Hill v. Hill

187 P.2d 28, 82 Cal. App. 2d 682, 1947 Cal. App. LEXIS 1259
California Court of Appeal·Decided December 3, 1947·No. Civ. No. 15925·Published·Cited by 34 cases

Opinion

WILSON, J.

This is an appeal from an interlocutory decree of divorce granted to respondent on the ground of extreme mental cruelty.

The parties were married on December 12, 1944, and separated on December 23, 1945. At the time of the marriage respondent was 63 years old and appellant had reached the age of 54 years. Prior to 1927, appellant had been a client of respondent’s law firm and in that year was employed by them as a secretary; later she became respondent’s private secretary. Respondent’s first wife had died about six years prior to the marriage. Respondent had one child [687]*687of the previous marriage, a daughter, who was married to William H. Harvey, who was a lieutenant commander in the United States Navy. In the early part of October, 1945, Mr. Harvey received his discharge from the Navy. Due to the housing shortage Mr. and Mrs. Harvey were unable to find a home and respondent, with appellant’s consent and approbation, invited them to reside in the Hill home until they could find an abode of their own.

1. The facts as found by the court. The events leading to the separation and divorce are related in the findings as follows:

(1) At the time of the marriage of respondent and appellant, and for approximately four years prior thereto, respondent was suffering from hypertension in an acute degree, a fact which was known by appellant before, at and during the time of the marriage. Mental upset and domestic discord detrimentally affects the health of a person having such a physical ailment, a fact also known by appellant before, at and during the time of the marriage.

(2) Respondent continued to suffer from his ailment from and after the date of the marriage and continously until the commencement of the action, a fact within appellant’s knowledge.

(3) Appellant, by her acts and course of conduct, treated respondent in an extremely cruel manner and wrongfully inflicted upon him grievous physical and mental suffering which materially and adversely affected his health and well-being.

(4) Between July 5 and August 1, 1945, a -cousin of appellant visited at the home of the parties. During the night and early morning hours of July 31-August 1, the cousin, accompanied by a male companion whose name and identity was not known to her or to respondent or appellant, indulged in an orgy of drinking intoxicating beverages and sexual misconduct in the living room of the home of the parties to this action, causing a commotion and disturbance. Appellant, upon observing a substantial portion of her cousin’s conduct, did not remonstrate with her or express objection to her conduct but was indifferent thereto.

(5) About October 5, 1945, Mr. and Mrs. Harvey, with appellant’s prior knowledge, consent and approval, took up temporary residence in the home of the parties. Thereafter and continuously until the commencement of this action they, [688]*688with the cooperation of respondent, endeavored without success to procure living accommodations for themselves commensurate with their financial ability. Commencing about November 1, appellant began and thereafter continued to exhibit a studied and deliberately hostile, unfriendly and provoking attitude and course of conduct toward Mr. and Mrs. Harvey and toward respondent whereby the domestic life and conjugal relations between respondent and appellant were substantially and materially disturbed, and she maintained a consistent state of confusion, turmoil and contention manifested by the following acts: (a) By marking the classified section of a daily newspaper relating to apartments for rent and leaving it where it would inevitably be seen and with intent that it should be seen by Mr. and Mrs. Harvey and which was seen by them and by respondent; (b) by complaining in the presence of respondent and Mr. and Mrs. Harvey on an average of three or four times a week at the evening meal that cooking plans and preparation, of meals were disrupted because the Harveys required special food and dishes, when in fact such was not the case, but the Harveys on repeated occasions requested that their meals be prepared in any manner suitable to the desires and wishes of appellant except that Mr. Harvey did not desire salads or fresh fruit to be served to him; (d) by instructing the house servant not to serve butter to respondent and appellant which had been provided for the use of all the household by the Harveys, and thereafter going into a hysterical rage and placing a ridiculously large and abnormal amount of butter on the plates for each of the four persons; (e) by refusing from about November 1, 1945, until the commencement of this action to associate with respondent and the Harveys around the home and by wilfully withdrawing to her bedroom and there remaining alone contrary to the express wishes and desires of respondent, although respondent requested her to join and be with them in the den; (g)

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Hill v. Hill, 187 P.2d 28, 82 Cal. App. 2d 682, 1947 Cal. App. LEXIS 1259 (Cal. Ct. App. 1947).

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