Seward v. Seward

134 N.E.2d 560, 126 Ind. App. 607, 1956 Ind. App. LEXIS 147
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 23, 1956
Docket18,746
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 134 N.E.2d 560 (Seward v. Seward) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Seward v. Seward, 134 N.E.2d 560, 126 Ind. App. 607, 1956 Ind. App. LEXIS 147 (Ind. Ct. App. 1956).

Opinion

Pfaff, P. J.

Appellant brought this action against appellee for a divorce, and appellee filed a cross-petition. *610 In her amended complaint appellant alleged that she was the owner of certain described real estate and prayed “that said above-described real estate be' set off to plaintiff and found to be the property of the plaintiff”; she also asked for the custody of the 18-year old child of the parties; that appellee be ordered to pay regular support for the child; that she be awarded alimony ; and for all other proper relief.

Trial was had, resulting in a finding and judgment for appellant on her amended complaint and against appellee on his cross-petition. The custody of the child was awarded to the appellant.

The court adjudged and decreed that the real estate be set off to the appellant, as well as the household furnishings, two motor vehicles and business equipment. Judgment was rendered that appellee recover of appellant the- sum of $3,500, payable within ninety days and that said sum constitute a lien against the property set off to appellant.

Appellant complains of the admission of evidence concerning the personal property of the parties, over her objections, the argument advanced being that no question concerning the personal property was within the issues. It is well-established that the court has the right and duty to settle and determine the property rights of the parties. Wallace v. Wallace (1953), 123 Ind. App. 454, 110 N. E. 2d 514, 111 N. E. 2d 90. Gray v. Miller (1952), 122 Ind. App. 531, 106 N. E. 2d 709. The appellant’s motion for new trial does not set forth the questions or answers thereto together with the objections made, and no question is presented as to the admission of this evidence. Henderson v. State (1956), 235 Ind. 132, 131 N. E. 2d 326; Boyle v. State (1955), 234 Ind. 215, 125 N. E. 2d 707; Hire v. Pinkerton (1955), 126 Ind. App. 23, 127 N. E. 2d 244; Alt *611 meyer v. Norris (1954), 124 Ind. App. 470, 119 N. E. 2d 31; Trent v. Rodgers (1952), 123 Ind. App. 139, 104 N. E. 2d. 759; Westfield v. General Finance Corp. (1952), 122 Ind. 232, 104 N. E. 2d 136; Flanagan, Wiltrout and Hamilton, Indiana Trial and Appellate Practice, §1812, Comment 8, p. 388.

Argument is also made to the effect .that appellee . had abandoned his personal property but the evidence apparently relied upon is not set out in the briefs and .therefore no question is presented.

Appellant complains of the action of the court in setting off to appellant her separate real property. This is exactly what the appellant, in- her amended complaint, prayed that the court do. An appellant cannot successfully present as error action which he induced the trial court to take. Gray v. Gray (1931), 202 Ind. 485, 176 N. E. 105; McMahan v. McMahan (1895), 142 Ind. 110, 40 N. E. 661; The Louisville, New Albany and Chicago Railway Company v. Miller (1894), 141 Ind. 533, 37 N. E. 343; State ex rel. Reiman v. Kimmel (1937), 212 Ind. 639, 10 N. E. 2d 911.

The married life of the parties extended over a period of nearly twenty years-. Appellant had inherited $5,000 from her father twelve or thirteen years prior to her marriage. The real estate was in appellant’s name and was purchased with funds left to her by her father. In partnership with one Burton Lee she bought the tract and paid $1,500 for her share.

During the married life a dry-cleaning plant and a house were built on the real property at a cost of approximately $8,500. All of appellant’s $5,000, except $600 or $700 used to pay other bills, went into the real estate. When the house was built there was an indebtedness of $1,500 which was secured by a mortgage *612 on the real estate, and there has been a mortgage on the real estate for this amount since 1939, the mortgage having been renewed in later years. Appellee’s money was used in the construction of the dry-cleaning plant, and the equipment as he left it was worth approximately $3,000. The real estate is now worth between $15,000 and $20,000.

Appellant taught school during some of the years of their married life, and appellee’s average yearly earnings were between $3,500 and $4,000, and she contributed in the period of twenty years between $14,000 to $16,000: Both parties deposited their money in a joint bank account and both checked on the account.

Appellee put $6,750, which he realized from the sale of a part of his interest in an oil lease, in the joint account. He further testified that he made a sale of a cleaning plant in Montieello, Indiana, from which he realized approximately $5,200, and this was put in the joint account. He further testified that during the years ■of their married life, he contributed $3,500 to $4,000 a year. That most of the money realized from the cleaning plant, his work at DuPont and the sale of oil leases was put in the joint bank account.

.Appellant bought some of the original furniture for the home' and some of it was paid for from the joint account.

- The 1949 Buick automobile, bought in that year, was purchased by appellant from the joint bank account. There is also evidence that appellee put $1,500 into the Buick and, also, $500 plus an old truck in the purchase of a new truck.

There was also testimony that the personal property was worth between $2,675 and $2,875.

When the parties separated appellee took only $100 in cash, his clothes, a typewriter and fishing tackle.

*613 Appellee was not relieved of liability on the mortgage, and could not have been relieved without the consent of the mortgagee. The mortgagee was not a party to the action. Shula v. Shula (1956), 235 Ind. 210, 132 N. E. 2d 612.

Appellant further contends that the judgment in favor of appellee for $3,500 is excessive in amount, and that, in fact, no judgment should have'been rendered in his favor; that, in effect, it allowed a husband to recover for improvements made on his wife’s separate real estate; and that that part of the judgment creating a lien is a nullity.

Appellant also insists that the $3,500 allowance made by the court in favor of appellee was alimony and that in this state the husband is not entitled to alimony. The finding and judgment of the court does not provide that the allowance was in the nature of alimony, nor do we so regard it. The evidence shows the deposit by appellee of considerable amount of his own funds in the joint bank account of the parties and the use of said account in the business, improvements and equipment of the parties. The court awarded all of said business, property and equipment to appellant.

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Bluebook (online)
134 N.E.2d 560, 126 Ind. App. 607, 1956 Ind. App. LEXIS 147, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/seward-v-seward-indctapp-1956.