Tiedemann v. Tiedemann

172 A.D. 819, 158 N.Y.S. 851, 1916 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 6027
Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York·Decided May 5, 1916·Published·Cited by 30 cases

Opinion

Laugi-ilin, J.:

This action is based upon a decree of divorce recovered by the plaintiff against the defendant in the District Court of the State of Nevada on the 10th day of April, 1914, on a complaint alleging that the plaintiff was a resident of that State, and on due personal service of the summons on the defendant within that State on the 16th day of August, 1912. Under the Constitution and statutes of Nevada, the District Court of that State was authorized to grant decrees of divorce where the plaintiff was a resident of the State and personal service of the summons was made upon the defendant within that State. (Tiedemann v. Tiedemann, 36 Nev. 494. See Nev. Const, art. 6, § 6; Nev. Revised Laws, § 5838 et seq.) The defendant appeared in the action in Nevada and demurred to the complaint on the ground that it did not appear thereby that the plaintiff had been a resident of the State for the period of six months prior to the commencement of the action. His demurrer was sustained in the lower court, but on appeal the judgment was reversed and the demurrer overruled by the Supreme Court, on the ground that the allegation of the complaint that the plaintiff was a resident was admitted by the demurrer, and that inasmuch as personal service of the summons was made upon the defendant within the State, the court acquired jurisdiction without its being shown that the plaintiff had been a resident of that State for the statutory period of six months, which would be required if the plaintiff relied upon her residence in the State alone. (Tiedemann v. Tiedemann, supra.) The defendant evidently abandoned any further defense to the action, and the decree of divorce was entered upon his default. It appears by the decision of the court, upon which the decree of divorce was entered, that it was found that the plaintiff was a resident of the State on the 16th day of August, 1912, which was the day on which service of the summons was made upon the defendant within that State.

The defendant by his answer in this action put in issue the allegations of the complaint with reference to the plaintiff’s residence in Nevada, and on the trial offered evidence to show that at the time the action was brought in Nevada and the decree of divorce rendered therein, both plaintiff and defend[822] ant were domiciled in the State of Connecticut. This was excluded, and he excepted. In support of that exception he relies upon Andrews v. Andrews (188 U. S. 14), and claims that it was essential to the jurisdiction of the District Court of Nevada to grant the decree that one or both parties should be domiciled in that State, and that he is at liberty to attack the decree collaterally by proof that such was not the fact. There are expressions in the opinion of the court in that case which tend to sustain the contention of the appellant, for it is therein repeatedly stated that regardless of statutory requirements, domicile of one of the parties within the State is essential to confer jurisdiction upon the courts of the State to dissolve the marriage contract, and that without such domicile jurisdiction cannot be conferred either by appearance or consent. In that case, however, the defendant in the action for divorce brought in South Dakota, after having appeared therein, withdrew her appearance and entered into an agreement with the plaintiff therein by which she consented to his taking a decree of divorce against her; and it is fairly to be inferred that the decree of divorce was entered upon such consent and without the fact of the plaintiff’s residence in South Dakota having been litigated or adjudicated, otherwise than upon such consent, for there is no discussion in the opinion with respect to the effect of the litigation of the question of the plaintiff’s residence in South Dakota, or of an adjudication with respect thereto based upon the allegations of the complaint and the defendant’s default after the withdrawal of her appearance. In Guggenheim v. Wahl (203 N. Y. 390) it was held, among other things, in effect, that where the jurisdictional facts with respect to residence are litigated in the court of the State in which the decree of divorce is rendered, on personal service on the defendant within that State, or on his appearance, the decree cannot be questioned collaterally in another jurisdiction with respect to such jurisdictional facts; and in Cross v. Cross (108 N. Y. 628) it was stated in the opinion that where the defendant in the divorce action appeared “ or ought to have so appeared ” in the foreign court and the jurisdictional facts were litigated then the judgment would not be open to collateral attack. (See, also, Noble v. Union River Logging Railroad, 147 U. S. 165, 173; Kinnier v. Kinnier, 45 N. Y. 535, [823]*823540; Fairchild v. Fairchild, 53 N. J. Eq. 678; Kirrigan v. Kirrigan, 15 id. 146; Matter of Ellis’ Estate, 55 Minn. 401; Strauss v. Strauss, 122 App. Div. 729.) The Nevada District Court concededly had jurisdiction of the parties, and with such jurisdiction it was competent for that court to determine the essential facts with respect to domicile to confer jurisdiction upon it over the subject-matter of the action; and whether the question with respect to the plaintiff’s residence in that State was actually litigated, or by the defendant’s default was determined under the law of the State on the allegations of the complaint, is, I think, immaterial, for there is in the decision upon which the decree was entered an adjudication that the plaintiff was a resident of that State, which the Supreme Court of Nevada deemed equivalent to domicile. (Tiedemann v. Tiedemann, supra.)

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Tiedemann v. Tiedemann, 172 A.D. 819, 158 N.Y.S. 851, 1916 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 6027 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1916).

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