Endicott v. Endicott
Endicott v. Endicott
Opinion of the Court
Richard C. Endicott filed his suit for a divorce against Yvonne G. Endicott, on the grounds of cruel treatment. The defendant filed her answer, in which, by cross-complaint, she prayed for temporary and permanent alimony and attorney’s fees. The plaintiff’s general and special demurrers to the defendant’s cross-complaint were overruled. On the trial, the jury granted a divorce to the plaintiff and awarded the defendant permanent alimony, upon which a decree was entered awarding the defendant $150 as attorney’s fees. Within 30 days from the date of the verdict, the plaintiff filed a motion to vacate and set aside that portion of the verdict and judgment awarding .alimony and attorney’s fees as being contrary to the law and the evidence; and further assigned error on a portion of the charge. On the hearing of the motion, the court entered the
The plaintiff, in his bill of exceptions, assigns error on the order overruling his demurrers to the defendant’s cross-complaint and on the order denying and dismissing the motion to vacate and set aside the verdict and judgment as to alimony and the judgment for attorney’s fees.
In his general demurrer, the plaintiff insisted that the defendant’s cross-complaint for alimony was not based on the plaintiff’s petition for a divorce, and therefore did not come within the provisions of Code § 30-210 (1), which provides that permanent alimony shall be granted “in cases of divorce,” but that the defendant’s cross-complaint for alimony was, instead, based upon voluntary separation, as provided for in Code § 30-210 (2).
There is no merit to either contention. The fact that in that portion of her answer to the husband’s petition for divorce, the defendant did not pray for an award of alimony and attorney’s fees, but did, under a part of her answer headed “cross-complaint,” pray for an award of alimony and attorney’s fees, but did not pray for a divorce, did not convert her action into one for permanent alimony based upon voluntary separation. Her use of the words “voluntarily separated himself from the complaintant” were in refutation of the plaintiff’s charge that the separation was caused by her cruel treatment. There being no merit to any of the special demurrers, the court did not err in overruling the general and special demurrers.
In his motion, denominated as one, to vacate and set
The trial court did not err in dismissing and denying the motion to vacate and set aside portions of the verdict and decree.
Judgment affirmed..
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.