Pierce v. Pierce

123 P. 598, 68 Wash. 415, 1912 Wash. LEXIS 1305
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedMay 11, 1912
DocketNo. 9757
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 123 P. 598 (Pierce v. Pierce) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Washington Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pierce v. Pierce, 123 P. 598, 68 Wash. 415, 1912 Wash. LEXIS 1305 (Wash. 1912).

Opinion

Crow, J.

Action for divorce by Henry J. Pierce against Violetta E. Pierce. The trial court dismissed the complaint and entered judgment in favor of the defendant in the sum [416]*416of $5,000, to defray her reasonable costs, expenses, and attorney’s fees. The plaintiff has appealed.

At the close of the evidence, the trial judge orally announced his findings and conclusions, but no written findings of fact or conclusions of law were signed or entered. Appellant and respondent were married at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on November 12, 1881, at which time appellant was without any particular estate. For many years they lived in Buffalo, New York, where respondent and their children now reside. Eight children have been born, issue of the marriage, the oldest, a daughter, now about twenty-eight years of age, and the youngest, a son, now about eight years of age. Appellant has been successful and has accumulated valuable property. Prior to the year 1906 he conveyed to his wife the home property in Buffalo, valued at $50,000, and certain revenue producing stocks and bonds valued at $90,000. In October, 1906, at appellant’s request, or at least with his consent, respondent and the five youngest children made a trip to Europe, remaining in Switzerland until September, 1907. Later the three older children joined respondent in Switzerland. During their absence appellant made monthly allowances to respondent which, with the revenues from her stocks and bonds, amounted to about $1,000 per month. When respondent and the children returned to this country they did not return to Buffalo, but went to Yonkers, New York, where they resided for some months.

While respondent and the children were abroad, appellant rented their home and moved to St. Louis, Missouri, and claimed a residence there. On January 2, 1908, he commenced a divorce action in the circuit court of the city of St. Louis. In his petition he alleged abandonment and that, in numerous instances covering a period of fourteen years, his wife had offered such indignities to him as to render his condition intolerable. Service was made upon respondent in Yonkers, New York. She appeared, denied the allegations of the petition, and defended the action. On the trial, appel[417]*417lant abandoned the charge of desertion, and the trial judge, after hearing the evidence, found that the plaintiff was not the innocent or injured party, that he was not entitled to the relief prayed, and on May 1, 1908, dismissed the action.

During the pendency of the St. Louis action, respondent and her children returned to their home in Buffalo. Thereafter appellant returned to Buffalo, remaining a short time, but neither residing with nor visiting his family. Within a brief period, appellant settled his business affairs in Buffalo, resigned his position as manager of a transportation company, and removed to New York City, where he engaged in other important and profitable business enterprises, with an office at 165 Broadway, his family remaining at Buffalo. After the dismissal of the St. Louis action, appellant ceased making allowances to his wife in addition to her own income.

About January 1, 1909, written articles of separation were prepared and signed by appellant and respondent, but were not delivered until July, 1909, their delivery being delayed by reason of the inability of the parties to agree upon the manner in which certain paid-up insurance policies upon appellant’s life should be assigned to respondent. Pending these negotiations and the disagreement relative to the policies, appellant made no allowances to respondent for the support of herself and children. Thereupon respondent, on or about June 1, 1909, commenced an action in the supreme court of the county of Erie, in and for the state of New York, for a divorce a mensa et thoro, and for a decree compelling appellant to provide maintenance and support for herself and children. She alleged abandonment, that she had taken the trip to Europe by reason of appellant’s insistence, that he did not permit her -to return to Buffalo, which caused her to temporarily reside in Yonkers, and that he had ceased providing for the support of herself and her family. Her complaint also contained the folio-wing allegation:

“The parties hereto, together with their children, lived harmoniously up to about the month of October, 1906. That [418]*418shortly before said month of October, said defendant was seized with an attack of typhoid fever while at the city of New York and was under the care of a trained nurse . . . for some weeks, and plaintiff alleges the fact to be that said defendant became infatuated with said trained nurse and is still so infatuated to this day. That after said defendant recovered from his attack of illness and returned to the city of Buffalo he began to be irritable with plaintiff and with members of the family and began to show signs of unrest and unwillingness to remain with the said plaintiff and his said family and became morose and remained at home very little, although they lived in a house owned by this plaintiff on Summer street in the city of Buffalo, New York, and although all the comforts of the home were provided for him there, as they had been during his married life. That he remained away most of the time from his family, making frequent visits to New York, and visiting New York much more frequently than he had before that time.”

Shortly after the filing of this complaint, appellant yielded to respondent’s demands relative to the assignment of the life insurance policies. The contract of separation was thereupon delivered, and respondent’s action for a divorce a mensa et thoro was dismissed.

• The separation agreement, which is of great length, recites that unhappy differences had arisen between the parties; that they had mutually agreed to live separate and apart from each other; that respondent should retain as her separate property the home in Buffalo and the $90,000 of, securities theretofore assigned to her; that in addition thereto, appellant should pay to her $300 per month for the maintenance of herself and children until the children should arrive at the age of twenty-one years; that respondent should release any and all interest or claims in or to appellant’s property; that she should sign deeds and instruments of release upon his demand; that appellant should not live within twenty-five miles of Buffalo without respondent’s consent; that respondent should not live within twenty-five miles of New York City where appellant then resided; that respondent should not disturb or interfere with appellant in [419]*419any manner; that respondent should have the care, custody and education of the children, and that appellant should be permitted to visit them and have them visit him under conditions and at times in the contract stipulated.

In September, 1909, appellant severed his business connections in New York City, moved to Spokane, became interested in many important enterprises in this state, and on October 1, 1910, commenced this action. Some question is raised as to whether he obtained a legal residence in Spokane. Without discussing the evidence, we will state our conclusion that he had, and that as far as the question of residence is concerned, he is entitled to prosecute this action.

This cause was finally tried on the third amended complaint, the answer, and the reply. The pleadings cannot- be stated even in a condensed form.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
123 P. 598, 68 Wash. 415, 1912 Wash. LEXIS 1305, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pierce-v-pierce-wash-1912.