Cosher v. Cosher

96 N.W.2d 754, 356 Mich. 567, 1959 Mich. LEXIS 406
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedJune 6, 1959
DocketDocket 33, Calendar 47,552
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 96 N.W.2d 754 (Cosher v. Cosher) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cosher v. Cosher, 96 N.W.2d 754, 356 Mich. 567, 1959 Mich. LEXIS 406 (Mich. 1959).

Opinion

Carr, J.

The parties to this case were married on September 11, 1943. No children were born of the marriage. Both were employed by the Ford Motor Company and so continued during the time that they lived together in the marital relation. In 1953 some dispute arose with reference to contributions to common business ventures, and the wife filed suit for divorce. It seems to be agreed that the matters involved were of like character to those at issue in the present proceeding. A reconciliation was effected, apparently involving condonation of conduct of which either of the parties complained, and an agreement was made that all of their real estate holdings would be changed to tenancies in common. Such agreement was carried out. Mrs. Cosher turned over her earnings to her husband who handled the matter of their investments.

The present suit was started by the filing of plaintiff’s bill of complaint on November 10, 1955. He sought a decree of divorce on the ground of extreme and repeated cruelty. The property interests of the parties were set up in the pleading at some length, and plaintiff sought an adjustment thereof. Defendant filed answer and cross bill, in effect charging plaintiff-with responsibility for the marital difficul *569 ties of the parties and asking that a decree of divorce be granted to her.

Following a hearing in the circuit court a decree was entered on the cross bill, the circuit judge specifically finding that plaintiff had not established his right to the relief sought by him. Accordingly his bill of complaint was dismissed.' The decree provided for a division of the property interests of the parties, the trial court having the benefit of the report and recommendations with reference thereto from a circuit court commissioner to whom the matter had been referred for the taking of proofs relative to this phase of the controversy. Being dissatisfied with the decree as entered, plaintiff has appealed, claiming that on the record made cross plaintiff was not entitled to a divorce on the grounds of nonsupport, as found by the trial judge, that the divorce should have been granted to plaintiff, and that the property division was inequitable.

The cross bill filed by Mrs. Cosher alleged in paragraph 4(b) thereof as follows:

“That the plaintiff and cross defendant is miserly and niggardly about money and has not, since the marriage of the parties, bought the defendant and cross plaintiff any clothing or any of the other necessities of life except the food furnished for their table and this he is not now furnishing since he departed from the home of the parties of his own volition in May of 1955.”

In substance it is the claim of counsel for appellant that the conduct referred to in the language above quoted was merely a part of cross plaintiff’s claims with reference to alleged extreme and repeated cruelty on the part of plaintiff and cross defendant. Apparently the trial judge construed the averments of fact set forth in said language as alleging nonsupport and granted a divorce to cross plaintiff on that ground, which he found supported *570 by the proofs. With respect thereto the following testimony of plaintiff and cross defendant is significant:

“Q. Mr. Cosher, the reason .why you had these arguments was because of money; was it not?

“A. Yes, money.

“Q. During the time you were married to your wife, how many dresses did you buy her?

“A. I buy her one.

'¡/‘Q. One?

“A. Yes.

“Q. How many pairs of shoes did you buy her?

“A. None.

“Q. What other clothing did you ever buy her ?

“A. None, because she made it herself, and she had the money to buy it herself.

“Q. And that was her own money; was it not?

“A.'Yes. I didn’t touch her money.

“Q. You bought the food for the table ?

“Q. And that is the limit of what you contributed to this marriage ?

“A. And what there was to the buildings.

“Q. But that is all that you contributed to the marriage ?

“Q. You didn’t buy your wife anything ?

“A. No. * * *

“Q. And she bought all the pillow cases, and the sheets; did she not?

“A. As far as I know. I don’t know where she bought it.

“Q. And she bought that from money that she made herself ?

“A. Well, yes. She had money. Yes.

“Q. And it was money for which she worked at day labor ?

“A. Yes.”

ít may be noted further that defendant and cross plaintiff testified that the dress that plaintiff claimed *571 lie had purchased for her was bought before their marriage, and that she had bought her own clothing, doing sewing and similar labor aside from her employment at the Ford Motor Company. Without discussing the matter in further detail, we are not prepared to say that the trial judge was in error in concluding that the bill of complaint set forth facts constituting a charge of nonsupport, or in granting a decree to cross plaintiff on that ground. Our attention has been directed to certain testimony on her part, as set forth in the transcript filed as a part of the original return made to this Court on the appeal, to the effect that cross defendant was a “good provider.” Her further testimony, however, read in connection with that of plaintiff, above quoted, indicates that she was referring to his providing food for the parties. It is not disputed that he did so for the benefit of himself as well as for defendant and cross plaintiff. Based on the' testimony in the case we are in accord with the conclusion of the trial judge that the proofs were insufficient to establish plaintiff’s claim of extreme and repeated cruelty on the part of defendant and cross plaintiff.

At the time of their marriage each party had certain property interests, the exact value of which does not clearly appear from the record. The earnings of both went into a common fund with which other property was acquired. They resided in a house on Liver-nois street which was the sole property of cross plaintiff until they converted all of their real estate holdings into tenancies in common, pursuant to the agreement made as the basis for the dismissal of the prior divorce suit in January, 1954. In the division of the real property interests between the parties the home on Livernois was given to cross plaintiff. She was also given 3 other parcels and the sum of $6,500 in cash from moneys that the parties had *572 on hand; The remainder of the property was decreed to belong to plaintiff and cross defendant.

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Bluebook (online)
96 N.W.2d 754, 356 Mich. 567, 1959 Mich. LEXIS 406, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cosher-v-cosher-mich-1959.