Ahr v. Ahr
Ahr v. Ahr
Opinion of the Court
The parties hereto were divorced by interlocutory decree March 19, 1955. The complaint for partition of real property was filed January, 1956, by Edward Ahr and an interlocutory judgment of partition was entered August 17, 1956. Prior to the divorce, the parties occupied the premises and pending the divorce trial the property was conveyed to the parties by Marie G. Nimmo, record owner of the property. It is a part of Lots 29 and 30, Block 8, Tract 4515, and also easement over Lot 29.
Respondent contends that ever since the separation, March 1954, appellant had sole and exclusive possession of the realty and has refused to render an accounting to respondent of her collections of rents earned by the real and personal property; that they do not agree upon the proper management and appellant refuses to discuss the matter; that prior to the filing of this action, appellant was disposing of the property to respondent’s damage.
After trial, the court found that the conveyance to the parties by Marie G. Nimmo was made pursuant to the stipulation of the parties in open court March 11, 1955, and was incorporated into the interlocutory and final decrees of divorce. As a result, Edward and Bernice became tenants in common of the premises, furniture and furnishings, each owning an undivided one-half interest.
The court found also that despite the decree of divorce, appellant has denied plaintiff’s title to one-half interest; that respondent was ousted from his mutual right of possession to said premises March 19, 1956; that its reasonable rental value has been $75 per month; that the parties are unable to agree upon the proper management or disposition of the property and that it cannot be physically partitioned without inequity.
From such findings the court concluded that respondent is entitled to an interlocutory judgment for partition and for counsel fees and damages.
Such contentions border on the frivolous. The objections made to the trial court were sound and properly sustained its conclusion. (Const., art. VI, §4½; Tupman v. Haberkern, 208 Cal. 256, 263 [280 P. 970].)
Appellant asserts that it is settled law that the right to have partition is not absolute and it may be waived by contract. (De Harlan v. Harlan, 74 Cal.App.2d 555, 560 [168 P.2d 985].) We find no such contract in the record. She insists that she gave up a very substantial right when she waived her alimony and did so only on the basis of her agreement with respondent that she would have the right to occupy the property rent free for her lifetime. She contends that although the entire contract was not stated to the court at the time of the interlocutory, that fact does not preclude the existence of the contract as set forth in the original decree; that she should not be estopped from introducing evidence as ruled by the trial judge; that if evidence of this contract had been admitted and accepted by the court, the entire action would necessarily fall. But upon the trial of the divorce action, appellant’s claim of an oral contract between the parties prior to the interlocutory was rejected by the trial court. She appealed from that decree and her appeal was dismissed.
Appellant contends that no competent evidence was introduced as to the rental value of the premises. This is answered by the fact that both parties testified as to the rental value and the court made its finding as to such value.
Appellant contends that the court’s failure to appoint three referees renders the judgment void, citing section 763, Code of Civil Procedure, and Parmelee v. Brainard, 62 Cal.App.2d 182-184 [144 P.2d 381], The court found “it is to the
Appellant does not allege or show any prejudice or injury as a result of the appointment of but one referee even if that procedure be deemed erroneous. Inasmuch as this appeal stayed the order of sale and appellant had ample opportunity seasonably to object to the questioned appointment and failed to do so, her objection to such appointment will not be heard now in the reviewing court for the first time. Her failure to raise the point below estops her from urging it now. (Nanny v. Ruby Lighting Corp., 108 Cal.App.2d 856, 859 [239 P.2d 885].)
Appellant contends that because the court made no computation of credits to be allowed the bidder at the partition sale, the judgment is void. On the contrary, the court allowed specific credits and prescribed a formula for ascertaining them and nothing was left to be done except to compute the credits by mathematical calculation. (See Wilson v. Mattei, 84 Cal. App. 567, 574 [258 P. 453].) The matter was comparatively simple. Each party was entitled to one-half interest in any sum received, but to be reduced in the case of appellant by
The judgment is affirmed.
Fox, J., and Ashburn, J., concurred.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.