Kelly v. Kelly

259 A.D. 598, 20 N.Y.S.2d 273, 1940 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 6216
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedMay 31, 1940
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 259 A.D. 598 (Kelly v. Kelly) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kelly v. Kelly, 259 A.D. 598, 20 N.Y.S.2d 273, 1940 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 6216 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1940).

Opinion

O’Malley, J.

After obtaining a Nevada decree of divorce from the plaintiff, the defendant married the corespondent. The plaintiff then brought this action for divorce, predicating adultery on the fact of the second marriage.

Generally speaking, the principal question involved is the validity, so far as the plaintiff is concerned, of the Nevada decree, and more specifically, whether the plaintiff had so far participated in that action as to be bound thereby.

Service of process in the Nevada action was effected upon the plaintiff in California. It is not contended that she was a resident of Nevada or that the last matrimonial domicile of the parties had been in that jurisdiction.

[600]*600The plaintiff through a Nevada attorney filed a demurrer, a notice of motion for temporary alimony, and an affidavit in support of the motion for allowance. She does not dispute that this constituted a general appearance, assuming that the attorney who thus appeared had been duly authorized.

Thereafter, however, the parties through their attorneys entered into a stipulation providing that plaintiff might withdraw her notice of motion for temporary alimony and her demurrer from the files and records of the * * * Court to the same extent as if they had not, nor had either thereof, been filed.”

The stipulation also provided that the court might make such order or orders as might be necessary to permit withdrawal of the notice of motion and the demurrer and, further, that upon such withdrawal the action was to be in the same status or condition as though nothing had been done by the above named defendant [plaintiff herein] in said action.”

On the day the stipulation was filed, July 14, 1937, the court entered an order providing that the notice of motion and the demurrer were permitted to be withdrawn and that they were withdrawn “ from the files ” and that the status of the action then was the same as if said Notice of Motion for Allowances or said Demurrer had not been filed or anything else had been done by said defendant in said action.” The day following, an inquest was taken and plaintiff’s default noted for failure to appear or plead to the complaint within the statutory period. There was also spread upon the minutes the filing of the stipulation and its adoption by the court.

After the inquest, the court found again that the plaintiff had not appeared in the action within the time allowed by law or up to the time of the trial, and had not appeared at the time of the making of the finding. The judgment entered the same day, July 15, 1937, likewise recited that the plaintiff had not appeared and that because of her “ failure to appear, answer, demur or otherwise plead ” (italics ours) her default had been taken.

After the defendant on the strength of this Nevada decree had gone through a marriage ceremony with the corespondent in New Jersey, the plaintiff instituted this action for divorce. The defendant, on the basis of the Nevada decree, moved for summary judgment. Special Term denied the motion, stating that on all questions he found in favor of the plaintiff.

The defendant, following this denial, obtained a nunc pro tunc decree in the Nevada action, but without notice to the plaintiff. This decree, entered the same day it was applied for, was obtained almost two years after entry of the original decree. It purported [601]*601to amend the original decree merely by striking out recitals that plaintiff’s notice of motion and demurrer were withdrawn “ from the files.” The stipulation and order on which the original decree was based were referred to in the decree entered nunc pro tunc and made a part thereof. The decree, however, failed to recite that the court deemed it still had jurisdiction over the plaintiff.

In our opinion, the Nevada decree in its original form and as entered nunc pro tunc should not be given validity as against the plaintiff. The clear intention of the proceedings based upon the stipulation was to place the plaintiff in the position of never having appeared or having subjected herself to the jurisdiction of the Nevada tribunal.

As it is not contended that the plaintiff at the time was a Nevada resident or that the matrimonial domicile of the parties was in that State, the decree was not binding upon the plaintiff and should not be given recognition by this court. Certainly, this is so if, as plaintiff claims and as has been held at Special Term, she still was a resident of this State where the parties had married. (Lefferts v. Lefferts, 263 N. Y. 131, 135; Fischer v. Fischer, 254 id. 463; Dean v. Dean, 241 id. 240.)

We are of opinion that Special Term had ample evidence upon which to find that at all times in question the parties were residents of this State, and that their matrimonial domicile was here. True it is, that at the time of the Nevada proceedings the plaintiff was living in California. She claims, however, that she was residing there in her mother’s house from necessity, the defendant having forced her from her home in this State. So, too, her employment in that jurisdiction was necessitated by the fact that she desired to support herself and her children. In addition, she claims that she never had the intention of taking up permanent residence in California and always regarded New York as her home.

As already stated, the parties were married here in 1926, and maintained their residence here until 1934, and at all times, when living together, regarded New York city as their home. The defendant maintained an office here and after procuring the Nevada decree, returned here and continues to reside in this State with the corespondent. Whatever voting residence the plaintiff had was in this State, and she neither registered nor voted in California. Since returning from California in August, 1938, she has continuously resided here with her children.

In the circumstances, therefore, Special Term properly held that plaintiff had never abandoned her New York residence and that the last matrimonial domicile of the parties was in this State. (Nasser v. Nasser, 249 App, Div, 755; Sattenstein v, Sattenstein, [602]*602243 id. 61.) Assuming, as contended by the defendant, that at the time plaintiff was a resident of California, the law of that jurisdiction likewise would not recognize as to her the validity of the Nevada decree. (Kadello v. Kadello, 220 Cal. 1; 29 P. [2d] 171; Delanoy v. Delanoy, 216 Cal. 27; 13 P. [2d] 719.)

The general appearance of the plaintiff in the Nevada litigation by virtue of her demurrer and notice of motion for alimony was properly withdrawn within the discretion of the court, and any proceedings thereafter, particularly in view of the form of the stipulations and the two orders of the court, were not binding upon the plaintiff.

In Harvey v. Fiduciary Trust Co. (299 Mass. 457; 13 N. E. [2d] 299), where the equivalent of a general appearance had been made in an Ohio litigation but withdrawn upon leave of court, it was held that after the withdrawal the party who had withdrawn was not bound by subsequent proceedings, particularly by the judgment thereinafter entered.

It was there stated: Naturally there was no personal service upon the defendant trustee in Ohio.

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306 S.W.2d 1 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1957)

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Bluebook (online)
259 A.D. 598, 20 N.Y.S.2d 273, 1940 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 6216, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kelly-v-kelly-nyappdiv-1940.