Humphreys v. Humphreys

200 S.W.2d 453, 1947 Tex. App. LEXIS 676
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 8, 1947
DocketNo. 6253
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 200 S.W.2d 453 (Humphreys v. Humphreys) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Humphreys v. Humphreys, 200 S.W.2d 453, 1947 Tex. App. LEXIS 676 (Tex. Ct. App. 1947).

Opinion

WILLIAMS, Justice.

Appellee, William J. Humphreys, plaintiff below, and appellant, Mrs. Althea Humphreys, defendant and cross-plaintiff below, each sought a divorce and custody of their only child, a boy twelve years of age. Plaintiff was granted the divorce.

With the exception of the first few years, their fourteen years’ marriage had been filled with discord, punctuated in the early years back with alleged physical violence on the part of each. • During the last few years their relations have been extremely strained. Plaintiff, who has held an executive position for the past twenty-six years with a Paris wholesale concern, possessed much pride in the home and spent much of his time after office hours in making it enjoyable and attractive. He was liberal in his gifts to her and always generous with funds for the welfare of his wife, child and the home. He idolized their son, being at all times extremely solicitous of his son’s welfare. Mrs. Plumphreys, fifteen years the junior in their ages, was active in various service clubs and other socials, and acted as a chaperone for some of the dances at Camp Maxey.’

According to Mr. Humphreys’ testimony, his wife was never interested in him or the home, and neglected the child; her interest was centered and spent in society, shows and sun-bathing parties, being away from home night and day without advising him where she was or when she would return; neglected him when he was confined to his home with an injury; refused to accept any social invitation where he was also invited; unappreciative of any of his favors upon her; and grew colder, more indifferent and distant toward him. He asserted that when he complained of her attitude and conduct or attempted to obtain harmony in the home, she repeatedly told him she didn’t love him and wanted her freedom, and repeatedly threatened that she would take the child and leave him and get a divorce; and on account of the fear that she would take the child away and separate him from association with the child and with the hope that the wife would mend her ways, he had endured above treatment. According to Mrs. Hum-phreys’ testimony, her husband was domineering and headstrong; moody at times, and when under the influence of intoxicants had struck her and had embarrassed her in the presence of others with his unkind and abusive remarks to and about her; and that she has suffered such to keep the home intact. The record does not disclose the immediate cause of her leaving with the child, securing employment and taking up residence with her mother in Dallas in 1944. After her suit for divorce was withdrawn, plaintiff filed the present suit in which she filed a cross action.

The findings of fact sustain substantially all the acts, conduct, neglect and treatment by the wife that the husband had accused her with. The court found that all such acts, conduct and threats towards plaintiff did cause him much men[455]*455tal and physical distress and inconvenience; that she knew they would have such effect and all such acts were a part and parcel of a course studied, unkind and cruel which resulted in injury to the physical and mental condition of plaintiff and impaired his health, which rendered their living together insupportable.

We are not in accord with appellant’s position that the above enumerated acts and conduct charged to the wife, and found by the trial judge to be facts are such as would not constitute excesses, cruel treatment or outrages as to render their further living together insupportable, as required under Article 4629, Sec. 1, R.C.S. of Texas, Vernon’s Ann.Civ.St. Art. 4629, subd. 1. “It is the settled law of this state that the cruel treatment provided by our statute as a ground for divorce is not confined to physical violence alone, but may consist of a series of studied and deliberate insults and provocations. The question is whether the course of treatment constitutes such ‘excesses, cruel treatment, or outrages,’ as to render their further living together insupportable. In determining this question it is the duty of the trial court to weigh the course of conduct in the light of all the facts and circumstances of the case, and this includes the character and refinement of the parties to the proceeding.” McCullough v. McCullough, 120 Tex. 209, 36 S.W.2d 459, 462.

Under the record, when consideration is given to the alleged indifference and neglect, coldness and failure to discharge the duties that would be expected of a wife, allegedly continuing over a period of several years with the other factors above enumerated, this court does not feel warranted in holding above findings of the trial court, the trier of the facts, were without support in the evidence. Blackburn v. Blackburn, Tex.Civ.App., 163 S.W.2d 251, on page 255, and authorities cited.

In vital particulars, especially with the intimacies of their marriage relations, the court’s findings of fact rest upon the uncorroborated testimony of the husband. With respect to this situation under the record which appellant attacks as being insufficient to support the verdict rendered, there is no question but that the overwhelming weight of authority supports the holding of the El Paso Court of Civil Appeals in Mayen v. Mayen, Tex.Civ.App., 177 S.W.2d 240, 243, viz.: “In our opinion, the evidence may be full and satisfactory within the meaning of Art. 4632, even though the evidence be only the uncorroborated testimony of one of the spouses contradicted by the other.” Mortensen v. Mortensen, Tex.Civ.App., 186 S.W.2d 297, 305.

The trial court found that plaintiff had not condoned the acts and conduct of his wife. This fact issue determined by the court with supporting evidence will not be disturbed.

The father was awarded custody of the child for nine months during the school term and the mother for three months during vacation of each year. This award is based upon the court’s finding of fact, not without support in the evidence, which when summarized are as follows: The childhood friends and the friends of the family are principally located in Paris where he was born and reared and attended school prior to' being taken to Dallas; the child was unhappy, having difficulty in becoming adjusted to his surroundings in Dallas, amongst strangers; the child was without attendants principally before and after school' and had to amuse and look after himself when not in the Dallas schools as all the adult persons occupying the apartment in Dallas where the child is now, work away from the apartment during the day; that the fondness of the child for the father and the father for the son has always been above the average; the father has spent much of his time and personal effort to assure the well being of said child and to assist the child to grow and develop into a well-rounded young man. The evidence further reflects that the apartment is crowded and not large enough for the four who occupy same and that the school and apartment in Dallas are not situated in a good neighborhood. The mother as found by the court is of good character and of good [456]*456reputation. She offered evidence that she was a perfect mother and that it would be to the best interest of the child to be with the mother and that the father was too indulgent and possessive for the child to be with him.

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

Related

McGlathery v. McGlathery
429 S.W.2d 187 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1968)
Craig v. Stephenville State Bank
395 S.W.2d 421 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1965)
Gentry v. Gentry
394 S.W.2d 544 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1965)
Bell v. Bell
389 S.W.2d 126 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1965)
Stevenson v. Stevenson
383 S.W.2d 92 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1964)
Williams v. Brown
362 S.W.2d 177 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1962)
Burnett v. Meletio
351 S.W.2d 912 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1961)
Wooster v. Thompson
285 S.W.2d 954 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1955)
Bryant v. Birdsong
277 S.W.2d 922 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1955)
Tuel v. Tuel
252 S.W.2d 203 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1952)
Gomez v. Gomez
234 S.W.2d 941 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1950)
Ellis v. Ellis
225 S.W.2d 216 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1949)
Nix v. Nix
218 S.W.2d 242 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1948)
Cantwell v. Cantwell
217 S.W.2d 450 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1948)
Moore v. Moore
213 S.W.2d 724 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1948)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
200 S.W.2d 453, 1947 Tex. App. LEXIS 676, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/humphreys-v-humphreys-texapp-1947.