Fourman v. Fourman

34 Ohio Law. Abs. 3, 20 Ohio Op. 54, 1940 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 429
CourtMontgomery County Court of Common Pleas
DecidedFebruary 8, 1940
DocketNo 90327
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 34 Ohio Law. Abs. 3 (Fourman v. Fourman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fourman v. Fourman, 34 Ohio Law. Abs. 3, 20 Ohio Op. 54, 1940 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 429 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1940).

Opinion

OPINION

By MILLS, J.

On December 22, 1939, Arlene F. Fourman, defendant herein, and plaintiff in Case No. 22021 Domestic Relations filed her amended petition for divorce and alimony, both temporary and permanent, and asking that the right and title to the real estate described in the amended petition be awarded to her. To that amended petition, defendant Waldo F. Fourman in Case No. 22021 Domestic Relations, and plaintiff herein, filed an answer setting up his defense, admitting they were both joint owners in the real property described therein.

Now, the same two parcels of real property have been described in the within case, No. 90327, entitled Waldo F. Fourman v Arlene F. Fourman, filed in the Common Pleas Court of Montgomery County, Ohio, wherein plaintiff sets forth the joint ownership of said real property, sets forth the fact that Arlene F. Fourman is collecting the rents and profits from Tract Í, amounting to Twenty Dollars ($20.00) per month, and has collected to date approximately Eighty Dollars ($80.00), and that she refused to pay to Waldo F. Fourman, plaintiff herein, the undivided one-half thereof due him, and adding further that it 'would be for the best interest of both parties concerned to have a receiver appointed to collect said rents and manage said property pending the hearing of this action in partition, praying either ;'to have his interests set off to him and that partition may be made and his interests set off to him, or that the property be sold and the proceeds divided and he be awarded his one-half interest.

In the within action, No. 90327,. Common Pleas Court, Montgomery County, Ohio, it appears that on January 2, 1940, plaintiff Waldo F. Fourman filed a motion moving for the appointment of a receiver to take charge of the rents, profits, and management of the real property described in the petition during the pendency of this cause. A notice was served by the sheriff of Montgomery County, Ohio, on January 3, 1940, on the defendant Arlene F. Fourman, stating that a motion had been filed for appointment of a receiver and that said motion would be set for hearing before one of the judges of the Common Pleas Court of Montgomery County, Ohio, on Monday, January 8, 1940, at 9:30 o’clock, A. M.

On January 10, 1940, counsel for plaintiff Waldo F. Fourman, appeared before Judge Charles Lee Mills, Common Pleas Court, in open court and produced the original petition, which was sworn to, and by statement of counsel on being questioned by the court as to whether or not the defendant had been served with notice and represented by counsel, and whether counsel was present or not, or if the defendant was present, and the court being advised that defendant was neither in court nor represented in court by counsel sometime around ten o’clock on said date, granted plaintiff’s motion for the appointment of a receiver, and appointed Oliver Long as such receiver. Bond was fixed at one hundred dollars.

Thereupon George Holland, counsel for defendant, appeared in court and filed a motion to strike the plaintiff’s motion from the files stating different causes and reasons, one of which was that the court upon the appointment of the receiver did not receive any testimony and for another reason that counsel for plaintiff knew the defendant had counsel and that defendant was in another court and the other court had jurisdiction to appoint a receiver, to^[5]*5wit, Judge Null M. Hodapp, and furthermore, that Judge Null M. Hodapp had the motion docket upon the morning in question. Another ground was that there was another case pending in the Common Pleas Court of Montgomery county involving the same subject matter and same parties, and that this court had no jurisdiction to grant a receiver.

Counsel have cited cases, argued the vcase at length, and have presented briefs.

In the first place, this court had fcharge of the equity docket of court at the time and place the receiver was appointed.

In the second place, this court’s opinion was that it was not necessary to hear any extended testimony when there was no one present at the time of the hearing. It was unfortunate that, counsel for Mrs. Pourman at the time and place was of the opinion that it would be held before the court having the motion docket that morning. It has been the rule and custom of this court that all equity matters come before the Equity Judge, unless otherwise directed, and that was done. So far, the court- is of the opinion that he had jurisdiction, there being no other intervening cause or reason. The court considers it unnecessary to pass upon the question of whether or not the Court of Domestic Relations of Montgomery County, Ohio, has or does not have any jurisdiction by reason of the passage of 116 Ohio Laws, p. 157, et seq.

Sec. 1532 GC, the part applying to the Common Pleas Court, qualifications of judges; term; vacancy, how filled; number of judges for each county, time of election and beginning term, is as follows:

* * Each judge heretofore elected as a judge of the Common Pleas Court shall continue to serve as judge of said court until the expiration of his term of office; 1 * *”

The question is, is their sufficient power given by the Legisle ture in those words? The court is of the opinion that the former law enacted designating the judge of the Court of Domestic Relations as a Common Pleas Judge, and under the above words empowering him to serve as a Common Pleas judge until his successor is elected, sufficient powers and duties of the Common Pleas Court would be read into this section giving the same powers and duties that the Common Pleas judges had heretofore.

But let us consider it further. Let us assume that there isn’t a Court of Domestic Relations specifically for the period from 1936 to 1941. The fact that this case, this divorce case, was filed would give any one of the judges of the Common Pleas Court jurisdiction to pass on the divorce and the alimony. The court is of the opinion that the Common Pleas Court, whether the Court of Domestic Relations or any other division of the court hearing a divorce action, has authority to award property to the wife for the aggressions of her husband, divesting him of all his right, title, and interest thereto. Quoting from 108 Oh St 30, Cook v Mozer:

“The doctrine of lis pendens has appropriate and special application in an action for divorce and alimony, especially where the property directly involved and claimed is specifically described in the pleadings.”

The property was specifically described in the divorce case, No. 22021 Domestic Relations, Montgomery County, Ohio, the same as in this partition suit herein.

The question now comes as to what is the definition of lis pendens? What is the doctrine of lis pendens? Quoting from 25 Cyc. 1450, cited on page 36, 108 Oh St:

“The general rule is that one not a party to a suit is not affected by the judgment. The exception Is that one who acquires an interest in property which is at that time involved in litigation in a court having jurisdiction [6]*6of the subject-matter and of the person of the one from whom the interests are acquired, from a party to the proceeding's, takes subject to the judgment or decree, and is as conclusively bound by the result of the litigation as if he had been a party thereto from the outset.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Custer v. Custer
491 N.E.2d 1145 (Clermont County Court of Common Pleas, 1985)
Flatter v. Flatter
130 N.E.2d 145 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1954)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
34 Ohio Law. Abs. 3, 20 Ohio Op. 54, 1940 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 429, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fourman-v-fourman-ohctcomplmontgo-1940.