Beezley v. Beezley

296 P.2d 274, 5 Utah 2d 20, 1956 Utah LEXIS 162
CourtUtah Supreme Court
DecidedApril 25, 1956
DocketNo. 8411
StatusPublished

This text of 296 P.2d 274 (Beezley v. Beezley) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Utah Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Beezley v. Beezley, 296 P.2d 274, 5 Utah 2d 20, 1956 Utah LEXIS 162 (Utah 1956).

Opinions

WORTHEN, Justice.

Appeal from a judgment awarding respondent a divorce and a one-half interest in the El Vigo Apartment House and declaring that appellant had no interest therein and awarding to appellant the El Dumpo Apartment House which stood in the joint names of appellant and respondent.

The pleadings are numerous and involved. Respondent and appellant were married in 1932. No children have been born as issue of the marriage. Respondent is the daughter of third party defendant. A third party complaint was filed by appellant against third party defendant to require an accounting by said third party defendant of rents and profits from the operation of the Mon-terey and the El Vigo Apartment Houses.

The evidence discloses that all three of the parties have been more or less interested in real estate transactions during the past 19 or 20 years.

The El Vigo Apartment House was purchased by third party defendant in July, 1945. Part of the purchase price of the El Vigo was received from the sale of the Monterey Apartment House, which was purchased by respondent and third party defendant, the title to the Monterey having been taken in the name of respondent.

Appellant concedes that third party defendant owned an undivided one-half interest in the Monterey Apartment House and concedes his ownership of a one-half inter[22]*22est in the El Vigo Apartment House, but alleged and contended that he owned a one-fourth interest therein by virtue of a verbal agreement and understanding entered into in 1936, wherein it was agreed that respondent and appellant would become joint partners and devote their time and services and acquire income-bearing real property and buy and sell and otherwise deal in the same, and that they should share equally in the venture as joint tenants.

On the 8th day of May, 1952, this action was commenced for divorce on the ground of mental cruelty. Respondent alleged that she was then the owner of an undivided one-half interest in the El Vigo Apartment House, and that her father owned the other half interest; she further alleged that defendant had contributed nothing toward the purchase price of said' apartment house. She alleged that she and defendant owned an automobile. Plaintiff asked for a decree of divorce; for the automobile and that the court decree that the undivided one-half interest owned by her in the El Vigo Apartment House be decreed the sole and separate property of plaintiff and that defendant be decreed to have no interest therein. The El Dumpo Apartment House was not mentioned in the complaint, nor did plaintiff ask that the court make any decree or order as to the same.

.A petition for a restraining order was filed by plaintiff the day the complaint was filed, alleging that she was fearful for her safety as a result of defendant becoming intoxicated. The court ordered defendant to appear and show cause on May 13th and ordered defendant not to go to the apartment occupied by plaintiff until the order could be heard on May 13, 1952.

By stipulation on May 22 defendant’s time to plead was extended to June 27 and on June 13, 1952, the time was extended to September 25, 1952, and upon stipulation of the parties the court, on June 14, dismissed the petition and restraining order on file; on September 8 the time was extended to December 15, 1952; on December 15, 1952, the time was extended to February 15, 1953.

On February 16, 1953, defendant filed a motion to dismiss plaintiff’s action for failure to allege a cause of action.

On July 17, 1953, defendant filed an Answer and Counterclaim and on September 22, 1953, he filed his Amended Answer and Counterclaim wherein he pleaded that the cruelty complained of in plaintiff’s complaint had been condoned; that “ever since plaintiff filed the action the parties had continued to cohabitate as husband and wife.” Defendant admitted that plaintiff’s father, Elias Hansen, owned an undivided one-half interest in the El Vigo Apartment House and denied that plaintiff owned the other one-half interest, but that he owned an undivided one-fourth interest by reason of the partnership agreement herein mentioned.

Defendant obtained leave and filed a third party complaint against the father of plaintiff, Elias Hansen, wherein he alleged his ownership of an undivided one-fourth interest in both the Monterey and El Vigo [23]*23Apartment Houses and demanded that said Elias Hansen be required to render an accounting of the income of the said apartment houses.

The plaintiff filed a Supplemental Complaint on February 9, 1954, and an Amended Supplemental Complaint on the 19th day of February, 1954, wherein plaintiff alleged that the defendant fraudulently induced plaintiff to resume cohabitation upoii the representation that he desired to effect a reconciliation; that his purpose was not to effect a reconciliation with plaintiff, but to obtain an interest in certain real property belonging to plaintiff and her father. Plaintiff alleged that since the filing of the complaint and up to the date of the filing of the Amended Supplemental Complaint the defendant had continued to treat plaintiff cruelly. That defendant has continuously since the action was filed and particularly since about the 15th day of July, 1953, harassed, annoyed and embarrassed the plaintiff by filing actions against the father of plaintiff, Elias Hansen, by provoking quarrels and disagreements with plaintiff and by asking unnecessary embarrassing questions of plaintiff while taking her deposition. ^

The trial court heard the testimony and found that for several years prior to the filing of the complaint defendant was addicted to the use of intoxicating liquors and particularly while under the • influence of intoxicating liquor used vile and abusive language to and concerning the plaintiff. That during said period of time the plaintiff was operating an apartment house; that while under the influence of intoxicating liquor the defendant was loud and boisterous and disturbed the tenants of the apartment house several nights each week until the early hours of the morning and thus interfered with the operations of said apartment house. That in the month of August, 1952, the defendant represented to the plaintiff that he desired to effect a reconciliation with the plaintiff and agreed to effect a reconciliation with the plaintiff and agreed to discontinue the use of intoxicating liquors. That thereafter defendant discontinued the use of intoxicating liquor. That relying upon said representation the plaintiff for short periods of time between the month of August, 1952, and the month of July, 1953, cohabited with the defendant, as husband and wife. That in the month of July, 1953, the defendant informed plaintiff that he would further attempt to work out a reconciliation only upon the condition that plaintiff deed to the defendant one-half of her interest in the apartment house known as El Vigo, and upon the further condition that the plaintiff effect the removal from said apartment house of the father of plaintiff, Elias Hansen. The court further found that thereafter the defendant treated the plaintiff cruelly, causing her great mental distress and suffering by harassing, annoying and embarassing the plaintiff, by provoking quarrels and disagreements with the plaintiff and by presenting embarrassing questions to plaintiff at the taking of her [24]*24deposition and by insisting upon details of the acts of plaintiff and defendant which defendant had set up as constituting con-donation.

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236 P.2d 1066 (Utah Supreme Court, 1951)
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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
296 P.2d 274, 5 Utah 2d 20, 1956 Utah LEXIS 162, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/beezley-v-beezley-utah-1956.