but that immediate steps were necessary to prevent further damage to the company. "Bucket truck and the chipper will go back to Dixon Tree Service on a temporary basis. His ownership interest in it will be preserved. He'll have it returned to them within 5 days," the judge said.

Why it matters: Both parties testified that equipment and invoices are tied to the business and to personal names, but the judge cited Tennessee law that property acquired during the marriage is marital property and therefore belongs to both spouses in interest until the court divides assets. He said the court—ound a factual basis to…