Stewart v. Stewart
Stewart v. Stewart
Opinion of the Court
This is an appeal from an interlocutory decree of divorce, entered by the district court of Salt Lake county in favor
The defendant, in addition to setting up a defense in her answer to plaintiff’s prayer for a divorce, also filed a counterclaim in which she prayed for a divorce from the plaintiff. She now insists in her assignments of error that the district court erred, not only in granting plaintiff’s prayer for divorce, but also in refusing to grant her prayer and in not making findings of fact upon her counterclaim. While there is considerable evidence in support of both the defendant’s defense and her counterclaim, yet, upon the whole, the clear preponderance of the evidence supports ports the findings and decree of divorce in favor of the plaintiff, and hence we cannot interfere with the decree in so far as it relates to the divorce.
While, as stated, there are various errors assigned, yet those relating to the counterclaim and other matters are not vital. There, however, is an assigmnent which assails the division or distribution of the property owned by plaintiff and defendant as made by the court which requires careful consideration. In view, therefore, that the other assignments are not vital, we shall at once proceed to a consideration of the question of property rights, and shall confine ourselves to a consideration of that part of the evidence which relates to the division of the property.
The evidence. upon that subject is not in dispute. It appears that the parties to this action are colored people, both of whom had been married before they entered the marriage relation with each other in August, 1914. Both have passed beyond the meridian of life. The plaintiff, for a number of years, both immediately”before and after he was married to the defendant, was employed as a Pullman porter on a railroad running, between Salt Lake City, Utah, and Butte, Mont. During the time he was employed as such porter, according to his testimony,, he received the munificent wage of from $30 to $35 per month exclusive of tips, which, he said, amounted to about the same amount each month. Out of that he was required to pay his board both while on duty
With the foregoing undisputed facts before the court, it distributed the property as follows: To the defendant was awarded all the household goods, while to the plaintiff was awarded the dwelling house, including the real estate. The plaintiff was, however, required to pay to the defendant the sum of $250. The defendant was denied suit money and
"When an interlocutory decree of divorce is made, the court may make such order in relation to the children, property, parties, and the maintenance of the parties and children as shall he equitable. * * *”
It is now tbe settled law and practice of this court that, while a large discretion is vested in tbe trial courts in applying tbe provisions of tbe foregoing statute and in making distribution of property, yet such discretion is not an arbitrary one, but is a sound legal discretion, and is subject to review by this court. This court is also firmly committed to tbe doctrine that tbe judgments and orders of trial courts in awarding alimony or in making distribution of property will not be interfered with, unless it is made to appear with at least reasonable certainty that tbe discretion tion vested in those courts has been abused to the prejudice of an appellant in some particular or particulars. Tbe last decision of this court where tbe foregoing doctrine is applied is tbe recent ease of Friedli v. Friedli, 65 Utah 605, 238 P. 647. Tbe question therefore is: Has tbe district court, in view of tbe facts, abused its discretion to tbe
Usually where there is conflict in the evidence respecting the amount of property or its character or value, there is more or less difficulty in reviewing and modifying the judgment of the district court. In this case, however, we encounter no such difficulty. There is no dispute respecting the character nor the value of the property. In view of the evidence, we have been forced to the conclusion that the division of the property as made by the trial court is clearly inequitable and unfair to the defendant. There is no* doubt that, although the deferred payments on the dwelling house were made from the earnings of plaintiff, yet that was so merely because it was more convenient to make them out of his wag’es .than otherwise. While the defendant may not directly have contributed to those payments, there is no doubt whatever that she did so indirectly by defraying the expenses of the household. While it is also true that plaintiff may have contributed some of the money for such expenses, and perhaps for the purchase of some articles used in the household to replace others, yet he was fully, if not more than fully, compensated for such outlays by having had' the use of defendant’s property during the entire period of the married relation. Moreover', in awarding defendant the household goods, she merely obtained her own in perhaps a less desirable condition, and certainly of less value, while the real estate awarded to* plaintiff, not only was the joint property of both, but was the result of their joint earnings. Indeed, from the evidence, we are convinced that it was largely due to the defendant’s thrift and frugality that the home was paid for.
In our judgment, the property should be divided as follows : To the defendant should be awarded all of the household goods (that is, all of the personal property), the real estate, with the dwelling house, should be divided equally between the plaintiff and defendant as tenants in common, and the decree awarding the defendant $250 out of the real
The judgment or decree of the district court of Salt Lake county is therefore reversed, and the cause is remanded to said court, with directions to modify its findings of fact, conclusions of law, and judgment, and to make findings and conclusions awarding to the defendant all of the personal property, consisting of the household goods heretofore referred to, and to award to plaintiff and defendant jointly the real estate in equal shares as tenants in common, and to cancel the judgment of $250, and to enter judgment accordingly. The plaintiff to pay costs of this appeal.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- STEWART v. STEWART
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- Published