Lane v. Lane

165 So. 2d 682, 1964 La. App. LEXIS 1803
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 1, 1964
DocketNo. 6117
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 165 So. 2d 682 (Lane v. Lane) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lane v. Lane, 165 So. 2d 682, 1964 La. App. LEXIS 1803 (La. Ct. App. 1964).

Opinions

ELLIS, Judge.

The defendant has appealed from the judgment of the Family Court in and for the Parish of East Baton Rouge, in which the plaintiff was granted a separation “a mensa et thoro” and the permanent care, custody and control of the minor child, Mark Lane, subject to the right of reasonable visitation by the defendant and an award of alimony pendente lite, the sum of $100.00 per month, and maintenance and support for the minor child, Mark Lane, the sum of $50.00 per month, payable in the amounts of $75.00 the first and 15th day of each month, the first payment being due and payable on the 15th day of August, 1963.

The plaintiff was denied attorney’s fees and the cost of the Court were decreed to be borne equally by the plaintiff and defendant.

The plaintiff’s suit was filed in August, 1962 and her main complaints were set forth in Article 4 of her petition as follows:

“(a) Mentally abusing and embarrassing your petitioner on many occasions and specifically on June 16, 1962, at the matrimonial domicile at which time defendant told petitioner to ‘g'et out and don’t come back.’
[683]*683“(b) Embarrassing and ridiculing your petitioner on many occasions and in particular in front of their daughter on June 16, 1962, by cursing and screaming at your petition.
“(c) Threatening your petitioner by warning her that she would not receive any support or subsistence from defendant if she left.
“(d) Refusing to allow petitioner and her children to have sufficient money for their maintenance in accordance with his ability to support them.
“(e) Striking your petitioner and causing her to need medical treatment as a result of his cruel actions.
“(f) Mentally harrassing your petitioner by his over-bearing ways and mannerisms and his cruel attitude toward petitioner and the children of the marriage, including having his son arrested and incarcerated in jail for 3 days without justification.”

The lower court, after a long trial and much testimony, concluded that both of the parties were guilty of fault but then applied the Louisiana rule, as well stated in Eals v. Swan, 221 La. 329, 59 So.2d 409, 410, wherein the Court stated:

“The Louisiana rule is that while mutual, equal fault operates as a bar to relief being given to either litigant, the courts consider in each case the degree of guilt, and only where there is a finding of fact that the degree of guilt has been equal is the suit dismissed. The rule of comparative rectitude has been impliedly recognized. Each case, however, stands on its own particular set of facts.” (Emphasis added.)

The court then considered the “degree of guilt” and in his reasons dictated in the record stated, “After very deliberate and careful consideration we find the fault of the husband outweighs the fault of the wife; * * After carefully perusing the over 400 pages in this record we are of the opinion that the defendant is at fault and that although it is true that on occasions the wife was guilty of cursing and bemeaning the defendant, such action on her part was brought about by years of silent and active abuse by the defendant. ( These parties were married in 1938 and four children were born, namely; Eric, aged 24; Carson, aged 22; Ruth, aged 20, who is emancipated by marriage prior to the filing of this suit, and Mark, aged 8. In 1954 the plaintiff filed suit for separation against the defendant and was granted such a judgment by the 19th Judicial District Court, in and for the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana in Suit No. 51,703 on the docket of the Court, and as a result the community of acquets and gains was terminated and has never been reestablished. It is clear from the record that plaintiff because of her children came back to the matrimonial domicile and did all in her power to make a home for the children. She obtained a position and from this not only maintained herself but bought clothes for the children. The plaintiff washed the family clothes, cooked, canned vegetables, bought and paid for her own automobile and maintained it. She also purchased electric blankets and other conveniences, which were badly needed in the home as it had only one fireplace and an electric heater in the bathroom. None of the bedrooms had any heat in them. In short, we believe that the plaintiff made a valiant effort and finally became discouraged and at times allowed her temper and feelings toward the defendant to get the better of her.

We do not believe any detailed discussion of the lengthy testimony in this case would serve any useful purpose and we are in full accord with the main findings of fact as dictated into the record by the District Court and we will take the liberty of quoting such portion with approval:

“ * * * The fault on the part of the husband is his attitude with respect to money and finances and the manner in which he has for the past number of years conducted [684]*684the financial arrangement of the family and more particularly conducted his own financial affairs. By his own admission the children found it difficult to discuss money matters with him which he blames on the wife but the fact remains that the children did and as he stated they felt it a crime to ask him for money. We also find that he was guilty of fault because we do not believe and we think the evidence supports it that he treated either his wife or his children with the fatherly respect that was due them. This is of long standing. By his own admission he had lost the love of his 3 older children and it was for that reason — -it was a major reason why he wanted the custody of his minor child, Mark. We find also that the defendant husband prevailed himself of certain luxuries not to the detriment of his family, because he could have provided other luxuries for his family, but in sort of, in our appreciation of the evidence, of a self-centered manner, namely: the airplane. It was a hobby. He could afford it but he did this and failed to in our opinion, provide other luxuries and necessities to his family. We find that his attitude and conduct towards his wife also to be unreasonable. The couple separated some 8 or 9 years ago and there was a judicial separation between them and there was a property settlement. Shortly thereafter there was a reconciliation and from that day forward they have not only maintained separate property, they have maintained just about everything separately except the roof, including separate bed rooms,
“When the wife worked and earned three to four hundred dollars a month we can understand why the husband could assume that she had enough for her maintenance and support, but when she no longer earned three to four hundred dollars a month but only a hundred dollars a month, and during that period of time attended L.S.U., the defendant made no different arrangement with respect to his wife. She continued in •our opinion to have to fend for herself and also on one or two other occasions with respect to the needs of the daughter.
“Now with respect to his having his son incarcerated. We say incarcerated, that is the expression used in the petition. Actually the father had a series of altercations with the son which ended up by having the son picked up for observation by the Parish Coroner. Frankly we do not believe that the father in this case was unreasonable.

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369 So. 2d 1083 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1979)

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Bluebook (online)
165 So. 2d 682, 1964 La. App. LEXIS 1803, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lane-v-lane-lactapp-1964.