Gould v. Gould
Gould v. Gould
Opinion of the Court
The plaintiff appeals from an order of the lower court vacating and setting aside a judgment of dismissal and restoring the case to the calendar to be set for trial.
The plaintiff brought an action against the respondent for a divorce upon a number of grounds. The action was originally filed in the superior court of Los Angeles County, the plaintiff alleging herself to be a resident thereof, and was transferred to the county of Mendocino for the reason that the defendant was a resident of that county. The defendant filed an answer, and a cross-complaint in which he sought the divorce. The matter came on in due time for trial, and on the day set therefor both plaintiff and defendant appeared in open court by their respective counsel. The at *506 torneys for the plaintiff thereupon informed the court that the plaintiff was not at the time of the commencement of the action a resident of the county of Los Angeles, and in support of that statement laid before the court the facts, from which it conclusively appeared that the plaintiff was not a resident of the county of Los Angeles at the time she filed her complaint, and could not establish a jursidictional fact essential to making out a case for divorce. (Flynn v. Flynn, 171 Cal. 746, 749 [154 Pac. 837]; Dahne v. Superior Court, 31 Cal. App. 664 [161 Pac. 280].) As bearing on the subsequent action of the defendant what then occurred is important and is as follows:
“Mr. Mannon (Counsel for Plaintiff) : Under these circumstances, your Honor, I am prepared at this time to state that there is the matter of the custody of the child in this action; that Mr. Gould is entitled to have his day in court, therefore I agree at this time that the case may be set for trial and heard right away now. If counsel on the other side consent that my statement is the facts I am ready to submit the matter. I know what the law is and I am satisfied that there is only one thing to do and that is a dismissal and I consent that the action may be dismissed and that the decision of the court may be held over until Monday or some such time. This is not a matter of collusion but gives Mr. Gould his day in court.
“Mr. Witherspoon: Specially appearing for Mr. Gould in this matter I am ready to agree with Mr. Mannon: That Mr. Mannon and I have examined the law very carefully and I am ready to agree that there is only one thing to do. I am asking that the matter be submitted to the court at the present time and that the decision of the court may be reserved until, well, say Monday, and that will give us time in which to shape ourselves with regard to the custody of the child. We ask that the matter be submitted.”
The court thereupon, continued the matter, and in due time entered a judgment dismissing the action, without making any provision for the custody of the minor child of the parties. Shortly after the entry of the judgment the defendant, through other counsel, moved the court for an order vacating and setting aside, and relieving the defendant from the judgment, upon the ground that the same was entered without authority of law, and through defend *507 ant’s mistake, inadvertence, and excusable neglect. In his affidavit accompanying the motion, the defendant asserted that he had instructed his former counsel, prior to the time of the submission of the cause, not to agree or stipulate to a dismissal of the action, for the reason that he had been informed by other counsel that the court had jurisdiction of the matter and might hear the testimony and decide the case on the cross-complaint of the defendant, irrespective of whether or not the complaint of the plaintiff was dismissed. The lower court granted the motion to vacate and set aside the judgment. It is from that order that this appeal is taken by the plaintiff.
The order appealed from is reversed.
Shaw, C. J., Wilbur, J., Richards, J., pro tem., Shurtleff, J., Sloane, J., and Lawlor, J., concurred.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- VIDA VICK GOULD, Appellant, v. AUGUSTUS C. GOULD, Respondent
- Cited By
- 4 cases
- Status
- Published