Mouille v. Schutten

183 So. 191, 190 La. 841, 1938 La. LEXIS 1326
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedJune 27, 1938
DocketNo. 34863.
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 183 So. 191 (Mouille v. Schutten) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mouille v. Schutten, 183 So. 191, 190 La. 841, 1938 La. LEXIS 1326 (La. 1938).

Opinions

HIGGINS, Justice.

This is an action by the wife against her husband for a separation from bed and board on the ground of alleged cruel treatment, for the custody of her minor daughter, for $150 a month alimony and for an attorney’s fee of $150.

The defendant denied the charges of cruelty and that his wife should have custody of their daughter, and, in a reconventional demand, asked for a separation, a mensa et thoro, on the ground that his wife was guilty of such cruel treatment as to render their living together insupportable, and that, because of her misconduct, the child should be permitted to remain in the Academy of Holy Angels, where she had been placed by him. During the pendency of the suit, the wife filed a rule to show cause why she should not be awarded the custody of the child and alimony pendente lite, which rule was made absolute, the alimony being fixed at the rate of $25 per month. Later the case was tried on the merits and judgment was rendered in favor of the wife, decreeing a separation from bed and board and awarding her the permanent care, custody and control of their minor daughter, and alimony at the rate of $25 per month. The defendant appealed suspensively and the plaintiff answered the appeal, praying that the judgment be amended to allow her an attorney’s fee of $150.

Plaintiff alleged in her petition that she was married on September 28, 1926; that a child was born on February 6, 1928, and that she separated from her husband on August 15, 1936; “ * * * that over a long period of time her husband continually mistreated and abused her, beat her and applied to her vile and insulting epithets ;” that “from August 1, 1936 to-August 15, 1936 petitioner’s said husband refused to speak to petitioner and on August 1, 1936, petitioner’s said husband, without cause or provocation, became abusive, cursed petitioner, struck her, called her (a) ‘stupid and ignorant’, .told her that she was no good, that she and her family were all no good and a bunch of drunkards and forced petitioner to leave the house, and petitioner shows that she has lived separate and apart from him continuously since that time; and that “on March 14, 1937, petitioner called at the home of her said husband for the purpose of seeing her minor child, who was then sick and while there her said husband and his mother cursed and abused petitioner, threatened her and forced her to leave the house;” and that her husband “is engaged in business in the City *845 of New Orleans and earns in excess of $300.00 per month, and petitioner desires and is entitled to be granted alimony in the sum of $150.00 per month;” and that petitioner is “without means to hire an attorney to represent her” and she desires that her husband be ordered to pay her said attorney the sum of $150, as a reasonable fee for representing her in this suit.

In his answer, defendant admitted the dates of the marriage, the birth of their daughter, and the separation, but denied the charges of cruelty and mistreatment, averring that he had done everything in his power to make his wife comfortable and happy but that she had conducted herself in such a manner as to make living with her insupportable.

As plaintiff in reconvention, he alleged that on June 10, 1936, his wife went to Lake Dautrieve, Louisiana, on a vacation, leaving the child with him, stating that she did not know whether she was coming back; that during the last week of July 1936, she returned home and stayed for about three weeks; that on the fourth day after her return home, she informed him that she did not love him and did not know why she ever married him, ^ that she would rather live a lewd life than stay with him, and that she desired a divorce; that on August 16, 1936, she told him that he was not the father of their child and thereafter abandoned both of them; that, in order to properly rear and educate his daughter and give her moral and spiritual training, he placed her in the academy of Holy Angels, where she is presently living; that his daughter would suffer irreparable injury, if custody of the child were given to the mother; that on March 14, 1937, his wife returned from Lake Dautrieve and called at plaintiff’s home for the purpose of taking the child, who had been removed from the Academy of Holy Angels because of illness; that he informed his wife that the child was too sick and weak to be taken out of the house and she then cursed, slapped, punched and kicked him and threatened to disgrace him; that from August 1936 to March 15, 1937, she worked as a waitress and entertainer for George Angelle, the proprietor of a bar room and restaurant at Lake Dautrieve, La., and her duties consisted of entertaining the patrons by drinking and dancing with them and serving them food in private dining rooms; that on a number of occasions she was seen going into these private rooms with a man and would close the door and remain there for a long time; that at about 10 o’clock one night, she and George Angelle went into a one room building, containing a bed, and stayed there for a long period, of time; that she often went out with different men at night and returned home in a drunken stupor in the early hours of the morning; that at 12:30 o’clock on the night of June 16, 1933, upon returning home from work he met Joseph Jones, who was in a drunken condition, coming out of his home, and found his wife in-, side in an intoxicated state; that on or about the second Sunday of September, 1933, he caught this same man sneaking down the back stairs of his house at night and brought him back into the house *847 and found his wife clad only in transparent silk pajamas; that he thrashed the man and put him out of his home but until the time of their separation his wife continued keeping company with him (Jones) ; that on several occasions when he returned from work at night and knocked on the door his wife inquired if it were “Joe,” meaning Jones; that she would frequently lock their minor daughter in the house alone at night and go out with Jones; and that his wife was. intimate with Noah Gautrearix for three or four years.

The transcript consists of the testimony taken on the rule to show cause why the wife should not be granted the custody of her minor daughter and alimony, and the testimony of the witnesses taken on the trial of the case on the merits. Some of these witnesses testified in both instances.

Plaintiff testified that her husband was mean and cruel to her and compelled her to live with him as though she were a prisoner; that he would get drunk and beat her; and that on August 16, 1936, she left him because he choked her. She denied that, she drank liquor or had improper relations with other men.

Mrs. Robert. Mouille, plaintiff’s mother, stated that on the night of August 16, 1936, her daughter . came to her home ’ crying, and that she saw red marks on her neck and back, which her daughter informed her the defendant had inflicted. She also said that defendant, in her presence, stated that he would kill his wife if she ever took their child.

Bertha Mouille, plaintiff’s sister, corroborated her mother’s ■ testimony as to. the visible .marks on the plaintiff’s neck and back.

George Angelle testified that the plaintiff worked in 'his cafe and restaurant at Dautrieve as a waitress and that he never ‘ saw her drink liquor or behave indecentlyi He denied that he had any improper relations with her and asserted that' his place of business bore a good name.

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

Related

Smith v. Department of Public Safety & Corrections, Headquarters
500 So. 2d 779 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1986)
Davis v. Davis
258 So. 2d 138 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1972)
Karl v. Karl
191 So. 2d 674 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1966)
Estopinal v. Estopinal
66 So. 2d 311 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1953)
Clark v. Clark
21 So. 2d 758 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1945)
Vice v. Vice
190 So. 111 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1939)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
183 So. 191, 190 La. 841, 1938 La. LEXIS 1326, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mouille-v-schutten-la-1938.