Gage v. Gage

127 N.E.2d 424, 73 Ohio Law. Abs. 275
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 22, 1955
DocketNo. 23508
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 127 N.E.2d 424 (Gage v. Gage) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gage v. Gage, 127 N.E.2d 424, 73 Ohio Law. Abs. 275 (Ohio Ct. App. 1955).

Opinion

OPINION

Per CURIAM:

The appellant, Floyd A. Gage, was granted a divorce from the appellee, Florence Lenore Gage, by the Court of Common Pleas of Cuyahoga County, Ohio. This judgment also provided for a division of property and payment of alimony in monthly installments to Mrs. Gage. A cross-petition, filed by Mrs. Gage, was dismissed. Notice of appeal was filed in this Court by Mr. Gage from this judgment which granted to his wife alimony and a division of property. Mrs. Gage did not file a cross-appeal.

When the case became lodged in this Court, counsel for Mrs. Gage filed an application here for “Allowance of expense money pending appeal.” Mr. Gage insists that there is no statutory authority given to the Court of Appeals to grant such allowance, particularly since Mrs. Gage was found to be the aggressor and relief by way of divorce was granted to Mr. Gage.

The statute which provides for the Court of Appeals, during the pendency of an appeal, to grant alimony and support, is §3105.14 R. C.

The legislature provided in this Section that when an appeal is taken by either party to the Court of Appeals, such court may grant “like alimony and support during the pendency of the appeal.” The legislature said that a court

“. . . may grant alimony to either of the parties for his sustenance and expenses during the suit . . .”
and thereby defined alimony as used in that section. The phrase “like alimony” in the section then means that the Court of Appeals, during the pendency of the appeal, may make an award to either party for expense and support. The statute makes no distinction between aggressor and the injured party.

We agree with the opinion and reasoning jn the case of Sciacca v. Sciacca, 69 Abs 513, wherein that court determined that an application to the Court of Appeals for an award of alimony may be made by a party in that court for “sustenance and expense during the litigation.”

The appellee herein, Mrs. Gage, may be satisfied as to the outcome of the litigation in the trial court but Mr. Gage was not satisfied for he filed an appeal to this court. The effect of that appeal is to require Mrs. Gage to defend her action and expend time, money and effort to preserve that which the trial court granted to her.

We recognize that the granting of an award in situations such as this rests within the sound discretion of the court and in exercising such discretion, we must consider the facts and circumstances of each case.

We conclude herein that an award of $200.00 shall be granted to Mrs. [277]*277Gage for expenses during suit in this court, to be paid by Mr. Gage within sixty days from the date hereof.

Decided October 26, 1955.

The parties will prepare and submit a journal entry in accord with this memorandum. Exceptions granted.

HUNSICKER, PJ, DOYLE, J, MIDDLETON, J, concur.

No. 23508.

Harry J. Dworkin, for plaintiff-appellant. Edwin C. Reminger, for defendant-appellee.

By HURD, J:

This cause originated in the Court of Common Pleas of Cuyahoga County on March 20, 1953, when the plaintiff filed suit for divorce against the defendant alleging extreme cruelty and gross neglect of duty. The defendant then filed her answer and cross-petition. In her answer, she denied generally the allegations contained in plaintiff’s petition and in her cross-petition, prayed for divorce and an allowance of temporary and permanent alimony and that in addition, she be allowed a reasonable sum by way of alimony as and for attorney’s fees and for such other and further relief as would be just and equitable. For purposes of brevity, the parties will be here designated as plaintiff and defendant as they appeared in the trial court.

The transcript of docket entries shows that the trial court allowed alimony to the defendant pendente lite in the sum of $200.00 per month. Thereafter, on January 31, 1955, the cause came on for hearing, and on March 17, 1955, the court found in favor of plaintiff and filed a journal entry setting forth in detail its judgment decree. As part of the decree, the court awarded plaintiff real estate owned by him and an automobile free and clear of incumbrances and one-half of the cash on hand in the sum of $525.00. Defendant was awarded the other half of the cash on hand, and government bonds having a value of $525.00, and a one-third interest in the proceeds of plaintiff’s life insurance policy.

In addition to the division of property, the trial court also awarded defendant alimony for her maintenance and support in the sum of $130.00 per month based upon the plaintiff’s future earnings, to continue until such time as the “defendant shall remarry,” and in the event the defendant shall become unemployed, the order for maintenance and support “shall be subject to modification by the court.” The court also allowed the defendant as attorney’s fees for services rendered by her counsel, the sum of $225.00 and ordered that a like sum should be paid to her counsel by defendant.

Plaintiff has here appealed part only of the judgment on questions of law. The plaintiff does not complain of the division of plaintiff’s property, either as to the right of the trial court to make such division; or as to the fairness or equity of the division of property so made by the trial court. The plaintiff complains, however, because the trial court awarded the defendant alimony and challenges the jurisdiction of the [279]*279trial court so to do, setting forth three principal assignments of error as follows:

1. Having granted the plaintiff a divorce on his petition, and having dismissed the defendant’s cross-petition, the trial court erred in granting the defendant alimony as prayed for in her cross-petition.

2. The trial court erred in basing the alimony award upon plaintiff’s future earnings.

3. The trial court erred in granting the defendant attorney’s fees, as prayed for in her cross-petition.

It should be noted at the outset that the evidence adduced in the trial court is not before us for review on the merits as the plaintiff failed to.file a bill of exceptions by which this court could test the soundness of the discretion of the trial court in respect to the orders made. The plaintiff claims that the errors assigned are demonstrable on the face of the record without any consideration of the evidence, which brings into issue here upon this review questions of law only as to the power and jurisdiction of the Court of Common Pleas.

Coming now to a consideration of the first assignment of error, we are presented with a single question as to whether the Court of Common Pleas is empowered by statute to make an award for the maintenance and support of the wife when a divorce is granted to a husband. The plaintiff claims that such an award is erroneous, being beyond the jurisdiction of the court. Counsel for plaintiff has cited text and case authority to the effect that when a divorce is granted to a husband for the aggression of the wife, the court cannot grant alimony but only a share of the husband’s estate under §11993 GC and cognate sections.

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

Related

Rahm v. Rahm
315 N.E.2d 495 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1974)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
127 N.E.2d 424, 73 Ohio Law. Abs. 275, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gage-v-gage-ohioctapp-1955.