Lie v. Lie

96 Misc. 3, 159 N.Y.S. 748
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedJune 15, 1916
StatusPublished

This text of 96 Misc. 3 (Lie v. Lie) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lie v. Lie, 96 Misc. 3, 159 N.Y.S. 748 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1916).

Opinion

Benedict, J.

This is an action for a divorce a vivoculo matrimonium. The only ground of defense is that the marriage between the parties has already been dissolved by a judgment of divorce granted to the. plaintiff and against the defendant in Norway. If such divorce is valid and entitled to recognition by the courts of this state under principles of comity, it is a complete answer to the action, for in that case there was no marriage existing when the action was commenced. The plaintiff claims, however, that the Norway judgment is not entitled to recognition here because at the time it was rendered neither party was domiciled in Norway.

At the time of the marriage of the parties the plaintiff was domiciled in New Jersey; the parties were married there and later removed to New York. In 1913 the defendant went to Norway, where she has [5]*5since remained. Subsequently the plaintiff went to Norway and there instituted an action for a divorce, on the ground of defendant’s adultery, in the City Court of Christiania, which resulted, on August 5, 1915, in the judgment already referred to. Subsequently the defendant married again in Norway, and it is her cohabitation with her second husband which the plaintiff charges against her in this action as adultery, upon the theory that the divorce is not entitled to recognition here.

In the Norway judgment it was found as a fact that the plaintiff was an American citizen and a resident of New York, and the defendant was therefore an American citizen, but that she was then residing in Norway and that Christiania was her forum.

The question presented is whether the Norwegian court had jurisdiction of the subject matter of the action; for there is no question but that it had jurisdiction of the parties. Under the common law, both in England and in this country, jurisdiction for purposes of divorce, so as to entitle the decree to extra-territorial recognition, has been held to depend on the domicile of one or both parties being within the territorial jurisdiction of the court. In England it is the domicile of the parties (that is, of the husband) which gives jurisdiction. Thus in Le Mesurier v. Le Mesurier, L. R. (1895), A. C. 517, the judicial committee of the Privy Council held that where the husband was domiciled in England, although he resided in Ceylon, which also was the ‘ ‘ matrimonial domicile, ’ ’ the courts of Ceylon had no jurisdiction to grant a divorce. The term “ matrimonial domicile ” as here used seems to be the place where the parties had their principal residence while living together. It would not necessarily be the domicile of either'party. See on the general subject, Dicey Confl. Laws (2d ed.), 381 et seq.

[6]*6The same rule with a difference hereafter to be noticed has been generally recognized in the United States. The leading case is, perhaps, Andrews v. Andrews, 188 U. S. 14, where it was held that a divorce granted in South Dakota need not be recognized in Massachusetts under the full faith and credit clause of the Federal Constitution, because the plaintiff husband, who went from Massachusetts to South Dakota to secure the divorce, did not ^ acquire a bona fide domicile in the latter state. It was clearly recognized that, as neither party was domiciled in South Dakota, the court there had no jurisdiction of the subject matter, notwithstanding the wife’s appearance in the suit. Numerous other cases support the same doctrine. Bell v. Bell, 181 U. S. 175; Streitwolf v. Streitwolf Id. 179; Gray v. Gray, 143 N. Y. 354, 357; State v. Armington, 25 Minn. 29; Magowan v. Magowan, 57 N. J. Eq. 322.

The difference above referred to between the English and the American rules lies in this, that the English law does not recognize the right of a wife to acquire a domicile separate from that of her husband (Dolphim v. Robins, 7 H. L. Cas. 390; Yelverton v. Yelverton, 1 Sw. & Tr. 574), while the American law does recognize that right under certain conditions, as where the husband has by his own misconduct given his wife just cause for refusing to live with him, or where he has deserted her and gone to another jurisdiction. Cheever v. Wilson, 9 Wall. (U. S.) 108; Post v. Post, 149 App. Div. 452, 456; affd., 210 N. Y. 607; Ditson v. Ditson, 4 R. I. 87; Shute v. Sargent, 67 N. H. 305; Watertown v. Greaves, 112 Fed. Repr. 183; Vischer v. Vischer, 12 Barb. 640; Matter of Florence’s Will, 54 Hun, 328. The result is that under the English law, as already stated, it is the domicile of the parties, that is of the husband, which confers jurisdiction (Le Mesurier v. Le Mesurier, supra; Dicey Confl. Laws, supra), [7]*7but in the United States the domicile of either party is sufficient to confer jurisdiction. Cheever v. Wilson, supra; Ditson v. Ditson, supra. In the former case the parties had resided in Washington, D. C., but the wife for just cause left the husband and went to live in Indiana, where she sued for divorce, which was granted on the husband’s appearance in the action. It was held that, although the husband had never resided in Indiana, the wife had acquired a domicile there, and the divorce was valid.

It is of no consequence that the divorce may be valid by the law of Norway. The question whether our courts will recognize a foreign decree depends upon our own law relative to that question.

The vital question in the case then, is this — Had the defendant previous to the action in Norway acquired a separate domicile there? If so, our courts should, under rules of comity, recognize the divorce as valid. If not, .then the Norwegian court was without jurisdiction of the subject matter and the divorce is not entitled to recognition here.

No proof was offered as to the circumstances under which the parties separated; it does not appear whether defendant left plaintiff for just cause or without just cause. It is she, however, who asserts a change of domicile, and the burden rests upon her to prove all the facts necessary to show such change (Dupuy v. Wurtz, 53 N. Y. 556, 562; Minor Confl. Laws, 72), including the fact of misconduct on the part of the plaintiff justifying her in leaving him. This she has not done.

It remains, however, to consider the effect of the express finding in the Norwegian judgment that the defendant was residing in Norway and that Christiania was her forum. This finding of a jurisdictional fact was made with both parties before the court. For all [8]*8that appears evidence may have been produced which would warrant the Norway court in holding that defendant had the right to acquire a domicile in Norway and did so. In my opinion, therefore, I should accept this as a finding that the. defendant was then domiciled in Norway, and hence should conclude that the court had jurisdiction of the subject matter of the action, and, therefore, should hold that the judgment is binding under principles of comity upon the courts of this state.

A case similar in its essential features to the case at bar is Guggenheim v. Guggenheim, 201 N. Y. 602, affg. 135 App. Div.

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Related

Bell v. Bell
181 U.S. 175 (Supreme Court, 1901)
Andrews v. Andrews
188 U.S. 14 (Supreme Court, 1903)
Post v. . Post
104 N.E. 1134 (New York Court of Appeals, 1914)
Gray v. . Gray
38 N.E. 301 (New York Court of Appeals, 1894)
Guggenheim v. . Guggenheim
95 N.E. 1123 (New York Court of Appeals, 1911)
Dupuy v. . Wurtz
53 N.Y. 556 (New York Court of Appeals, 1873)
Guggenheim v. . Wahl
96 N.E. 726 (New York Court of Appeals, 1911)
Kinnier v. . Kinnier
45 N.Y. 535 (New York Court of Appeals, 1871)
Guggenheim v. Guggenheim
135 A.D. 914 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1909)
Post v. Post
149 A.D. 452 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1912)
Vischer v. Vischer
12 Barb. 640 (New York Supreme Court, 1851)
In re Florance's Will
7 N.Y.S. 578 (New York Supreme Court, 1889)
State v. Armington
25 Minn. 29 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1878)

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Bluebook (online)
96 Misc. 3, 159 N.Y.S. 748, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lie-v-lie-nysupct-1916.