Jones v. Jones

1956 OK 60, 294 P.2d 304, 59 A.L.R. 2d 651, 1956 Okla. LEXIS 385
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedFebruary 21, 1956
Docket36765
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 1956 OK 60 (Jones v. Jones) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jones v. Jones, 1956 OK 60, 294 P.2d 304, 59 A.L.R. 2d 651, 1956 Okla. LEXIS 385 (Okla. 1956).

Opinions

DAVISON, Justice.

This appeal was perfected, by Blair Jones, the defendant in a divorce action wherein his wife, Bernadean Jones, was plaintiff, from an order of the court made upon his application to modify the original order as to care, custody and support of their three children. The parties will be referred to as they appeared in the trial court.

At the time of the divorce decree granted on June 29, 1953, the children were of the following ages: Milton Dean Jones, a son, age 10; Mary Ann Jones, a daughter, age 7; and John Clifton Jones, a son, age 5. The decree made provisions for their care, custody and support, as follows:

“It Is Further Ordered, Adjudged and Decreed By the Court That the Care, control and custody of the minor children above named, be and the same is hereby awarded to the plaintiff, with the right and privilege on the part of the defendant to have the custody of the above named Milton Dean Jones and John Clifton Jones during the months of July and August of each year, and the right and privilege of the defendant to see and visit said minor children during the remaining months of the year while in the custody of the plaintiff, so long as he complies with the order of this court for the support of said minor children, and the -right and privilege of the plaintiff to see and yisit said Milton Dean Jones and John Clifton Jones at reasonable times and places while in the custody of the defendant during the months of July and August of each year.
“It Is Further Ordered, Adjudged and Decreed By the Court that the defendant pay to. the plaintiff, or to the Clerk of this Court, for the support of their minor children above named, the sum of $100.00 per month, except that’ if the defendant has the custody of the two minor children above named, during the months of July and August of each year, the child support payment shall be in the amount of $25.00 per month during said two months of July and August, and that the child support payment for the month of September, 1953, shall be in the sum and amount of $50.00, and in the sum of $100.00 -per month thereafter during all of the months of the year, except during the months of July and August of each year when such child support payment shall be $25.00 if the defendant has the care and custody of the said Milton Dean Jones and John Clifton Jones during said two months.
“ * * * That the child support payments as above set forth shall be ■and constitute a lien upon the undivided one-sixth (⅜⅛) interest of the defendant in and to the Northeast Quarter (NE^4) of Section Four (4), Township Four South (4 S), Range Sixteen (16) WIM., Tillman County, Oklahoma, as security for such payments to be made according to this decree.
“It Is Furthered Ordered, Adjudged and Decreed By the Court that in addition to the child support payments above set forth, the defendant shall pay to the plaintiff, from time to time, as the same may be and become necessary, any and all necessary expenses of school supplies for said minor children, clothing for said minor children, and any and all necessary medical, drug and surgical expenses for said minor children.”

On July 15, 1954, defendant filed a motion seeking modification of all of that part of the divorce decree above quoted both as to custody and support and on November 1, 1954, the same was modified to the extent of eliminating that part thereof which is italicized as above shown. In all other [306]*306respects the motion to modify was denied. This appeal is from that order.

During the time intervening between the entries of the two orders there was a substantial compliance with all the provisions of the divorce decree by both parties. The record does not disclose any material change in condition of the parties since the divorce. This court has always adhered to the rule quoted in the case of Jackson v. Jackson, 200 Okl. 333, 193 P.2d 561, 562, to the effect that,

“ ‘ * * * A decree fixing the custody of a child is, however, final on the conditions then existing and should not be changed afterward unless on altered conditions since the decree or on material facts existing at the time of the decree but unknown to the court, and then only for the welfare of the child.’ ”

From the testimony of the defendant at the trial, it is apparent that his chief complaint was with reference to the allowance made for clothing and school expense for the children over and above' the monthly payments of $100. The objected to provision was stricken by the trial court in the latter order.

In the case of Bashore v. Thurman, 152 Okl. 1, 3 P.2d 712, 79 A.L.R. 249, relied upon by defendant, this court was concerned with an award for child support which had been made a lien upon all property then owned or thereafter acquired by the defendant. The cited case was one in partition of a tract of land in which the defendant owned an undivided interest. ' It was held that unmatured installments of the award did not constitute a lien on the property. From a reading of that opinion and the case of Mansfield v. Hill, 56 Or. 400, 107 P. 471, 108 P. 1007, which was cited as authority, it is apparent that in both cases the courts were considering the statutes applicable to judgments, generally. They both held that-the docketing of the decree for child support did not create a lien upon the property of the defendant because of the uncertainty of the amount ultimately to be paid. In the Bashore case, the lien was held to be non-existent as to unmatured installments but in effect as to those past due. The Bashore case does not take note of section 1277 of Title 12, O.S. 1951 which empowers and authorizes the court to make “provision for guardianship, custody, support and education of the minor children of the marriage.” In making such provision, the legislature no doubt intended that the court should have implied authority to secure the performance of the decree. But the lien should be ordered only upon specific items of property and only in those cases where the sound legal discretion of the court dictates such procedure for the welfare of the children.

Plaintiff herein contends that the correctness of her position in support of the authority of the trial court to make the order is, by implication, recognized in the case of Bussey v. Bussey, 148 Okl. 10, 296 P. 401, wherein it was held in the syllabus that,

“An order made by a court for the payment by a parent of monthly sums over a period of years for the care and custody of minor children does not create a lien on the property of the parent in the absence of an order to that effect, and an order to that effect should be made only where the facts and circumstances disclosed by the evidence show a necessity therefor in order to insure the payment of the sums ordered to be paid.”

In the cited case, the trial court decreed a lien upon all of defendant’s property to secure the payment of the award for child support. On appeal, this court held, not that the trial court lacked authority to make the order, but that the making of it was an abuse of discretion. In the opinion it was pointed out that “the record shows that the defendant is a careful and conservative business man; that he had a high regard for his children, and that he is kind and considerate of them. If his natural inclination does not prompt him to take care of them, he is subject to process to compel him to do so.

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

Related

Carrillo v. Coors
901 P.2d 214 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 1995)
Warren v. Warren
623 S.W.2d 813 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1981)
Stewart v. Stewart
1980 OK 160 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1980)
Weatherall v. Weatherall
1969 OK 22 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1969)
Lynn v. Lynn
1968 OK 87 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1968)
Gibbons v. Gibbons
1968 OK 77 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1968)
Whitman v. Whitman
1967 OK 162 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1967)
Sundgren v. Sundgren
1961 OK 144 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1961)
Jones v. Jones
1956 OK 60 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1956)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1956 OK 60, 294 P.2d 304, 59 A.L.R. 2d 651, 1956 Okla. LEXIS 385, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jones-v-jones-okla-1956.