Mackie v. Mackie
Mackie v. Mackie
Opinion of the Court
Feeling aggrieved because of the course taken by his wife’s action against him for a divorce, the appellant has undertaken two appeals. In one, he states that he “appeals from the Orders made and entered herein on the 17th day of September, and from the Restraining Order, as follows: ‘Defendant is to remove himself from the family home by 6 :00 P. M. on September 20, 1959.’ ” In the other, his notice of appeal is of an omnibus nature in that he “appeals from the orders entering Defaults 1 and 2, the Judgment, the intermediate rulings, proceedings and Orders involving the merits and/or affecting the judgment and substantially affecting the rights of this Defendant in the above entitled action, and the Order after judgment in re contempt. ’ ’
While the record as originally presented to us contained no order after judgment with respect to any alleged contempt except orders to show cause,
The chronicle of the case is as follows: 1. On July 21, 1959, Mrs. Mackie filed in the Glendale branch of the superior court her complaint for divorce in which she alleged that the community property of the parties consisted of a family home and stated as her ground for seeking a divorce that Mr. Mackie had treated her “in a cruel and inhuman manner” whereby she was caused “grievous mental and physical pain and suffering.” 2. On July 25, 1959, there was service of the summons on Mr. Mackie. 3. On August 3, 1959, the defendant, Mr. Mackie, acting in propria persona, filed a demurrer to the complaint. 4. The default of the defendant having been entered by mistake on August 13, 1959, an order was made on August 24, 1959, vacating and setting aside such default. 5. On September 2, 1959, the defendant filed an affidavit in which he stated: “That the Judge before whom the hearings in the aforesaid action are pending is prejudiced against the interest of this party so that affiant cannot or believes that he cannot have a fair and impartial hearing before said judge.” 6. In the minutes of the court for September 2, 1959, it was stated that the defendant’s motion for a change of venue was denied without prejudice and that his demurrer was sustained. 7. On September 10, 1959, an amended complaint for divorce was filed in which the allegations with respect to the community property were unchanged but more specific allegations as to physical and mental cruelty were made. In the prayer, part of the relief asked was that “the community property of the parties be awarded to the plaintiff as her sole and separate property. ’ ’ That complaint was served on the defendant by mail on September 10, 1959, the envelope being addressed to him at 507 North Kenwood, Glendale, California, the address given by him on the documents embodying his demurrer and his “affidavit for disqualification” filed respectively on August
The defendant’s attack on the judgment is stated to be founded on a claim of lack of jurisdiction of the court because of the filing of the affidavit with respect to the disqualification of the judge and “the transfer of the case to Department
We need not be concerned with the failure of the judge who heard the demurrer to the original complaint and the motion for "change of venue" to honor the appellant's claim with respect to his disqualification under section 170.6 of the Code of Civil Procedure. The appellant sufiered no prejudice inasmuch as, after his demurrer was sustained and his first motion "for change of venue" (which was actually a motion for the transfer of the case from the Glendale department to another department of the court
As this court said in Heathman v. Vant, 172 Oal.App. 2d 639, at page 646 [343 P.2d 104]: "When defendant failed to de~nur or answer, the court properly entered his default. After the service of summons on defendant he was not entitled to notice that his default would be entered. [
The appellant took no steps in the trial court to set aside the default entered when he failed to answer the amended corn-plaint. On this appeal, the scope of his attack upon the judginent is limited. "Such a defaulting appellant must confine his attack to the consideration of jurisdiction or of the sufficiency of the pleadings. (Reed Orchard Co. v. perior Court (1912), 19 Oal.App. 648, 662 [128 P. 9, 18];
There was no error of a jurisdictional nature with respect to the disposition of the community property. In Warren v. Warren, 120 Cal.App.2d 396 [261 P.2d 309], in which an interlocutory judgment of divorce was granted to the plaintiff after the entry of the default of the defendant, the court said, at page 398: “Defendant challenges the judgment on the theory that the relief granted exceeds that requested in the complaint since all the community property was awarded to plaintiff under a prayer demanding an equitable division thereof. In this connection it must be borne in mind that the complaint charges cruelty. Upon this charge being sustained it was within the trial court’s discretion to award all the community property to plaintiff as the innocent spouse. (Nelson v. Nelson, 100 Cal.App.2d 348, 350 [223 P.2d 636] ; Barham v. Barham, 33 Cal.2d 416, 431 [202 P.2d 289].) We must assume that under the evidence such a distribution of the property appeared equitable to the trial court. There was ample foundation therefor both in the law and in the prayer.”
