Rich v. Rich

322 N.E.2d 610, 24 Ill. App. 3d 1083, 1975 Ill. App. LEXIS 3585
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedJanuary 13, 1975
Docket73-161, 73-288 cons.
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 322 N.E.2d 610 (Rich v. Rich) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rich v. Rich, 322 N.E.2d 610, 24 Ill. App. 3d 1083, 1975 Ill. App. LEXIS 3585 (Ill. Ct. App. 1975).

Opinion

Mr. JUSTICE EBERSPACHER

delivered the opinion of the court:

This is a consolidated appeal from a decree of divorce granted the plaintiff wife, Betty Joe Rich, against the husband appellant, Mervin Lemoyne Rich, and a subsequent order entered allowing the wife temporary support pending appeal by the husband and awarding the wife attorney fees to defend against the appeal. The decree, in addition to awarding the wife a divorce on grounds of extreme and repeated mental cruelty, awarded the wife $1750 in cash, periodic alimony of $100 per month, and attorney fees of $350; the subsequently entered order awarded the wife $50 per month pending appeal, and attorney fees of $500 for her representation on appeal. The husband has perfected his appeal from both the decree and order, entered in the circuit court of Crawford County.

The first contention of the appeUant to be considered is that the trial court erred in awarding appellee a divorce. The factual basis for this contention is that the “parties were living together” in the same house for a period of approximately 2 weeks after appellee filed her complaint for divorce. The wife’s complaint did not aUege the parties were living separate and apart, and the record makes no reference to the conjugal relationship of the parties during this two week period. The parties were, however, living separate and apart at the time of the trial which commenced more than 8 months after the parties had ceased their coinciding residence of the marital home. As authority for his argument that it “is against the public policy in Illinois to permit parties who are living together to maintain an action for divorce,” the appellant cites Baumgartner v. Baumgartner, 16 Ill.App.2d 286, 148 N.E.2d 327. The Baumgartner case involves an action for separate maintenance wherein it is axiomatic that the parties must be living separate and apart. Consequently, we do not believe its broad language that “[i]t is against public policy for parties to five together during the pendency of such an action” (16 Ill.App.2d 286, 292, 148 N.E.2d 327, 329), was intended to include aU actions for divorce regardless of the grounds alleged and the circumstances present. Obviously, if the complaint for divorce is grounded upon desertion, the parties must live separate and apart. Floberg v. Floberg, 358 Ill. 626, 193 N.E. 456.

However, the instant complaint did not allege desertion, but rather “extreme and repeated mental cruelty” and "adultery.” And, since condonation is an affirmative defense (Lipe v. Lipe, 327 Ill. 39, 158 N.E. 411; Simonson v. Simonson, 128 Ill.App.2d 39, 262 N.E.2d 326), which the appellant has failed to raise in' his answer to the complaint, in his petition for rehearing or on this appeal, we deem the defense of condonation waived. Although certain inferences arise from the complainant’s temporary residence in the same house with her spouse after filing for divorce, neither the argument advanced by the defendant nor the authority cited therein reveals a public policy which would require a court to vitiate appellee’^ complaint for divorce, based upon “extreme and repeated mental cruelty," in the absence of either a fatal defect in such complaint or a valid defense, e.g., condonation. On the other hand, a number of cases have allowed actions for divorce based upon “extreme and repeated cruelty” notwithstanding the continued residence of the complainant in the marital home. For example, the court in Roback v. Roback, 59 Ill.App.2d 222, 207 N.E.2d 130, when confronted with a plaintiff who filed a complaint for separate maintenance, or, in the alternative, for divorce based upon “extreme and repeated cruelty” while the parties were allegedly living together, stated:

“Had separate maintenance been the solé relief sought, the defendant’s argument might have merit, but it is no answer to the complaint for divorce based upon cruelty. [Citations.]” (59 Ill. App.2d 222, 226, 207 N.E.2d 130, 132.)

The foregoing was quoted and followed in Howison v. Howison, 128 Ill.App.2d 377, 262 N.E.2d 1. Similarly, in Collinet v. Collinet, 31 Ill.App.2d 72, 175 N.E.2d 659, the court rejected the defendant’s contention that the plaintiffs suit for divorce, which was based upon “extreme and repeated cruelty,” was barred by “plaintiff’s actions of continuing to live at home and care for the family * * (31 Ill.App.2d 72, 78, 175 N.E. 2d 659, 662.) See also Rasgaitis v. Rasgaitis, 347 Ill.App. 477, 107 N.E.2d 273.) On the basis of these authorities and in view of the appellant’s failure to show, and our lack of discovery of, any “public policy” to the contrary, we find that the trial court, which was presented with a plethora of evidence that the marriage of the parties had deteriorated to where it made the appellee’s life miserable and unendurable, was justified in granting appellee a divorce.

The appellant also contends that the court erred in awarding the plaintiff $1750 “alimony in gross” and $100 per month periodic alimony, and contends that a court cannot grant both a lump sum payment and periodic alimony under section 18 of the Divorce Act (Ill. Rev. Stat., ch. 40, par. 19) which has been interpreted to mean that a court cannot grant both periodic alimony and a lump sum payment. We agree that alimony in gross and periodic alimony cannot be granted. (Rodely v. Rodely, 28 Ill.2d 347, 192 N.E.2d 347; Overton v. Overton, 6 Ill.App.3d 1086, 287 N.E.2d 47.) The decree of the court does not state that the $1750 sum to be alimony in gross, but states only that plaintiff was awarded $1750 in cash. The complaint alleged that the parties owned, stored grain, farm machinery, livestock, growing crops, four motor vehicles, a house trailer, a $600 income tax refund, a $3800 equity in their home which had been sold, and a joint bank account in excess of $2600.

The evidence shows that prior to the filing of the complaint in 1970 the parties had sold their home and received $3500 over and above the encumbrances and expenses which was placed in the joint account, which at the time of the filing of the complaint contained in excess of $2600 and in which the husband had deposited $600 received as a refund on the parties joint income tax return. The wife testified that she did not draw on the account which had been closed at the date of trial, at which time the husband had only $13 in the bank. The evidence is clear that although tire husband had a large indebtedness, he also had, or had recently unexplainedly consumed, considerably more value in assets, in addition to the joint bank account. He had an inheritance of a % interest in 112 acres of land and at the time of trial owned three old motor vehicles. His farm equipment included two operating tractors and a combine.

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Bluebook (online)
322 N.E.2d 610, 24 Ill. App. 3d 1083, 1975 Ill. App. LEXIS 3585, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rich-v-rich-illappct-1975.