Mildren v. Mildren

289 P.2d 505, 136 Cal. App. 2d 744, 1955 Cal. App. LEXIS 1549
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 4, 1955
DocketCiv. Nos. 5073, 5074
StatusPublished

This text of 289 P.2d 505 (Mildren v. Mildren) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mildren v. Mildren, 289 P.2d 505, 136 Cal. App. 2d 744, 1955 Cal. App. LEXIS 1549 (Cal. Ct. App. 1955).

Opinion

GRIFFIN, J.

Alleen obtained an interlocutory decree of divorce from Paul on the ground of extreme cruelty on April 8, 1953. The main issue presented by defendants’ cross-complaint was the question of the nature, character, [745]*745and title of their home property and its furnishings, in Fontana, on September 20, 1950, the date of separation of the parties. Alleen was awarded the home, together with certain other described personal property, as her sole and separate property, in accordance with the provisions of some previous property settlement agreement entered into by them on or about January 28, 1948. At the trial Paul was given other property and each was ordered to deliver over possession of it accordingly.

On May 13, 1953, Alleen commenced an action in claim and delivery against Paul and his mother, Jessie Mildren, for possession of certain itemized furniture and furnishings, alleging that their value was $12,500. Damages, in case delivery was not made, were also sought. Jessie answered, denied she was wrongfully or otherwise in possession of them and claimed that certain described items on the list belonged to her, denied that Alleen was the owner of any of them, and alleged that plaintiff was not entitled to possession of them. She also denied that Alleen ever demanded possession of them from her or that she was damaged in any sum.

Paul alleged he was the owner of certain of the articles named and admitted certain allegations of plaintiff’s complaint in respect to other items. He alleged that the parties still were husband and wife when the claim and delivery action was filed and claimed that the interlocutory decree was a binding adjudication as to their property rights and as to all issues raised by plaintiff’s complaint, the answers thereto, and defendants’ cross-complaint.

After trial of the issues, the ■ court specifically found that Paul took some of the articles listed by Alleen as belonging to her, but that he had returned everything but a “deep freezer”; that before the trial of the divorce action he sold the freezer for $75 and never accounted for it; that Jessie took certain of the items listed but these articles belonged to her and not to plaintiff; that all other remaining articles listed were owned by plaintiff on September 20, 1950, and were then in her possession or had been destroyed or were taken by others than these defendants through no fault of theirs. Judgment was entered on May 7, 1954, in favor of defendants.

On May 27, 1953, Alleen filed another action against these defendants for forcible detainer, for waste, and for value of the use and occupation of the home and real property involved, alleging that she was entitled to the possession [746]*746thereof on September 20, 1950, the date of the separation; that defendants peaceably, but without right, took possession of the same and occupied it until February, 1953, by virtue of threats, etc.; that the reasonable rental value thereof was $250 per month; that during this period defendants allowed 4% acres of citrus trees to die for lack of water, to her detriment in the sum of $10,000. As a separate cause of action she alleged defendants vacated possession on February 1, 1953, and during the period from the date of separation to February 1, 1953, they committed waste thereon in the sum of $10,000. Defendants separately denied generally these allegations. Paul alleged that on September 20, 1950, this was their marital home; that they were then living together with their minor son Donald in said home; that Alleen voluntarily left it and he continued to live in it with the boy and the boy’s grandmother Jessie, who cared for him and the home until February 1, 1953; that no final decree of divorce was ever obtained; that since September 20, 1950, Alleen caused an action to be brought against him in which she made an application for an order requiring him to surrender possession of the property to her; that the application was denied, and no appeal was taken from that order. He claims that this order became final and now constitutes a final binding adjudication of that issue; that on April 9, 1953, an interlocutory decree of divorce was entered setting forth the respective rights of these parties in and to the property involved and that it became final; and claims that the use and occupation of the property, from the date of the separation until the trial of the divorce action was taken into consideration in making disposition of the property in the interlocutory decree.

The court found generally in favor of the defendants and that Alleen voluntarily left the home on September 20, 1950; that Paul maintained it and brought his mother in to care for the minor child and the home and that her occupancy was only as a member of the family; that Paul permitted certain orange trees to die for lack of water but that plaintiff was not damaged to the extent indicated by her, and any claimed damage' became res judicata by reason of the interlocutory decree which finally and subsequently adjudicated their property -rights. Judgment was entered on July 16, 1954, for defendants. These two actions were consolidated for the purpose of trial and on appeal.

Without setting forth in detail the contradictory evidence [747]*747pertaining to the title and claimed ownership of the furniture and furnishings of the home and of the property, and the claimed damage to it, we will give a résumé of the several claims. After 25 years of married life Alleen and Paul came to unhappy differences and Paul, under the provisions of the property settlement agreement, deeded the home property and assigned his interest in the community furnishings which they then owned, to Alleen, as part of that settlement on January 28, 1948, but the parties continued to live on the premises with their two boys, Donald and Paul, Jr., until September, 1950, at which time Alleen voluntarily left the home. Paul, Sr., and Jessie, his mother, remained on the property and occupied it. Alleen subsequently commenced her action for divorce and Paul contested it, claiming that the property listed by Alleen as her sole and separate property was community property, or property belonging to his mother, himself or others, and asked the court to make a determination of this issue. Paul, his mother and his minor son Donald continued to remain on the property and occupied it until the latter part of January, 1953, or the first part of February, 1953, at which time Paul and his mother moved out, shut off the gas, lights, locked up the house, and told Paul’s attorney to notify Alleen’s attorney about his removal. Donald returned to live with his mother. During the time Paul and Jessie occupied the premises considerable of the furnishings were removed by them. They claimed it belonged to them. On April 8, 1953, the interlocutory decree of divorce was entered, as heretofore indicated. After Paul and Jessie removed from the premises, apparently Paul, Jr., then about 24 years of age, remained on the premises and slept in the shed. He had no key to the home.

At the trial of these actions Alleen had a prepared list of property which she claimed was in the home at the time she left. She admitted some of this had been returned to her by Paul. She testified that considerable portions of it had been removed from the house and that which remained in the home had been damaged to a great extent. There is a conflict in the evidence as to when this loss and damage occurred.

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Bluebook (online)
289 P.2d 505, 136 Cal. App. 2d 744, 1955 Cal. App. LEXIS 1549, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mildren-v-mildren-calctapp-1955.