Robinson v. Robinson

235 S.W.2d 228, 1950 Tex. App. LEXIS 1775
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 29, 1950
Docket12155
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 235 S.W.2d 228 (Robinson v. Robinson) 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
Robinson v. Robinson, 235 S.W.2d 228, 1950 Tex. App. LEXIS 1775 (Tex. Ct. App. 1950).

Opinion

NORVELL, Justice.

This is an. appeal from a judgment awarding the plaintiff, Elizabeth Robinson, a divorce from defendant, William Swift Robinson. The custody of a minor child, William Harvey Robinson, was awarded to the mother.

Trial was to the court without a jury and the trial judge, upon proper request, filed findings of fact and conclusions of law which support the judgment rendered.

The appellant, William Swift Robinson (defendant below), presents six points of error which do not specifically attack the findings of the trial judge, but assert propositions contrary thereto.

The trial judge found that appellant was guilty of cruel treatment and outrages toward appellee of such a nature as to render their further living together insupportable. By his first point, appellant asserts that the evidence of cruel treatment is not of that full and satisfactory character required by Article 4632, Vernon’s Ann.Civ.Stats.

This point raises a question of fact to be passed upon by this Court, and “It is our duty to determine as to' the quality of the evidence in this respect.” Mayen v. Mayen, Tex.Civ.App., 177 S.W.2d 240, 242. In determining whether or not the evidence meets the full and satisfactory test, however, our position differs from, that of the trial court in that this Court has no authority to pass upon the credibility of witnesses. Bell v. Bell, Tex.Civ.App., 135 S.W.2d 546; Mayen v. Mayen, supra; Mortensen v. Mortensen, Tex.Civ.App., 186 S.W.2d 297; Moore v. Moore, Tex.Civ.App., 213 S.W.2d 724; Nix v. Nix, Tex.Civ.App., 218 S.W.2d 242; Ellis v. Ellis, Tex.Civ.App., 225 S.W.2d 216.

In most cases where appellate courts have held that the evidence failed to meet the clear and satisfactory test, it will be found that the testimony was equivocal in nature, that is, a party or witness had testified to conclusions or given summations of conduct which although true might either encompass serious wrongs or amount to nothing more than a description of mere domestic *230 bickering. Such expressions as, “He was mean and hateful and would oppose anything I wanted to do,” or “He was always humiliating me in front of my friends and trying to make out like I didn’t have any sense,” call for further explanation or clarification before they meet the clear and satisfactory test. In such instances, the credibility of the witness is not involved. From an inspection of the written record, the lack of detail and specific statement may be ascertained. Examples of evidence which the appellate courts have in recent cases held to be insufficient under the clear and satisfactory rule are contained in the reports of Garcia v. Garcia, Tex.Civ.App., 185 S.W.2d 227; Mayen v. Mayen, Tex.Civ.App., 177 S.W.2d 240; and Warfield v. Warfield, Tex.Civ.App., 161 S.W.2d 533.

In the present case, however, there is no ambiguity or indefiniteness of statement with regard to the primary acts relied upon to' establish cruel treatment, namely, physical violence. Appellee testified that she had been repeatedly beaten by her husband. One witness testified that he had seen appellee with bruised places about her head, which she said had been caused by her 'husband’s blows. Another witness testified that she saw appellant repeatedly strike and slap appellee in the face while they were standing outside a department store on one of the main streets of Corpus Christi, Texas.

Appellant’s first point is overruled. Nix v. Nix, Tex.Civ.App., 218 S.W.2d 242, and authorities therein cited.

By his second point, appellant asserts that the evidence is insufficient to show appel-lee’s bona fide inhabitancy in the State of Texas for the one-year statutory period, Article 4631, Vernon’s Ann.Civ.Stats. The case was tried upon an amended petition and it was shown that for one year prior to the filing of this amended pleading, the appellee had physically resided in Nueces County, except for comparatively short periods of timé. These absences, according to her testimony, were intended to be temporary only, and one of them was involuntary. We think the court clearly had jurisdiction, unless the fact that appellant was in the naval service of the United States alters the situation.

It appears that the parties were married in Tennessee on June 6, 1940'. Shortly thereafter, appellant enlisted in the Navy and the couple lived at or near various naval installations in the United States. In the latter part of 1948, appellant was transferred to the Corpus Christi Naval Base. According to appellee, her husband requested this transfer from a Florida base and it was the then intention of the parties to make their home in Texas. About two weeks after their arrival in Corpus Christi, according to appellee, a separation took place. The parties later composed their differences and as one of the conditions for reassuming the marital relationship appel-lee insisted that appellant establish a home for her and her child, as they had had no fixed place of domicile since their marriage. Appellant acceded to this condition. A house was rented and a considerable amount of household furniture and fixtures were purchased, such as an electric refrigerator, a gas stove and other rather expensive items. In order to corroborate her testimony as to the establishment of a residence, appellee placed a witness on the stand who1 testified that he was a real estate man and that appellant had told 'him that he had made Corpus Christi his permanent home and was interested in buying a house at around $8,000. Because of this statement, the witness had shown appellant and appellee a number of houses.

The mere fact that one in the military or naval service may, in accordance with the orders from a superior authority, physically reside in Texas for a period of one year is insufficient in itself to establish a residence for divorce purposes. Gallagher v. Gallagher, Tex.Civ.App., 214 S.W. 516. An intention to establish a residence in .the future is likewise insufficient. However, the fact that one is a soldier or sailor does not deprive him of the right to change his residence or domicile and acquire a new one. Morehouse v. Morehouse, Tex.Civ.App., 111 S.W.2d 831. We think the evidence in this case fully supports the trial judge’s finding that appellant and ap- *231 pellee “intended to, and did, make Nueces Comity, Texas, their permanent residence.”

Appellant’s second point is overruled. Warfield v. Warfield, Tex.Civ.App., 161 S.W.2d 533.

By his third point, appellant asserts that the trial court was without jurisdiction to determine the custody of the minor child of the parties.

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Bluebook (online)
235 S.W.2d 228, 1950 Tex. App. LEXIS 1775, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/robinson-v-robinson-texapp-1950.