Mathews v. Mathews
Mathews v. Mathews
Opinion of the Court
Mrs. A. D. Mathews brought suit for temporary and permanent alimony against her husband, J. S. Mathews. She alleged that they were living and had for sometime lived in a bona fide state of separation. The alleged cause of the separation is that the husband refuses to provide for the support of petitioner and their two minor children. It is further alleged that the defendant is a man in good physical health, that he owns 500 acres of land, and is worth about $35,000, and is able to fully provide for the support and maintenance of his wife and children. The respondent filed an answer denying responsibility for the state of separation between him and his wife, and alleged that petitioner is in better financial condition than defendant himself. He alleges his willingness to support his children, to care for and provide for them; that he has been doing this under adverse circumstances and conditions; that he has often requested and importuned his wife to return to his home, which is always open to her; that he has never abandoned petitioner, but has assured her of his affection towards her, and that he will do all in his power to make her happy if she will return to his home. Evidence to support the allegations in the petition and the answer was submitted. The jury returned a verdict awarding the sum of $75 a month “to the two children, to be paid to the mother until the children reach their majority.” No alimony was awarded for the support of the wife. The respondent made a motion for a new trial, which was overruled, and he excepted.
The original motion for a new trial contained the usual general grounds. An amendment to the motion was subsequently allowed. This amendment contains only one ground, in which error is assigned upon a portion of the court’s charge. That charge was as follows: “The conveyance by deed, which is in evidence and which will go out with you and which will be before you, is not sufficient to pass the title, it appearing from the evidence that
Counsel for the defendant in error insist that even if the charge was error, it was not harmful to the plaintiff in error, inasmuch as no amount of alimony was awarded to the wife; that the $75 per month awarded was merely for the children. We can not agree with this contention of counsel; for if the deed was void, title to the same had never passed fropa the respondent in the-case, and he was, if title had not passed, the owner of a much larger
Judgment reversed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.