Alberhasky v. Alberhasky

97 N.W.2d 914, 250 Iowa 986, 1959 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 434
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedJuly 24, 1959
Docket49689
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 97 N.W.2d 914 (Alberhasky v. Alberhasky) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Alberhasky v. Alberhasky, 97 N.W.2d 914, 250 Iowa 986, 1959 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 434 (iowa 1959).

Opinion

Peterson, J.

Plaintiff and defendant were married at Kansas City, Missouri, January 21, 1921. They lived together until March 18, 1958, when plaintiff left their home, alleging defendant was guilty of such inhuman treatment as to endanger her life. Plaintiff is now 60, defendant 63. During the course of their married life, by hard work and diligence on the part of both parties, they accumulated property worth conservatively $200,000. Petition for divorce was filed March 19, 1958. In addition to divorce plaintiff prayed for equitable division of the property, alimony, and attorney fees. Defendant filed cross-petition, also praying for divorce and alleging sole ownership of all property. The trial court granted plaintiff a divorce and divided the property approximately evenly between the two parties. Both parties have appealed.

*988 Appellant alleges the court committed four errors: 1) The evidence was insufficient to establish a basis for divorce in favor of plaintiff, 2) divorce should have been granted to defendant on his cross-petition, 3) the division of the property and fixing of alimony between the parties was inequitable, and 4) in reducing the allegedly agreed salary of Tom Alberhasky as general manager of a trailer court owned by the parties from $12,000 to $9000 per year.

Appellee alleges on her cross-appeal that the court committed two errors: 1) In making Tom Alberhasky any allowance as manager, 2) in failing to fix attorney fees against defendant in favor of plaintiff’s attorneys.

I. From the standpoint of the material matters of life the story of the parties to this action, and of this family, is a success story. However, from the angle of what is more important, a happy family life as between plaintiff, defendant and their five fine children, it falls far short of being successful.

Shortly'after marriage the parties moved to Iowa City. In 1927 they purchased a tract of approximately 30 acres located a short distance north of Iowa City, on the highway which is now No. 218. The contract of purchase was made in the name of both parties as owners in common. It was purchased on the basis of $500 cash and annual payments. The price was $7000. Some years later, when it was paid for, the deed was executed to both plaintiff and defendant.

Shortly after moving into the country defendant purchased a one-half interest in a restaurant in town and devoted most of his time to the maintenance of the restaurant. Plaintiff did the work on the farm, in addition to her housework and the rearing of the children. She raised about 500 chickens a year, and dressed them for sale in the restaurant. She milked the cows and cared for the hogs. She had a large garden in which she raised vegetables and when the boys became old enough they peddled the vegetables in the city. After a year or two defendant sold -his interest in the restaurant and established a retail butcher shop on the farm. She helped him with this work in keeping the butcher shop clean, rendering the lard and again dressing chickens, geese, and, at holiday time, turkeys, for sale in the butcher shop.

*989 The parties were the parents of two boys and three girls: Joe, Thomas, Bernadette (now Mrs. Dyer), Frances (now Mrs. Cayer), and Audrey. The children are all adults, Audrey being the youngest and being twenty-two years of age.

Sometime before World War II defendant closed out his butcher shop. He had been doing cement work through the years and was somewhat skilled in that work. He left in 1942 to do this type of work in the building of camps in various parts of the country. Most of the time he worked in California. He earned good wages and after deducting a sufficient amount to maintain himself he sent the remainder home each week to his wife for the expenses of the family. He met a woman in California by the name of Mrs. Gladys Clay and became unduly interested in her.

When he returned after the war his habits and mode of life had changed. He became irritable toward plaintiff and on the least provocation would become extremely enraged. He used profanity continuously toward plaintiff and in the presence of the children. On one occasion he became so enraged that he doubled up his fist and was going to strike plaintiff, but fortunately she dodged the blow. Sometime after his return from California Mrs. Clay moved to Iowa City. Three witnesses testified as to his car being parked often in front of her apartment and also that he took her out for rides in the evening.

In 1948 they established the first section of a trailer court on the farm. At that time they purchased an additional tract of about seven acres at $800 per acre. The title to this tract was also placed in both plaintiff and defendant. This deed was a joint tenancy deed. Because of the divorce, the joint tenancy provision of the deed is hereby canceled and the ownership shall stand in the two parties as owners in common. The name of the trailer court is Forest View Trailer Court.

At the time of the purchase of the last tract the parties borrowed $10,250 on the 37 acres. Part of the money was used to pay for the seven acres and the balance was used in establishing the first unit of the trailer court. During the intervening years the trailer court has been enlarged, from receipts or from money still owing, to where there are now 289 locations for trailers. *990 Sewer, water, and electricity has been installed for all trailers. A building, with laundry, toilet and shower facilities, has been erected.

In connection with this business plaintiff has been as active as defendant: For the first few years a trailer court office was maintained in the home and plaintiff would serve the trailer owners as they came to rent locations; would place them in their locations and give them receipts for the rent paid. She was, in fact, on duty twenty-four hours a day because customers would come at all hours of the day and often at night. A separate building, as an office, has now been erected.

In addition to the constant use of profanity by defendant toward plaintiff the following is a sample of the language used whenever he would become enraged about any question raised or suggestion made by plaintiff: “‘You G~.. d.... ungrateful crumb, you’re' not telling me how to run this business, I’ll do it the way I want to, and you stay out of that park. * * # I’ll tell you, you old bitch, it’s none of your business.’ ” The use of the word “bitch” by him toward plaintiff became a common expression. The above quotations are from the testimony of plaintiff. Three of the children, Joe, Frances and Audrey,- testified in corroboration of the allegations made by plaintiff. One son Tom testified on behalf of defendant, but he only testified as to property and financial matters; he offered no testimony as to the differences between the parents.

Joe testified: “I heard my father cursing- and using abusive language toward my mother. * * * I heard him call her names as ‘you lazy old bitch.’ I have heard him say that many times.” The daughter Frances testified: “He cursed my mother and called her an old bitch, and I said, ‘Dad, can I have an explanation, what about this other woman, Gladys Clay?’ He raised his fist in my face and said: ‘It’s nobody’s G.... d._„ business.’ * * * He said it was his own life and nobody’s G_... d....

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Henry B. And Betty J. Wallace v. United States
439 F.2d 757 (Eighth Circuit, 1971)
Schantz v. Schantz
163 N.W.2d 398 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1968)
Morris v. Morris
163 N.W.2d 549 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1968)
Alex v. Alex
161 N.W.2d 192 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1968)
Gerk v. Gerk
158 N.W.2d 656 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1968)
Madsen v. Madsen
154 N.W.2d 727 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1967)
Lehmkuhl v. Lehmkuhl
145 N.W.2d 456 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1966)
Cooper v. Cooper
144 N.W.2d 146 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1966)
State Board of Social Welfare v. Pottawattamie County
139 N.W.2d 196 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1965)
Pfab v. Pfab
132 N.W.2d 483 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1965)
Weiland v. Weiland
122 N.W.2d 837 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1963)
Berry v. Berry
112 N.W.2d 663 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1962)
Andreesen v. Andreesen
110 N.W.2d 275 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1961)
Payton v. Payton
108 N.W.2d 358 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1961)
Rasmussen v. Rasmussen
107 N.W.2d 114 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1961)
Rider v. Rider
105 N.W.2d 508 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1960)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
97 N.W.2d 914, 250 Iowa 986, 1959 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 434, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/alberhasky-v-alberhasky-iowa-1959.