Mildren v. Mildren
Mildren v. Mildren
Opinion of the Court
Alleen obtained an interlocutory decree of divorce from Paul on the ground of extreme cruelty on April 8, 1953. The main issue presented by defendants’ cross-complaint was the question of the nature, character,
On May 13, 1953, Alleen commenced an action in claim and delivery against Paul and his mother, Jessie Mildren, for possession of certain itemized furniture and furnishings, alleging that their value was $12,500. Damages, in case delivery was not made, were also sought. Jessie answered, denied she was wrongfully or otherwise in possession of them and claimed that certain described items on the list belonged to her, denied that Alleen was the owner of any of them, and alleged that plaintiff was not entitled to possession of them. She also denied that Alleen ever demanded possession of them from her or that she was damaged in any sum.
Paul alleged he was the owner of certain of the articles named and admitted certain allegations of plaintiff’s complaint in respect to other items. He alleged that the parties still were husband and wife when the claim and delivery action was filed and claimed that the interlocutory decree was a binding adjudication as to their property rights and as to all issues raised by plaintiff’s complaint, the answers thereto, and defendants’ cross-complaint.
After trial of the issues, the ■ court specifically found that Paul took some of the articles listed by Alleen as belonging to her, but that he had returned everything but a “deep freezer”; that before the trial of the divorce action he sold the freezer for $75 and never accounted for it; that Jessie took certain of the items listed but these articles belonged to her and not to plaintiff; that all other remaining articles listed were owned by plaintiff on September 20, 1950, and were then in her possession or had been destroyed or were taken by others than these defendants through no fault of theirs. Judgment was entered on May 7, 1954, in favor of defendants.
On May 27, 1953, Alleen filed another action against these defendants for forcible detainer, for waste, and for value of the use and occupation of the home and real property involved, alleging that she was entitled to the possession
The court found generally in favor of the defendants and that Alleen voluntarily left the home on September 20, 1950; that Paul maintained it and brought his mother in to care for the minor child and the home and that her occupancy was only as a member of the family; that Paul permitted certain orange trees to die for lack of water but that plaintiff was not damaged to the extent indicated by her, and any claimed damage' became res judicata by reason of the interlocutory decree which finally and subsequently adjudicated their property -rights. Judgment was entered on July 16, 1954, for defendants. These two actions were consolidated for the purpose of trial and on appeal.
Without setting forth in detail the contradictory evidence
At the trial of these actions Alleen had a prepared list of property which she claimed was in the home at the time she left. She admitted some of this had been returned to her by Paul. She testified that considerable portions of it had been removed from the house and that which remained in the home had been damaged to a great extent. There is a conflict in the evidence as to when this loss and damage occurred. It affirmatively appears that after Paul, Sr., and his mother left the home Paul, Jr., found a way to enter the house, and held numerous parties, which included as guests many women of questionable character, for a period of some time thereafter. Portions of the furnishings were destroyed or were taken during this period. The police were called
The court also found that Paul, Sr., disposed of a refrigerator for $75 prior to the divorce trial and did not account to plaintiff for the proceeds. In failing to give a judgment to plaintiff for this amount apparently the court felt that this item was one of the issues that was or should have been determined in the divorce action when their property rights were in issue and were determined. It properly held that the interlocutory decree was res judicata as to this claim. (Lang v. Lang, 182 Cal. 765 [190 P. 181].)
As to the claim that defendants were liable for the use and occupancy of the property from the date of separation until February, 1953, and for claimed waste in reference to the lack of care of it and the orange grove, there is sufficient evidence to support the trial court’s finding in favor of the defendants. From the evidence it does appear that the grove never did operate as a net gain of any import. In most years it was otherwise. There was evidence that the surrounding community grew up with residences and was near certain smog drifts from the Kaiser Steel Mill which it is claimed affected production in the orange grove. It was further shown that Dr. Paul Mildren was then retired on disability insurance, was not able to care for the grove, and was advised by experts that it would not be profitable to further cultivate it. It was further shown that its value had greatly increased for subdivision purposes. There was evidence that the parties owned certain shares of water rights in connection with the property; that plaintiff allowed these shares to become subject to sale by delinquency in payments
In this respect the trial court here found, not only that this claim was barred by the interlocutory judgment in the divorce action under the doctrine of res judicata, but it also found that by virtue of the trees dying from lack of water plaintiff suffered no damage. Regardless of the question of the application of the doctrine of res judicata, the evidence supports the finding that plaintiff suffered no damage by reason of any claimed negligence of defendants from lack of water or cultivation. The evidence shows that on nearby property orange trees were being torn out and the property was being subdivided for homes at greatly increased prices.
Since the question of the effect and validity of the claimed property settlement agreement and the deed of the property here in question was being tested in the divorce action, pending the trial of said action, defendants would not be liable for rental of the premises to plaintiff in an independent action such as the one here under consideration, particularly where the court found that plaintiff voluntarily left the premises after living with her husband thereon for several years after the claimed execution of the property settlement agreement, and particularly when there was no agreement to pay rent, nor any unauthorized holding or retention of the premises after the separation and prior to the trial of the divorce action involving and declaring their respective rights and obligations to each other. The court specifically found, upon sufficient evidence, that Jessie occupied the property only as a member of the family of defendant Paul Mildren, and not on her own account. The findings and judgments rendered in each action as to each defendant are sufficiently supported by the evidence.
Judgments affirmed.
Barnard, P. J., and Mussell, J., concurred.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.