Baker v. Baker

114 So. 661, 94 Fla. 1001
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedDecember 6, 1927
StatusPublished
Cited by26 cases

This text of 114 So. 661 (Baker v. Baker) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Baker v. Baker, 114 So. 661, 94 Fla. 1001 (Fla. 1927).

Opinion

Terrell, J.'

This appeal is from a final decree entered October 4th, 1926, dissolving the bonds of matrimony heretofore exising between appellant and appellee, awarding alimony to appellant in the sum of Two Hundred and Fifty Dollars per month, decreeing the home in which appellant and appellee had lived to be the place of appellant’s residence and decreeing the custody of their three minor children to be in appellant with permission to visit said children at stated times on the part of appellee. The said final decree also awards attorney’s fees to appellant in the sum of One Thousand Dollars and finds the title to certain lands described in a deed recorded in Deed Book 53, at page 395, Public Records of St. Lucie County, Florida, to be in appellant.

The bill for divorce was brought by appellee and is grounded on, (1) “Extreme cruelty by defendant to complainant,” and (2) “Habitual indulgence by defendant in violent and ungovernable temper.” Either of which is cause for divorce in this State. Section 3191, Revised General Statutes of Florida.

A demurrer to the bill of complaint was overruled. It is first contended by appellant that this was error, because the exhibitions of violent and ungovernable temper on the part of defendant as charged in the bill were directed to other persons than the complainant and that there is sufficient showing of extreme cruelty to warrant a divorce. It being insisted that “extreme cruelty” as ground for divorce contemplates physical violence.

Extreme cruelty as ground for divorce under our statute is by no means confined to physical violence. It includes *1004 in addition to physical violence such conduct on the part of either spouse as would produce in the other continuous, intense mental pain and suffering, danger to health or a forced abnegation of the marital relation. If mental pain and suffering or physical violence is not of itself sufficient to show cause for divorce either may supplement the other to show such cause. Donald v. Donald, 21 Fla. 571; Williams v. Williams, 23 Fla. 324, 2 So. 768; Palmer v. Palmer, 26 Fla. 215, 7 So. 864; Wethington v. Wethington, 57 Fla. 551, 49 So. 549; Prall v. Prall, 58 Fla. 496, 50 So. 867; Hooker v. Hooker, 65 Fla. 53, 61 So. 121; Erdmans v. Erdmans, 90 Fla. 858, 107 So. 188; Kellogg v. Kellogg (Fla.) 111, So. 637.

This Court is committed to the doctrine that occasional outbursts of passion, nagging, petulance, readiness to anger, frequent and unreasonable complaints, though made in a loud-voiced, boisterous manner, if only calculated to render the relations between the parties unpleasant and disagreeable, or unhappy, do not afford sufficient cause for divorce. Palmer v. Palmer, supra. An examination of many cases where divorce was sought on the ground of extreme cruelty or habitual indulgence in a violent and ungovernable temper or both suggest this test to determine the sufficiency of the bill and the proofs to warrant the relief. If extreme cruelty is relied on, physical violence or such treatment or abuse as damages health or causes a constant apprehension of physical violence, renders cohabitation intolerable or makes it impractical to discharge marital duties must be shown. If habitual indulgence in a violent and ungovernable temper is relied on, it must be shown that defendants temper was displayed towards complainant habitually so as to injuriously effect health, personal safety and comfort or to render life an appressive and intolerable burden making it impracticable to perform *1005 marital duties under such burden. Palmer v. Palmer, supra, Beekman v. Beekman, 53 Fla. 858, 43 So. 923; Hancock v. Hancock, 55 Fla. 680, 45 So. 1020; Hickson v. Hickson, 54 Fla. 556, 45 So. 474; Taylor v. Taylor, 63 Fla. 659, 58 So. 238; Kellog v, Kellog, supra.

Inspection of the bill of complaint discloses that a few years after the marriage of complainant and defendant in 1912, differences arose between them and from then to the time of their separation it is charged that defendant constantly upbraided complainant, charging him with infidelity to her by having immoral illicit relations with various and sundry white and colored women and repeatedly calling him all kinds of vile and nasty epithets (naming them) too indecent to enumerate. It is also alleged that defendant charged complainant with violating Section 5425, Revised General Statutes of Florida, that is to say: with committing unnatural and lascivious acts with a member of the male sex, that she cursed him and chided him because of the loss of one of his legs, and that she charged him with being a bootlegger and with taking money from bootleggers to permit them to engage in their nefarious traffic (complainant being Sheriff of Palm Beach County). The bill states many other charges against defendant of similar character to those enumerated and shows that this course of conduct on her part was constant and continuous and was indulged in at home, in the office, on the highway and in public places in the presence of the family, friends and relatives of complainant. There is ample and competent evidence in the record to support these charges which on the full showing made meet the requirements of the statute for divorce on both the ground of extreme cruelty and habitual indulgence in a violent and ungovernable temper.

The answer of defendant to the bill in no respect com *1006 plies with the rules of exact pleading. It is replete with counter charges and voluntary suggestions of criminality on the part of complainant and denies many allegations of the bill but there is no attempt whatever to prove any of her counter charges and voluntary suggestions of criminality or to disprove any charge against her except her own testimony. In divorce as in other proceedings where the testimony is conflicting but there is ample evidence to support the finding of the chancellor, the decree will not be reversed. Phinney v. Phinney 77 Fla. 840, 82 So. 357. The evidence here on all issues overwhelmingly supports the finding of the chancellor. Some of the exhibitions of violent and ungovernable temper on the part of defendant Avere directed to other parties but sufficient of them were directed to complainant to make out a case.

After the testimony was closed defendant presented and made application to the chancellor to file her supplemental answer. This application was denied and such denial is made the basis of the second assignment of error. The record shows that the chancellor investigated thoroughly the charges made in the supplemental answer before denying the application to file it and while the procedure adopted by him in doing this may be a little out of the usual there is no showing whatever that the cause of the defendant was in any wise prejudiced thereby.

After the appeal was taken, appellee herein, complainant below, filed his cross assignments of error, the first of which attacks that part of the final decree awarding permanent alimony to the defendant.

It is contended by cross appellant that the divorce was granted for the fault of the wife and where that is the case no alimony can be awarded under the statutes of this State. This contention is predicated on the holding of this Court in Phinney v. Phinney, 77 Fla. 850, 82 So. 357. The *1007

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Bluebook (online)
114 So. 661, 94 Fla. 1001, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/baker-v-baker-fla-1927.