Stitle v. Stitle

197 N.E.2d 174, 245 Ind. 168, 1964 Ind. LEXIS 192
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 24, 1964
Docket30,285
StatusPublished
Cited by41 cases

This text of 197 N.E.2d 174 (Stitle v. Stitle) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Stitle v. Stitle, 197 N.E.2d 174, 245 Ind. 168, 1964 Ind. LEXIS 192 (Ind. 1964).

Opinion

Jackson, J.

— This is an appeal from a judgment of the Hendricks Circuit Court finding appellant guilty of contempt for violation of a support order incident to a decree of divorce previously entered.

*169 The factual situation may be best summarized by reference to the Affidavit for Contempt Citation filed by appellee and appellant’s Answer in Denial thereto. The above mentioned pleadings, omitting formal parts, verification and signatures follow chronologically.

“Affidavit for Contempt Citation
“Comes now Pauline A. Stitle, who being first duly sworn upon her oath, says that she is the plaintiff in the above entitled cause of action wherein she was granted a Decree for Divorce on or about December 3, 1956, and as a part of the decree for the divorce entered herein she was awarded the custody of the two minor children of the parties, Harry M. Stitle, III and Stephen A. Stitle.
“That the defendant was ordered to pay the sum of $200.00 per month, payable $100.00 on the first day of each month and $100.00 on the 15th day of each month, for the support and maintenance of said minor children, and that said order for support has since said date not been modified.
“That the defendant has refused, failed and neglected to comply with the order of this Court in that he failed to make all the required payments in the years 1959, 1960 and 1961 and has failed to make payments in the correct amounts in each of said years, and is now in arrears in the approximate amount of $1,100.00.
“That the defendant should be ordered to pay a reasonable sum for the use and benefit of plaintiff’s attorneys herein.
“WHEREFORE your Affiant prays that a rule may issue against the defendant to show cause why he should not be punished for his contempt of court in disobeying said order.”
“ANSWER DENYING FACTS ALLEGED IN AFFIDAVIT FOR CONTEMPT CITATION.
“Comes now Harry M. Stitle, Jr., defendant herein, and denys the facts stated in the affidavit for contempt citation filed herein on January 11, 1962 and alleges:
“1. That upon the decree of divorce being granted in this court on December 3, 1956, he made a *170 payment to the Clerk of Marion County, for the use and benefit of plaintiff in the amount of One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) to pay for the second half of December, 1956, for the support of his two sons.
“2. That during the year of 1957, his sons resided with their mother the entire year and he paid the sum of Twenty Four Hundred Dollars ($2,400.00) to the Clerk of Marion Circuit Court for the use and benefit of plaintiff.
“3. That during the year of 1958, his sons resided with their mother the entire year and he paid the sum of Twenty Four Hundred Dollars ($2,400.00) to the Clerk of Marion Dircuit (sic) Court for the use and benefit of plaintiff.
“4. That during the year of 1959, his sons resided with him during the four (4) week period from the 15th day of July until the 14th day of August, during which period no support was payable and he therefore paid the Clerk of Marion Circuit Court for the year 1959, the sum of Twenty Two Hundred Dollars ($2,200.00), for the use and benefit of plaintiff.
“5. That during the year of 1960, his sons resided with him during the month of July, during which period no support was payable and he therefore paid the Clerk of Marion Circuit Court for the year 1960, the sum of Twenty Two Hundred Dollars ($2,200.00), for the use and benefit of plaintiff.
“6. That during the year of 1961, for the first five and one-half months, he paid the sum of Eleven Hundred Dollars ($1,100.00) to said clerk of Marion Circuit Court for the use and benefit of plaintiff, and that his son, Harry III, having graduated from Broad Ripple High School in the second week of June, 1961 and having obtained employment, pursuant to the law of the State of Indiana, ceased to pay support payments for Harry III, but continued to pay support payments for his son, Stephen, at the rate of One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) per month for the remainder of the year 1961.
*171 “7. That in the month of January, 1962, he paid the sum of One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) to the Clerk of the Marion Circuit Court for the use and benefit of plaintiff.
“8. That on February 1, 1962, paid an additional Fifty Dollars, ($50.00) to the Clerk of the Marion Circuit Court for the use and benefit of the plaintiff.
“9. That during the period between September 1,. 1961, and December 31, 1961, in addition to the aforesaid support payments for his son, Stephen, he furnished his son, Harry III, funds in excess of. Eleven Hundred Dollars ($1,100.00) for the purpose of attending the University of Illinois, and the purchasing of the necessary books, supplies, clothing, etc.
“WHEREFORE, defendant states that he has in all ways complied with the orders of this court and he requests that the Citation for Contempt be dismissed and the same be dismissed at the cost of the plaintiff herein.”

Thereafter, prior to a hearing on the contempt citation, appellee filed a Petition to Modify Divorce Decree in which she asked that the previous support order be doubled and also thereafter and prior to the hearing on the contempt citation appellee’s attorneys filed their Petition For Allowance of Partial Attorney’s Fees.

We have taken appellant’s condensed recital of the evidence from his brief, as the appellee in her brief paragraph six page two, “accepts the appellant’s condensed recital of the evidence in narrative form” as follows:

“I am Pauline Adair Stitle and am the same Pauline Stitle who was plaintiff in a divorce action in this court wherein a decree was entered about December 3, 1962. The decree provided for payments for the support of my two minor children in the amount of $100.00 on the first of the month *172 and $100.00 on the fifteenth. This order was complied with in 1957 and 1958, but in 1959 there was an arrears of $200.00 for the month of July and in 1960 there was an arrears of $200.00 for the month of July. In 1961, starting in June, the arrearage for the rest of the year was $650.00.
“Plaintiff’s Exhibit 1 a certified copy from the Marion County Clerk of such support payments was admitted and is attached to page 41 of the transcript.
“Harry III, my son, is presently 18 years old, he is presently unemployed and is a student at the University of Illinois. I am not personally able to pay for and support his attendance at the University. His father made arrangements for him to go and this was not at my request nor at Harry’s request.
“Harry attended the University of Illinois the full semester of 1961 and is in attendance there now.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
197 N.E.2d 174, 245 Ind. 168, 1964 Ind. LEXIS 192, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stitle-v-stitle-ind-1964.