Doe v. Doe

158 P. 781, 48 Utah 200, 1916 Utah LEXIS 18
CourtUtah Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 11, 1916
DocketNo. 2817
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 158 P. 781 (Doe v. Doe) 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
Doe v. Doe, 158 P. 781, 48 Utah 200, 1916 Utah LEXIS 18 (Utah 1916).

Opinion

STRAUP, C. J.

The plaintiff brought this action for a divorce on the ground of cruelty. In substance, it is alleged in the complaint that for several years prior to May, 1911, the defendant, almost constantly, nagged, harassed, annoyed, and rebuked the plaintiff, found fault with him, and, with the intent to injure his character and reputation, made false accusations against him to his employers and others accusing him of sexual immorality, associating with bad women, leading a double life, failing, to provide for her, and leaving her dependent upon the charity of friends. All these matters as to time, place, occasions, and. circumstances are alleged with great particularity. The defendant denied the allegations of cruelty and, by way of counterclaim for separate support and maintenance, alleged that the plaintiff, without cause and against her consent, willfully deserted her, and failed to provide for her; and that she “is informed and believes, and on such information and belief alleges, that the plaintiff has taken up with divers women whose names are to this defendant unknown, [203]*203and spent Ms time with them and has, on divers occasions, at Salt Lake City, Utah, committed adultery with said women.”

The case was tried to the court who dismissed the complaint, and on the counterclaim iound, or stated the conclusion, that the plaintiff had deserted the defendant and awarded her judgment for separate support. The plaintiff appeals. His cMef contentions are' that the court, on the evidence, ought to have granted him a decree for divorce on the ground of cruelty, and erred in finding, or stating the conclusion, that the plaintiff without cause deserted the defendant, and in rendering a judgment in her favor. There are no findings with respect to the issues, presented by the complaint; except tMs: '

“That said plaintiff has not suffered great bodily injury or mental distress by reason of the facts alleged in his complaint or any of the same.”

As to the issue on failure to provide the court found:

‘ ‘ That plaintiff has not failed to provide for defendant the common necessaries of life.”

On desertion:

“That about the month of May, 1911, said plaintiff, then and now being a resident of this state, deserted the defendant without good cause, or any cause, and ever since has and still continues to so willfully, and without any cause, desert said defendant, and to live separate and apart from her without any good cause or sufficient cause or any cause or reason and against her will and without her consent.”

On adultery:

“That since May, 1911, the plaintiff has consorted with women other than his wife.”

1-5 We have, heretofore, many times referred to the statute requiring specific and direct findings of ultimate facts on all the material issues and a separate statement of conclusions of law, arid held that, until there are findings on all the material issues raised by the pleadings, the findings are insufficient to support the judgment; and that the findings should be sufficiently specific and certain to ascertain just what is found and decided, without resorting to the evidence or the pleadings. These findings are wanting in [204]*204about every particular. The finding as to adultery is nothing. Though it be assumed that the finding as to failure to provide is sufficient, yet it would have been more in compliance with the statute had. the ultimate facts been found as to just what provision the plaintiff had made for the defendant, and what support and maintenance he had rendered her. In a way it may be said that, from the finding that the plaintiff did not suffer great bodily injury or mental distress by reason of the facts alleged in his complaint, and from the further finding on desertion that the plaintiff, without cause and against the defendant’s will, had willfully deserted her, a finding against the allegations of the complaint is inferable or implied. But that is argumentative and uncertain. For, from the findings or conclusions which were made, it may as well be argued that the allegations of the complaint are true, but that such facts were not sufficient to cause mental distress, or to justify plaintiff’s leaving the defendant and living separate and apart from her. Ordinarily, it may be said that a finding such as was made on desertion is sufficient, but, when considered with the pleadings and the evidence, is insufficient for reasons presently stated.

6, 7 We thus have a case where we are required to either remand it for specific findings on all the material issues, or ourselves try it de novo on the record and make or direct findings, before any question of law can be considered or any conclusion reached, either on the law or facts. We no doubt in an equity case, as this, have power to do either. Because of that, however, proper and complete findings by the trial court are not dispensed with. Each litigant is entitled to such findings on all the material issues before judgment may properly be entered. While we, on appeal, may approve, modify, or annul them, yet when specific findings are made on material issues, respecting which the evidence is in conflict, we, because of the trial court’s better opportunity to test the credibility of witnesses and the weight of their testimony, generally approve such findings; unless on the record it is shown, and we are persuaded, that the finding is so clearly against the weight of the evidence as to show error. To avoid delay, additional expense, and a probable [205]*205second appeal, and because tbe case has been fully presented on merits, we have concluded not merely to remand it for more specific findings, but to review it and make a final disposition of it.

Tbe parties were married in 1892 and ever since lived in Salt Lake City. Tbe plaintiff is a bookkeeper, and at tbe time of tbe trial and for several years prior thereto, as found by tbe court, was earning about $175 a month. They own a five or six room house well located in Salt Lake City, which, as found by the court, was worth $4,500, ■ upon which there is a mortgage of about $1,600, payable in monthly installments of $22.75 each. The title is in the defendant’s name; but the lot was purchased, and the house built with, the plaintiff’s earnings. They have no children. The defendant is about forty-three or forty-four years of age, the plaintiff eight or ten years older. According to plaintiff’s testimony the parties at no time lived together very happily, because of the defendant’s constant nagging, scolding, and faultfinding which led to quarrels and dissensions; and when she, to his employers and others, began to complain and falsely accuse him of immorality, associating with lewd women, leading a double life, accusing him of adultery, and charging him with failure to support her and leaving her upon the charity of friends, her conduct became so unbearable and so distressed him that he, for about a year, occupied a separate bed in the house and in a tent in the yard, took his meals down town, and finally, when she ordered him out of the house, left in May, 1911, and thereafter roomed and boarded elsewhere.

In such respect it was shown that, among other things, she went to one of his employers and accused the plaintiff of maintaining illicit relations with a women co-employee, the cashier, and demanded that she be discharged.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
158 P. 781, 48 Utah 200, 1916 Utah LEXIS 18, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/doe-v-doe-utah-1916.