Baker v. Baker
Baker v. Baker
Opinion of the Court
On May 22, 1964, Anne Baker filed a suit in the Superior Court of Chatham County against Sara M. Baker, individually and as administratrix of the estate of C. C. Baker, for equitable relief. In substance her petition, as amended, alleges: She is the lawful widow of C. C. Baker who died intestate on January 27, 1964. On January 16, 1959, C. C. Baker filed a suit for divorce against her in the Superior Court of Chatham County, and a decree purporting to dissolve the marriage between them was granted on September 15, 1959. At the time such suit was filed and when the decree was rendered, she was a nonresident of the State of Georgia, residing in the State of New Jersey. An order for service on her by publication was granted on Jan
1. Under Code Am. § 81-207.2 providing for service by publication on nonresident defendants in divorce actions and under the ruling made by this court in Baker v. Baker, 215 Ga. 688 (1) (113 SE2d 113), the petition in the instant case alleges facts which, if proven, clearly show that the plaintiff, Anne Baker, was not legally served in the divorce action her husband, C. C. Baker, filed against her in the Superior Court of Chatham County, and that the decree rendered against her in such divorce action is null and void for want of the court’s jurisdiction of her person; and since a void judgment is a nullity, there is no merit in the contention that the plaintiff’s action to set it aside is barred by the three-year limita
2. The court was authorized to find from the evidence that an order for service by publication on Anne Baker (the defendant in C. C. Baker’s divorce action) was granted on January 16, 1959, and that no copy of the newspaper in which the notice of the pendency of Baker’s divorce action was published was filed with and mailed by the clerk to Mrs. Baker (plaintiff in this action) within 15 days after such order for publication was granted as the law required. Code Ann. § 81-207.2. The record shows that the defendant in C. C. Baker’s divorce action (the plaintiff in this suit) did not waive service by appearance, pleading or otherwise. In these circumstances, we hold that the trial judge was authorized to find that the divorce decree subsequently granted in such cause was null and void; and since he was, the general grounds of the motion for new trial are not meritorious. For cases so holding see Williams v. Batten, 156 Ga. 620 (119 SE 709); Millis v. Millis, 165 Ga. 233, 236 (140 SE 503); Stiles v. Stiles, 183 Ga. 199 (187 SE 870); and Baker v. Baker, 215 Ga. 688, supra.
3. The special grounds of the motion for new trial allege that the court erred in allowing an amendment to the petition and in overruling the defendant’s motion to quash process, a plea of laches, and a motion to dismiss the petition. These are not questions which can properly be excepted to in a motion for new trial.
Judgment affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- BAKER, Administratrix v. BAKER
- Status
- Published