C. B. H. v. R. N. H.

571 S.W.2d 449, 1978 Mo. App. LEXIS 2234
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedJuly 25, 1978
DocketNo. 38616
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 571 S.W.2d 449 (C. B. H. v. R. N. H.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
C. B. H. v. R. N. H., 571 S.W.2d 449, 1978 Mo. App. LEXIS 2234 (Mo. Ct. App. 1978).

Opinion

SNYDER, Judge.

R. N. H. appeals from a decree of dissolution of his marriage to C. B. H. The parties were married in 1954. They have two children, R., Jr., age 19, and K., age 16 at the time of the trial. After nearly twenty-one years of marriage, the wife, C. B. H., filed a petition for dissolution, alleging the marriage was irretrievably broken, which the husband, R. N. H., denied under oath. The trial court made a finding of irretrievable breakdown and awarded maintenance, child support and attorneys’ fees to the wife.

The husband raises four issues on appeal claiming that: (1) the court’s finding that the marriage was irretrievably broken is not supported by substantial evidence and is against the weight of the evidence; (2) the court erred in its award of maintenance; (3) the court erred in finding the residence of the parties to be marital property and in awarding certain household items to the wife; and (4) the court erred in awarding attorneys’ fees to the wife. These points are ruled in favor of the wife and the judgment is affirmed.

The trial court very briefly heard evidence on May 6, 1976. The wife testified the marriage was irretrievably broken; the husband testified it was not. Under the authority of § 452.320.21 the court continued the case for 60 days to allow the parties to seek counseling.

When the hearing resumed on July 15, 1976, the wife again testified that the mar[452]*452riage was irretrievably broken. Asked on direct examination whether it was her husband’s objectionable behavior that led her to that conclusion, she answered without objection that it was. She testified she felt the marriage had never been a partnership, that her husband ran everything and controlled all the money, that there was no communication between them and that her husband had rejected her sexually for the last three years. He refused to discuss these and other problems with her or to seek counseling. She said the strain and tension had disturbed the children and the marriage’s general deterioration had left her with feelings of rejection and mental anguish. In sum, she felt all the love had gone out of the marriage.

The husband testified that he had stood by his wife when she had experienced problems with drugs and alcohol, and believed they could weather this problem as well. The marriage, in his opinion, was not irretrievably broken; he loved his wife and attributed her desire for dissolution to “another mood” she was going through. He believed the marriage could be saved through counseling.

On August 25, 1976, the trial court entered its judgment granting a decree of dissolution. The court determined “as a matter of fact that the marriage is irretrievably broken." In accord with the children’s expressed preferences to the judge without the presence of the parties, custody of R., Jr. was granted to the husband and custody of K. to the wife. The court awarded $496,115.14 in separate property to the husband and $23,746 in separate property to the wife. The family home, with a stipulated value of $75,000, and $17,000 in other assets were found to be marital property. The wife was awarded the home; the husband the remainder of the marital property. Each party was awarded household personal property and an automobile. The wife was awarded maintenance of $1,500 per month and child support of $300 per month. The husband was ordered to pay $4,900 in attorneys’ fees for his wife. Costs were also assessed against him.

Appellate review of a court tried case is governed by Rule 73.01 and the case of Murphy v. Carron, 536 S.W.2d 30 (Mo. banc 1976). Brueggemann v. Brueggemann, 551 S.W.2d 853 (Mo.App.1977). The judgment or decree of the trial court must be affirmed “unless there is no substantial evidence to support it, unless it is against the weight of the evidence, unless it erroneously declares the law, or unless it erroneously applies the law” and “[ajppellate courts should exercise the power to set aside a decree or judgment on the ground that it is ‘against the weight of the evidence’ with caution and with a firm belief that the decree or judgment is wrong.” Murphy, page 32[1, 3].

I. The Trial Court’s Finding of Irretrievable Breakdown

The husband urges that the judgment on this point is without substantial evidence and is against the weight of the evidence.

When the respondent in a dissolution action has denied under oath that the marriage is irretrievably broken, the petitioner must satisfy the court of one or more of the five facts or conditions set out in § 452.320.22 in .order for the court to find [453]*453irretrievable breakdown. In re Marriage of Uhls, 549 S.W.2d 107 (Mo.App.1977); In re Marriage of Mitchell, 545 S.W.2d 313 (Mo.App.1976).

From the testimony it is evident the wife was attempting to satisfy the court “[t]hat the respondent has behaved in such a way that the petitioner cannot reasonably be expected to live with the respondent.” § 452.320.2(l)(b). There was substantial evidence of such behavior on the husband’s part.

The evidence detailed earlier of the husband’s domination, financial differences, sexual rejection of his wife, breakdown of communications, the husband’s refusal to agree to counseling when it might still have been beneficial, and his saying that he was “sick and tired of everything and wanted a divorce,” constituted behavior on his part which justified a finding that the wife could not reasonably be expected to live with him.

The husband cites In re Marriage of Mitchell, supra, and argues that in this case, as in Mitchell, it is the conduct of the wife-petitioner and not the husband-respondent, which made it unreasonable to expect one party to live with the other. But this case is distinguishable from Mitchell. In Mitchell there was no evidence of objectionable behavior on the part of the respondent. Here there was substantial evidence. The behavior upon which the finding of irretrievable breakdown was made was that of the husband during the four years immediately preceding the filing of the petition.

The husband, in contrast, emphasizes his wife’s past drug and alcohol problems to support his argument that her conduct is at fault, forgetting, apparently, that her drug problem was resolved twelve years, and her alcohol problem five years, before the trial.

The husband’s argument that his wife was using her own acts of misconduct to justify or warrant the court’s finding of irretrievable breakdown is rejected.

The husband claims error because the wife failed to amend her petition to allege details of his complained of behavior as grounds for the irretrievable breakdown of the marriage and the granting of the decree of dissolution. The point is not well taken.

Under our procedure, issues not raised in the pleadings may be tried by consent of the parties and where so tried, they are treated as if they had been pleaded. Amendment of the pleadings, even though not formally requested, is presumed and will not affect the trial of the issues. Rule 55.33; Murphy v. Murphy, supra at 952[2].

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Bluebook (online)
571 S.W.2d 449, 1978 Mo. App. LEXIS 2234, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/c-b-h-v-r-n-h-moctapp-1978.