May v. May

294 S.W.2d 627, 1956 Mo. App. LEXIS 166
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 18, 1956
Docket29407
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 294 S.W.2d 627 (May v. May) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
May v. May, 294 S.W.2d 627, 1956 Mo. App. LEXIS 166 (Mo. Ct. App. 1956).

Opinion

ELMO B. HUNTER, Special Judge.

Mary Melton May and William Nathaniel May were married on April 10, 1926, in Richmond, Virginia. By 1938 various serious conflicts between the parties had developed. Their marital difficulties increased, and on March 1, 1954, the plaintiff, Mrs. May, filed her petition for separate maintenance in the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis, naming her husband as defendant, and charging him with numerous indignities, which, she alleged, rendered her condition in life intolerable. Among those alleged indignities were that defendant: (1) struck and beat plaintiff; (2) possessed a severe temper; (3) was constantly nagging and quarrelsome; (4) was cold and indifferent; (5) would cause plaintiff unnecessary humiliation and embarrassment; (6) accused plaintiff of being a poor housekeeper, an unfit homemaker, and a poor wife; and (7) constantly expressed desires to associate with other women. With regard to venue and jurisdiction, plaintiff alleged that “she is now a resident of the City of St. Louis, State of Missouri, and has resided in said state for more than one whole year next before the filing of this petition.” . She further alleged that “from and after said marriage, [on April 10, 1926] she lived with said defendant as his lawful wife until on or about January 10, 1954.” ■

On April 2, 1954, defendant filed his answer and cross bill for divorce. In his answer, defendant, after admitting the marriage and declaring that he had faithfully demeaned himself and had discharged all his duties as husband of the plaintiff, denied that he was guilty of any of the charged indignities’ or misconduct, and also -denied that he had abandoned plaintiff or had refused or neglected to provide for her. In *629 his cross bill defendant charged plaintiff with numerous indignities, including that plaintiff (1) nagged at, argued with and berated defendant; (2) created public scenes when they were together; (3) seized and hid his clothing; (4) made false and malicious accusations relative to defendant’s honesty and morality to the executive officers of defendant’s employer; (5). on two occasions without cause had left their mutual home for seven months and eleven months,' respectively; ' (6)' falsely charged that defendant had improper associations • with ‘ other women including the parties’ own daughter-in-law, and had so stated to defendant, to the- daughter-in-law, to their son and to many' of their friends and associates ; (7) had been unduly extravagant; and (8) had associated with other men. In Paragraph 1 of his cross bill, defendant alleged that he and plaintiff “except for several periods of plaintiff’s continued absence, have lived together as husband and wife from and after the aforesaid date of their marriage [on April 10, 1026] until on. or about the 10th day of January, 1954, at which time said parties separated”. In Paragraph 2 thereof, he alleged “that defendant has resided in the State of Missouri continuously for more than one whole year next prior to the filing of this cross bill; that defendant is a resident of the City of St. Louis.”

On May 4, 1955, plaintiff filed her answer to. defendant’s cross bill for divorce. In it she specifically denied all of the charged misconduct and indignities on her part and realleged the substance of seven of the indignities with which she ■ had charged defendant in her petition for separate maintenance. Also in it she specifically admitted defendant’s allegations of continuous Missouri residence as, contained' in Paragraph ,2 .of his cross bill for divorce and, except for the claimed several periods of plaintiff’s continued absence, admitted the allegations of Paragraph 1 of his cross bill. She concluded by praying that his cross bill for divorce be dismissed. •

Also on May 4, 1955, the case proceeded to trial in Division No. 15 of the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis, before Judge David J. Murphy. Plaintiff was then represented by Mr. Frank J. Motherway of the St. Louis City bar, and defendant was represented byhis present counsel. The first proceeding before Judge Murphy was the dismissal, by plaintiff, of her petition for separate maintenance. Thereafter, the trial of the. cause proceeded on defendant’s cross bill for divorce and plaintiff’s -answer thereto.

As will be discussed later'in this opinion, plaintiff at no time offered any evidence. The evidence on behalf of defendant was as follows:

William May, the defendant; testified that at. the, time his cross bill was filed he resided in St. Louis, Missouri, and was employed by the International Shoe Company in charge of Merchant Service Division. He and Mrs. May were married April 10, 1926, in Richmond, Virginia, and one child, William, now 28, was born of the marriage. With regard to .his Missouri residence, defendant testified that he had lived in the State of Missouri since 1950. This evidence will be discussed in some detail hereinafter in regard to several of plaintiff’s contentions-on this appeal. Defendant testified that he had treated his wife with respect, had provided ' her .with a home, and otherwise provided for her to the best of his ability. Since 1937 or 1938 their relationship wasn’t too favorable. They seemed to have drifted apart. She displayed high temper and constantly made accusations that he ran around with other women. Early in 1944 plaintiff expressed an intention to join the WAC. Defendant did not take this statement seriously and did not consent to the proposed action. Nonetheless, plaintiff joined the WAC in February, 1944. At the time she joined they were living together in Harrisburg, Virginia. About a year later and while she was still in the WAC, defendant was transferred by his company to St. Louis, *630 Missouri. She remained in the Army about two years. After her release from the Army, -she returned to Richmond and resided with her mother during 1946, 1947, 1948, and in 1949 went to New Mexico to live with her son. '.In the latter part of 1950, she went to California where she lived with her son until February, 1951. She then returned to Richmond and lived there with her mother until November, 1951, when she came to St. Louis. She enrolled at Washington University night school in St. Louis. She would sit up all night and sleep in the daytime, which was disturbing to defendant. She continued with this school arrangement and conduct until May, 1952. She then went to Richmond to her mother and remained there until December 1, 1952, when she returned to St. Louis. She left again in January, 1953. All of this time defendant maintained a home in St. Louis for her, and he resided in that home. The only reason she ever gave him for her departure was her desire to live with her mother. Defendant did not ask her to leave, nor did he prevent her from leaving. All through the years he had tried to the best of his ability to provide for her, and all through the years, even though she was living apart, he had sent her sums of money sufficient to give her a good livelihood.

In October, 1953, defendant decided to have a showdown and notified her that he was giving up the apartment and offered to send her the furniture. Plaintiff then began to telephone defendant at all hours of the night and called his office. She returned to St. Louis December 25, 1953, to defendant’s apartment. They lived in the apartment about three weeks. Defendant then left if about January 20, 1954. She stayed on in the apartment.

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Bluebook (online)
294 S.W.2d 627, 1956 Mo. App. LEXIS 166, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/may-v-may-moctapp-1956.