Pearson v. Pearson

350 S.W.2d 141, 1961 Ky. LEXIS 79
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedMarch 24, 1961
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 350 S.W.2d 141 (Pearson v. Pearson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pearson v. Pearson, 350 S.W.2d 141, 1961 Ky. LEXIS 79 (Ky. Ct. App. 1961).

Opinion

STEWART, Judge.

This appeal by William E. Pearson is from that portion of the judgment entered which ordered him to restore $8,000 in cash to his ex-wife, Ethel B. Pearson, as her property, and which, in addition, directed him to pay her $13,000 as alimony.

Appellant, William E. Pearson, and ap-pellee, Ethel B. Pearson, were married on December 26, 1925, and remained husband and wife until their separation on June 2, 1956. They have two children, a son, William E., Jr., who is married and a medical student in Louisville, and a daughter, Phyllis Ann, who is widowed and lives [142]*142with appellant at the family home at Waco in Madison County.

On August 2, 1956, appellee filed suit for divorce from appellant alleging cruel and inhuman treatment and asking for $32,500 lump sum alimony. On August 4th appellee moved for $50 per week as maintenance pendente lite. The sum of $200 per month for the wife’s temporary support was ordered but was later reduced to $150 per month. On August 7, 1956, appellant counterclaimed for divorce on the ground of cruel and inhuman treatment. By amended complaint, appellee sought restoration of property in the sum of $24,000.

On June 6, 1958, judgment was entered granting appellee a divorce from appellant and further adjudging that she recover from him $1,650 unpaid pendente lite monthly payments, $8,000 as restoration of money earned and contributed by her for the furnishing, upkeep and maintenance of the home and family, and $13,000 as lump sum alimony. These amounts, plus the court costs and the fees of appellee’s attorneys of $1,000, were ordered secured by a lien on appellant’s real estate. The real estate described in this suit was adjudged to be solely the property of appellant, subject to the lien. The parties were ordered to restore to each other such other property which either may have obtained directly or indirectly from or through the other during marriage, in consideration of or by reason thereof.

Appellant’s first argument for reversal is that appellee failed to prove any grounds for a divorce against him and therefore the court was without authority under the evidence presented to award alimony against him. He further urges that he was entitled to an absolute divorce on his counterclaim.

The trial court found that appellant habitually behaved toward appellee in such a cruel and inhuman manner as to indicate a settled aversion to her or to destroy permanently her peace and happiness, while appellee was found “guilty of some nagging, most of which was justifiable.” There is some evidence to uphold these findings of fact; and, under CR 52.01, since such findings are not clearly erroneous under the facts presented, this Court cannot justifiably make new “findings for the purpose of reversing the alimony award.” Wells v. Wells, Ky., 293 S.W.2d 718, 719.

Even if appellee had failed to prove that she was entitled to the divorce and appellant’s counterclaim had prevailed, this fact alone would not deprive her of her claim of alimony. Luke v. Luke, 276 Ky. 683, 125 S.W.2d 251. The right to alimony is based upon the principle that the husband has a duty to maintain his wife; and, if the wife is not wholly at fault and not morally delinquent, she may be entitled to alimony, although the husband is granted the divorce. Sharp v. Sharp, 302 Ky. 426, 194 S.W.2d 835; Muth v. Muth, 314 Ky. 531, 236 S.W.2d 469; Coleman v. Coleman, Ky., 269 S.W.2d 730. In this case there is no evidence that appellee was wholly at fault or morally delinquent. Therefore, the chancellor could without abuse of his discretion grant her alimony.

Appellant further contends that since, except for certain articles of furniture, ap-pellee admits that none of her earnings or property were invested in any of the property owned by him, the chancellor patently erred in adjudging appellee $8,000 as restoration of her property.

Both of the parties were school teachers at the time they were married and appellee has continued to teach, except for a few years, to the present time, earning in excess of $300 per month. Appellant, on the other hand, taught school almost continuously until he became superintendent of the Madison County schools. By reason of a change in the personnel of the board of education of Madison County, he was replaced as superintendent sometime during the year of 1954 and since that time has devoted his time exclusively to< farming. According to his testimony he now earns from $1,000’ [143]*143to $1,500 each year from the farming operations.

The chancellor found as a fact that ap-pellee now owns personalty valued at no more than $1,200 and no real estate; that, however, her earnings were largely spent for furniture for the home, for necessities for the family, for upkeep of the home and for rearing and educating the children. The chancellor concluded she should be repaid a portion of her earnings, in the sum of $8,000, which she used for the purposes mentioned. The chancellor also ordered the parties to restore to each other such specific articles of property as either may have obtained during the marriage and in consideration thereof.

KRS 403.065 deals with property restoration in divorce cases. It reads, in part: “Every judgment for a divorce from the bond of matrimony shall contain an order restoring any property not disposed of at the commencement of the action, which either party may have obtained, directly or indirectly, from or through the other, during marriage, in consideration or by reason thereof; and any property so obtained, without valuable consideration, shall be deemed to have been obtained by reason of marriage * *

As stated in appellant’s brief, and as borne out by the cases cited by both parties, the right to restoration of property is based solely upon the fact that one spouse has invested earnings or money, or something else of a valuable consideration, in the property the other spouse owns at the time of the divorce.

In the present case appellee, who maintained a separate deposit of her own earnings in the bank while at the same time, by appellant’s leave, wrote checks against his bank account and charged items against his credit in stores, admits she did not invest any of her earnings or money in any of the property owned by him (except for a few household items, which appellant concedes appellee bought and which he stands ready to turn over to her). The evidence also reveals that appellee bought most of her own clothes, paid part of her medical expenses, and spent some of her money on Christmas and birthday presents for her husband and family. It was also established that appellant amply provided for his family’s needs and sent both the children born to them through college at his sole expense.

Appellee cites the cases of Patterson v. Patterson, Ky., 266 S.W.2d 91, wherein the husband owned a telephone service for which the wife kept all the books, operated the switchboard, and trained relief operators, and Wells v. Wells, Ky.,

Related

Hoehle v. Hoehle
397 S.W.2d 161 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 1965)
Anderson v. Anderson
392 S.W.2d 45 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 1965)
Legel v. Legel
382 S.W.2d 870 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky (pre-1976), 1964)
Thomas v. Thomas
379 S.W.2d 743 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 1964)
Henderson v. Baker
362 S.W.2d 730 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 1962)
Terrell v. Terrell
352 S.W.2d 195 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 1961)

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350 S.W.2d 141, 1961 Ky. LEXIS 79, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pearson-v-pearson-kyctapp-1961.