Pavell v. Pavell

168 S.W.2d 288, 1942 Tex. App. LEXIS 726
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJuly 27, 1942
DocketNo. 4088
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 168 S.W.2d 288 (Pavell v. Pavell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pavell v. Pavell, 168 S.W.2d 288, 1942 Tex. App. LEXIS 726 (Tex. Ct. App. 1942).

Opinions

WALKER, Chief Justice.

This is a divorce suit by appellee, Agnes Pavell, against appellant her husband, F. J. Pavell, with prayer for divorce, partition of community property, costs, etc. On trial to the court without a jury, judgment was for appellee for divorce, with order of partition, for costs, and for $1,000 for attorney’s fees, from which appellant has duly prosecuted his appeal.

His first point is that the suit was heard and divorce granted before the expiration of thirty days after the suit was filed, in violation of Article 4632, R.C.S. 1925, which provides: “Suit shall not be heard or divorce granted before the expiration of thirty days after the same is filed.” The point is overruled. The suit was filed on the 15th of January, 1942. On the 25th day of February, 1942, in open court, appellee amended her petition under order of the court, appellant’s counsel being present and consenting thereto, “by adding the word ‘next’ in between ‘six months’ and ‘preceding the filing of the suit.’ ”. Appellant’s point is that the amendment of the petition gave the dis-rict court of Orange County for the first time jurisdiction of appellee’s cause of action. The case was called for trial on the 26th day of February, and on the 28th day of February, in the manner provided by law, the court extended the term for the purpose of completing the trial. The judgment recites: “And thereafter, and before the expiration of said extended term, and on the 30th day of May, 1942, the trial of said cause having been completed and the Court having heard the evidence and arguments of Counsel, the Court thereupon made known that he was of the opinion that the plaintiff was entitled to judgment, that the bonds of matrimony heretofore existing between the plaintiff, Agnes Pavell, and the defendant, F. J. Pavell, be and they are hereby dissolved, and the plaintiff is granted a divorce from the defendant.”

Appellant contends on evidence dehors the transcript that the court granted the divorce on the 28th day of February at a time when the court was without jurisdiction of the cause of action. If that contention be conceded, then the order granting the divorce on the 28th day of February was absolutely null and void as being in violation of Article 4632. But the court extended the term and „ on the face of the judgment granted the divorce on the 30th day of May, which was long after- the expiration of thirty days from the filing of the suit, and at a time when, under appellant’s point, the court had jurisdiction to enter the judgment.

Article 4632 provides that the suit shall not be “heard” or divorce granted before the expiration of thirty days after the same is filed. On the facts, it is clear that the divorce was not granted until more than thirty days after the suit was filed, but appellant says, under his point of jurisdiction, that the suit was “heard” the next day after the amendment was filed, and that the court was without jurisdiction to hear it. This contention is overruled. The fact that the court may hear the petition read and may receive evidence before the expiration of thirty days from the filing of the suit, would not make his judgment of divorce void nor voidable when, after having heard the petition and received the evidence, there is the statutory delay before the divorce is granted. By withholding his judgment and holding the case open for additional testimony until the expiration of the full statutory thirty days, the court has jurisdiction to enter the divorce decree.

Appellant also makes the point that appellee did not plead a cause of action for divorce. This contention is overruled. The petition plead facts showing the jurisdiction of the District Court of Orange County. Appellee also alleged the statutory grounds for divorce under subdivision 1 of Article 4629, R.C.S.1925, that appellant was guilty of excesses, cruel treatment, or outrages towards her of such a [290]*290nature as to render their living- together insuppoi'table; she also alleged the supporting facts. Under the holding of our Supreme Court in McCullough v. McCullough, 120 Tex. 209, 36 S.W.2d 459, followed by this court in Renfro v. Renfro, Tex.Civ.App., 80 S.W.2d 348, the petition stated a cause of action.

The third point is that the evidence does not support the judgment of divorce. This contention is overruled. Appellee and appellant owned a community estate, on oral argument estimated by the parties to amount to about $250,000. Under the evidence appellant, managing the estate, deprived appellee of all conveniences in their home. He refused to permit her to have anything to do with the estate and withheld from her all information about the estate. After much persuasion he bought her a cheap refrigerator. She took money inherited from an uncle and installed bathroom fixtures which he in part dismantled and gave to another woman. She was given a cheap radio and he disconnected it and gave the cord to another woman. While refusing to give her funds of the estate, he gave another woman $4,000; he bought this woman a fine refrigerator-; he permitted her to occupy community property without paying rent. When appellee protested he told her whatever this woman did was not any of her business. He told appellee that he didn’t care anything about her; that he was tired of her; that he wanted her to get a divorce ; she testified “He invited me in October why didn’t I get a divorce”; he said: 'Why don’t you get a divorce,’ and I just didn’t answer that.” Appellee testified: “Well, I had no radio and the children asked him if he would go in with them and get me a radio; they said, ‘Mother is lonesome by herself a good deal.’ He said he couldn’t do it. Later they got me a little one and installed it. And when this woman was there, they come in the house and got everything they needed and they come in the house and took the cord off the radio and carried it to the cafe. * * * After this woman came in the house it seems she could get anything she wanted. He put four thousand dollars to her credit. * * * If I asked him where she got it, he would say that was none of my business, about what she had or what she could afford, and yet, she wasn’t making anything out of the restaurant. * * *

“Q. I want you to state whether or not you believe you and your husband can live together as husband and wife? A. I don’t think so.

“Q. Now, are you uncertain about that? A. After all this, I think when you feel that way about people, you don’t care to live with them longer.

“Q. Is that on account of the remarks, he made to you? A. Well, yes, and his general attitude. Taking everything together, I think it would be best if we would separate.

“Q. About this woman, I will ask you to state whether or not it is your opinion she has come into your husband’s life? A. I think that has had a whole lot to do with it. When I asked him about her collecting the rent, he informed me the property was his; he would do as he pleased and she could stay there as long as she wanted to and she didn’t have to pay rent. * * *

“Q. I will ask you to state whether or not you and your husband many times quarrelled about this particular worn an? A. Well, whenever her name was brought up he didn’t seem to like it; he seemed to think it was his business to take up for her; that she was smart and all that.”

Appellant makes the point that the evidence does not support the court’s fact conclusion that appellee lived in Orange County

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Bluebook (online)
168 S.W.2d 288, 1942 Tex. App. LEXIS 726, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pavell-v-pavell-texapp-1942.