Aside from the fact that the appellant was in default and, therefore, not in a position to seek a transfer of the case
Since the appellant’s attack on the interlocutory judgment of divorce, which was entered on October 9, 1959, must fail, it is clear that the respondent will be entitled to a final judgment of divorce when the determination herein made becomes final. Upon the entry of such judgment, her title and right to possession of the real property will entitle her to exclude the appellant therefrom if he has not removed from the premises in the meantime. Since any determination we might make with respect to the validity or propriety of the order of September 17, 1959, as to the removal of the appellant from the home would become final as of the same time as our determination of the appeal with respect to the judgment, the question presented on the appeal from that order is, in reality, moot. A similar problem was before the court in Nomm v. Nomm, 164 Cal.App.2d 663 [330 P.2d 839], wherein the defendant appealed from an order for his exclusion from the home of the parties. However, he did not appeal
The appeal from the order of September 17, 1959, the appeal from the “Order after judgment in re contempt,” and the other appeals noted herein, except that from the interlocutory judgment of divorce, are dismissed. The interlocutory judgment of divorce is affirmed.
Shinn, P. J., and Vallée, J., concurred.
A petition for a rehearing was denied December 20, 1960.
The appellant’s reply brief indicates that he was not adjudged to be in contempt.
In the body of the notice of motion is the following: ``. . . defendant herein `will . . . move the Court for a change of venue and a transfer of this action to be heard at the County Seat. There is reason to believe that an impartial trial cannot be had herein."
The appellant cannot complain of the fiist entry of default since it was vacated. The second entry of default was proper. (Code Civ. Proc.,
Although the appellant does not raise any issue as to the effective date of the disposition of property, it is to be noted that in the interlocutory judgment of divorce it is stated that at the time of the final judgment “the Court shall grant such other and further relief as may be necessary to complete disposition of this action.” Accordingly, the reasoning of Davis v. Davis, 123 Cal.App.2d 753, at page 757 [267 P.2d 403], is applicable: “The interlocutory decree specifically provides that at the time of entering the final decree ‘the court shall grant such other and further relief as may be necessary to a complete disposition of this action.’ The part of the decree relating to the award of the property must be read in conjunction with the italicized provision, supra. When so read, the result is that the interlocutory decree determines ‘ the manner in which the community property is to be assigned at the time of the entry of the final decree. The language in the interlocutory decree purporting to make a final disposition of the community property will be disregarded as surplusage. ’ (Johnston v. Johnston, 106 Cal.App.2d 775, 781-782 [236 P.2d 212]; Webster v. Webster, 216 Cal. 485, 493 [14 P.2d 522].) While this court could modify the decree and affirm it as modified (Slavich v. Slavich, 108 Cal.App.2d 451, 457 [239 P.2d 100]; Dowd v. Dowd, 111 Cal.App.2d 760, 765 [245 P.2d 339]), it is not necessary to take this action when the decree is considered in its entirety (Lo Vasco v. Lo Vasco, 46 Cal.App.2d 242, 247 [115 P.2d 562]).”
As stated in 2 Witlcin, California Procedure, at page 1699: "The clerk’s entry of default cuts off the defendant’s right to take any further affirmative steps such as pleading or motion, and he is not entitled to notices or service of pleadings or papers.” In Brooks v. Nelson, 95 Cal.App. 144 [272 P. 610], the applicable rule is succinctly stated at pages 147-148: "A defendant against whom a default has been entered is out of court and is not entitled to take any further steps in the cause affecting plaintiff’s right of action; be cannot thereafter, until such default is set aside in a proper proceeding, file pleadings or move for a new trial, or demand notice of subsequent proceedings.” (See also Heathman v. Vant, supra, 172 Cal.App.2d 639, 647; Taintor v. Superior Court, 95 Cal.App.2d 346, 350 [213 P.2d 42].)
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.