Taormina v. Taormina

322 P.2d 46, 158 Cal. App. 2d 101, 1958 Cal. App. LEXIS 2336
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 28, 1958
DocketCiv. No. 22329
StatusPublished

This text of 322 P.2d 46 (Taormina v. Taormina) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Taormina v. Taormina, 322 P.2d 46, 158 Cal. App. 2d 101, 1958 Cal. App. LEXIS 2336 (Cal. Ct. App. 1958).

Opinion

WOOD (Parker), J.

Appeal by defendant from an order denying a motion to set aside an interlocutory judgment of divorce or, in the alternative, to correct a clerical mistake in the judgment.

Appellant contends that a valid (interlocutory) judgment was not rendered herein; that the interlocutory judgment which was entered is void; and that if a valid (interlocutory) judgment was rendered, such judgment was the minute order which was entered after the trial.

In October, 1947, Mrs. Taormina commenced an action for divorce. Mr. Taormina filed an answer and cross-complaint. On March 12, 1948, the matter was tried before Judge Still. At the conclusion of the trial, Judge Still announced his decision, and the parties waived findings. On March 23, 1948, a minute order which was dated March 12, 1948, was entered. The minute order states, in part, that plaintiff is granted an interlocutory judgment of divorce and that “the real property . . . and furnishings [are] awarded to plaintiff as her sole and separate property; the real property now subject to a first trust deed in the sum of $5400.00 is to be plaintiff’s, free and clear. Both parties, however, are to join in refinancing said property at the increased amount of $500.00. The interest in the café is awarded to the defendant as his sole and separate property . . . .” Subsequent to March 12, 1948, and prior to April 5, 1948, Judge Still became incapacitated by [103]*103illness and he remained incapacitated until his death May 6, 1948. On April 5, 1948, the clerk of the court (Mr. Jasper Likes) presented to Judge Miller an interlocutory judgment of divorce which had been prepared by Mrs. Taormina’s attorney. Judge Miller wrote at the lower left side of the judgment, as follows: “Approved Fred Miller Judge April 5, 1948.” The initials “J. L.” appear in the lower left margin of the judgment, opposite the signature of Judge Miller. On April 8, 1948, the interlocutory judgment was entered. That judgment provides, in part, that plaintiff “have as her sole and separate property the following described real property located at 1400 La Grande Terrace, San Pedro, California [legal description] and that defendant (Mr. Taormina) is ordered to make the payments “on said home until paid in full”; and that “an additional loan shall be made on said property not to increase the encumbrance over $6000.00, and both parties hereto are ordered to sign any papers necessary to complete the transaction.” The judgment further provides “that defendant have as his sole and separate property that certain business known as Fisherman’s Wharf Sea Food Grotto . . . On April 9, 1949, at the request of Mrs. Taormina’s attorney, and upon motion of the court, a final judgment of divorce was entered. The final judgment, which refers to the interlocutory judgment that was entered on April 8,1948, provides, in part, that plaintiff is granted a final judgment of divorce; and that “wherein said interlocutory judgment relates to the property of the parties hereto, said property be and the same is hereby assigned in accordance with the terms thereof to the parties therein declared to be entitled thereto. ’ ’

On August 15, 1956, Mr. Taormina filed a notice of motion to set aside the interlocutory judgment or, in the alternative, “to correct a clerical mistake in the judgment entered so as to make it conform to the judgment actually rendered and directed herein.” The alleged clerical mistake, according to Mr. Taormina, was that an interlocutory judgment should not have included a provision to the effect that he pay the indebtedness of approximately $5,400 which was on the home property that was awarded to Mrs. Taormina. It seems to be his contention that, according to the minute order, the home which was subject to a $5,400 trust deed was “to be plaintiff’s free, and clear,” except for the indebtedness of $5,400.

In support of his motion, Mr. Taormina filed an affidavit [104]*104of Harold L. Johnson, one of his present attorneys. In that affidavit, Mr. Johnson made substantially the same statements, as are hereinabove made, regarding the pleadings and proceedings.

In opposition to the motion, Mrs. Taormina filed affidavits of Julian P. Van Dyke (her attorney), Allan P. Bullard (attorney for Mr. Taormina at the trial), Joseph Likes (the court clerk), and herself.

Mr. Van Dyke stated in his affidavit: At the trial of the divorce action, Mrs. Taormina was granted a divorce and the parties stipulated “as to the payments of alimony, child support, divisions of property, and payments to be made thereon”; the stipulation was approved by the court and made part of the order pronounced by Judge Still at the time he granted plaintiff (Mrs. Taormina) a divorce; thereafter he (Mr. Van Dyke) prepared an interlocutory judgment of divorce and submitted it to Allan P. Bullard for his approval as attorney for Mr. Taormina; Mr. Bullard approved the interlocutory judgment “as being an accurate reproduction of the order made by” Judge Still; the interlocutory judgment in the file in the action is the interlocutory judgment which was approved by Mr. Bullard; the minute order does not completely set forth the judgment as given by Judge Still; the interlocutory judgment does set forth the judgment which was rendered by Judge Still.

Mr. Bullard’s affidavit was in substance the same as the affidavit of Mr. Van Dyke.

Mr. Jasper Likes, who was the clerk in the department of the court where the case was tried, stated in his affidavit: When an interlocutory judgment of divorce was presented for signing, he customarily compared it with the judgment previously rendered; if he found the judgment presented to be a correct copy of the judgment previously rendered, he placed his initials “J.L.” in the left margin of the judgment; the initials “J.L.,” appearing in the left margin of the interlocutory judgment entered in the present action, are his initials and were placed thereon after he had compared the judgment with “that” previously rendered by the court and he had determined that the judgment presented was correct.

Mrs. Taormina stated in her affidavit that after the entry of the final decree herein she had married a person other than Mr. Taormina, and that Mr. Taormina had married another person.

In a counteraffidavit filed by Mr. Taormina, he stated that after the action was called for trial Mrs. Taormina’s attorney [105]*105stated that a property settlement agreement had been reached; he (Mr. Taormina) did not recall the exact words of the attorney; he was certain the attorney “made no statement about my making the payments on the house.”

In support of his contention that a valid interlocutory judgment was not entered and that the interlocutory judgment which was entered is void, appellant (Mr. Taormina) states that at the time of trial of the action it was the procedure of the trial court to make a final decision by a formal interlocutory judgment and to provide therein that a final judgment would be entered after the lapse of one year from the entry of the interlocutory judgment.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Escobedo v. State of California
222 P.2d 1 (California Supreme Court, 1950)
Rediker v. Rediker
221 P.2d 1 (California Supreme Court, 1950)
Union Bank & Trust Co. v. Gordon
254 P.2d 644 (California Court of Appeal, 1953)
Wendell v. Wendell
245 P.2d 342 (California Court of Appeal, 1952)
Biggs v. Biggs
230 P.2d 32 (California Court of Appeal, 1951)
Storke v. Storke
64 P. 578 (California Supreme Court, 1901)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
322 P.2d 46, 158 Cal. App. 2d 101, 1958 Cal. App. LEXIS 2336, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/taormina-v-taormina-calctapp-1958.