Kunc v. Kunc

1939 OK 538, 97 P.2d 771, 186 Okla. 297, 1939 Okla. LEXIS 583
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedDecember 12, 1939
DocketNo. 28961.
StatusPublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 1939 OK 538 (Kunc v. Kunc) 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
Kunc v. Kunc, 1939 OK 538, 97 P.2d 771, 186 Okla. 297, 1939 Okla. LEXIS 583 (Okla. 1939).

Opinion

RILEY, J.

This is an appeal from an order sustaining a demurrer to the petition of plaintiff in error, herein referred to as plaintiff, and (upon the election of plaintiff to stand thereon) dismissing plaintiff’s petition.

Prior to November 29, 1935, plaintiff and defendant were husband and wife. Of said marriage, one child, Eugene Kunc, was born, who was on that date about eight years of age. Plaintiff had commenced an action against defendant for a divorce.

Defendant had filed an answer and cross-petition, praying that she be granted a divorce, a division of property, alimony and the care and custody of said minor child.

That cause came on for hearing November 29, 1935, resulting in a decree denying plaintiff’s petition for a divorce granting defendant a divorce on her cross-petition, a division of property, alimony, the care and custody of said minor child, and requiring plaintiff to defendant the sum of $75 per month the support and maintenance of said minor child until he becomes 21 years age. The provisions of said decree in-as they are involved in the present appeal will be hereinafter set out more particularly.

Plaintiff did not appeal from said judgment, and decree became final.

On June 1, 1938, plaintiff filed his petition (denominated as petition and mo *298 tion) in the district court of Oklahoma county for the vacation of said decree insofar as the division of property and alimony was involved. He does not seek to have set aside that part of the decree granting the divorce. Since the decree was entered he has remarried.

Plaintiff alleges that said decree as to alimony and other particular provisions therein is void as being contrary to sections 672 and 673, O. S. 1931. He avers:

“That said alimony was awarded without regard for the plaintiff’s real and personal property existing at the time of said divorce, awarded defendant property not in existence at the time of said divorce, granted or ássumed to grant to defendant a claim to and interest in after-acquired property of plaintiff, and was based upon the possibility of future acquisitions of plaintiff and the possibility that plaintiff might be able to comply with said judgment, and is, therefore, contrary to law and beyond the jurisdiction of the court.
“ (7) That the provision of said judgment and decree requiring plaintiff to maintain insurance after said divorce for the benefit of defendant is also contrary to law and was beyond the jurisdiction of the court because the same was made without regard for the value of plaintiff’s real and personal property existing at the time of said divorce, attempts to award defendant property not in existence at the time of said divorce, assumes to grant defendant a claim to and interest in after-acquired property of plaintiff, and was based upon the possibility of future acquisitions of plaintiff and not upon property in existence at the time of said divorce.
“(8) Plaintiff states further that said judgment and decree gave defendant property then valued at approximately $24,000, and left plaintiff property of less than $1,000 in value, and that at the time of said divorce the value of all of the property of these parties, both real and personal, did not exceed $25,-000. That in addition thereto the court awarded defendant alimony aggregating $60,525, and insurance having a cash value of approximately $1,100, at said time, and required plaintiff to maintain said policies thereafter for defendant’s benefit. That the provisions of said judgment relative to the support and education of said child are in addition to the other provisions just mentioned.

“(9) That said judgment required plaintiff to pay defendant $2,000, cash forthwith, and that plaintiff had to borrow said money in order to pay the same to defendant. That to secure said loan plaintiff was required to pledge all of the stocks then owned by plaintiff, and that when said loan became due it was necessary for plaintiff to sell said stock to obtain funds to pay said loan. That plaintiff realized less than $2,000 from the sale of said stock, and had to pay the balance out of his current earnings.”

And:

“That the award of alimony to defendant exceeded the value of all property remaining to plaintiff after said judgment more than 60 times, and in addition thereto, and in addition to the other property given defendant, plaintiff was required to maintain insurance for the benefit of defendant after said divorce as aforesaid.
“(12) That for the reasons aforesaid the division of the properties of the parties made under said judgment, all of which property was acquired by said parties since the date of their marriage, was inequitable and unfair. That all of said properties was actually acquired by plaintiff and bought out of his earnings, as defendant had no property at the time of said marriage, did not work after her marriage to plaintiff, and acquired no property herself, by inheritance, gift or otherwise, after said marriage except that given her by plaintiff.
“(13) That the insurance which plaintiff is required to maintain for defendant’s benefit consists entirely of ordinary life contracts upon which plaintiff is required to pay premiums for the remainder of his life both by the terms of said judgment and by the terms of said policy contracts.”

It was also alleged:

“Plaintiff further submits that said judgment was irregularly obtained in that said matter was not set upon the trial docket for hearing ten days before the date of said trial, that plaintiff was not present at the time of said trial, that no evidence was offered or heard at the time of said trial either regarding the *299 properties then owned by these parties, the value thereof, the financial condition of plaintiff, the needs of defendant, or the earnings of plaintiff or the ability of plaintiff to comply with the terms and conditions of said judgment, nor was any evidence offered or received regarding the amount necessary for the support of said child or the necessity of providing for said child in the manner and to the extent provided in said judgment.”

The petition contains many other allegations, but what we have quoted contains substantially all grounds upon which plaintiff relies for relief.

A copy of the decree was attached to and made a part of the petition.

Defendant filed a general demurrer. It was sustained. Plaintiff elected to stand on the petition, whereupon the court entered an order dismissing the suit, and plaintiff appeals.

Plaintiff submits three propositions:

“ (1) The purported division of property made in said suit is improper, inequitable and unconscionable, and should be set aside.
“(2) The award of alimony made in said suit is improper, contrary to law and beyond the jurisdiction of the court.
“ (3) The order in said suit requiring plaintiff to maintain insurance for defendant’s benefit after said divorce is improper, contrary to law and beyond the jurisdiction of the court.”

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

Related

Abrego v. Abrego
1991 OK 48 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1991)
Yery v. Yery
1981 OK 46 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1981)
Shotwell v. Shotwell
1979 OK 167 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1979)
Rice v. Rice
1979 OK 161 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1979)
Pierce v. Pierce
1979 OK CIV APP 35 (Court of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma, 1979)
Raney v. Raney
561 S.W.2d 287 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1978)
Fisher v. Fisher
1976 OK 193 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1976)
Martin v. Martin
1973 OK 57 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1973)
Jones v. Jones
1968 OK 84 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1968)
Williams v. Williams
1967 OK 97 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1967)
Key v. Key
1963 OK 288 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1963)
Mercier v. Mercier
18 A.D.2d 880 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1963)
Riley v. Riley
131 So. 2d 491 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1961)
Robrock v. Robrock
167 Ohio St. (N.S.) 479 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1958)
West v. West
1954 OK 84 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1954)
Little v. Little
234 P.2d 832 (Montana Supreme Court, 1951)
Allen v. Allen
1948 OK 182 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1948)
Arnold v. Arnold
1944 OK 292 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1944)
Anich v. Anich
14 N.W.2d 289 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1944)
Reynolds v. Reynolds
1943 OK 133 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1943)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1939 OK 538, 97 P.2d 771, 186 Okla. 297, 1939 Okla. LEXIS 583, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kunc-v-kunc-okla-1939.