Vetsch v. Vetsch

201 N.W.2d 886, 87 S.D. 17, 1972 S.D. LEXIS 90
CourtSouth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 15, 1972
DocketFile No. 11017
StatusPublished

This text of 201 N.W.2d 886 (Vetsch v. Vetsch) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering South Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Vetsch v. Vetsch, 201 N.W.2d 886, 87 S.D. 17, 1972 S.D. LEXIS 90 (S.D. 1972).

Opinion

WINANS, Judge.

[18]*18The plaintiff commenced an action for legal separation and thereafter the defendant answered, bringing a counterclaim for divorce. During the interim the plaintiff requested that defendant be required to pay to plaintiff a reasonable sum for support. At a hearing on this motion held September 22, 1970 the court ordered defendant to make certain payments as follows: $65.00 on the first day of each month commencing October 1, 1970 and thereafter during the pendency of the action, and further that plaintiff and defendant each pay one-half of the monthly mortgage loan payments to the Aberdeen Federal Savings and Loan in the total amount of $129.50 and each pay one-half of the indebtedness to the United Building Center in the total amount of $25.69 and each pay one-half of the delinquent personal property taxes amounting to approximately $150.00.

The main action came on for trial June 7, 1971 and the court dismissed both plaintiffs complaint and defendant’s counterclaim by an order dated June 7, 1971 and filed July 26, 1971. On June 22, 1971 the plaintiff by motion based on an affidavit of arrears of the defendant in complying with the court’s order of September 22, 1970 moved .“the Court prior to the filing of the orders of dismissal to issue its order to show cause requiring the defendant to appear and show cause why he should not be required to pay the delinquent monthly payments in the amount of $255.00”, and further, why “the defendant should not be required to pay the delinquent monthly mortgage loan payments to the Aberdeen Federal Savings & Loan Association in the amount of $914.00”, and further, why the defendant should not be found in contempt. On said date the court issued its order to show cause, made returnable on June 28, 1971. The defendant made a special appearance in support of his motion to dismiss in which he presented his contention as follows:

“Affiant states that this action, including Plaintiff’s Complaint for legal separation, and Defendant’s Counterclaim for divorce, was heard upon the merits by this Court on June 7, 1971, and that the Court, having heard all the evidence presented by both sides, orally dismissed Plaintiff’s Complaint and Defendant’s Counterclaim upon the merits from the bench and in the presence of both parties.
[19]*19That, therefore, the Court found, in effect that Plaintiff had no grounds for her prayer which included temporary support and alimony and that, therefore, such dismissal bars any further proceedings in this matter and particularly any application such has been attempted herein.”

The hearing on plaintiffs motion was held on July 19, 1971 resulting in the following order dated and filed July 26, 1971:

“ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED that the Defendant shall comply with the previous order of this Court dated September 22, 1970, wherein the Defendant was ordered to pay $65.00 each month beginning on the 1st day of October, 1970, for support and said Defendant was further ordered to pay one-half of the monthly mortgage loan payment to the Aberdeen Federal Savings & Loan amounting to a total of $129.50.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED that the Defendant shall pay to the Aberdeen Federal Savings & Loan Association, the delinquent payments in the amount of $914.00.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED that the Defendant shall pay to the Plaintiff, the delinquent monthly support payments in the amount of $255.00.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED that the Defendant shall comply in all respects with the previous orcjer of this Court dated September 22, 1970.”

The defendant appeals from the order of the court by assigning as error that the court lacked jurisdiction for the reason that the court had “previously and on June 7, 1971, in open court, dismissed both the Complaint of the Plaintiff-Respondent and the Counterclaim of the Defendant-Appellant.”

[20]*20SDCL 15-6-58 provides in part as follows: “A judgment or an order becomes complete and effective when reduced to writing, signed by the court or judge, attested by the clerk and filed in his office.” The order of the court dismissing plaintiffs and defendant’s alleged causes of action was not filed until July 26, 1971. We are of the opinion the court had jurisdiction to hear the order to show cause based upon the allegation of defendant’s delinquency in making support payments at the time he heard it. His order on the show cause order was entered in the office of the Clerk of Courts on the same day as his order dismissing plaintiff’s complaint and defendant’s counterclaim.

We do not believe Sears et al. v. Swenson, 1908, 22 S.D. 74, 115 N.W. 519, is contrary to this holding. There the court held that the husband was not liable in an independent common-law action for attorney fees contracted by his wife in divorce proceedings; that the obligation of the husband for his wife’s attorney fees in an action brought by her for divorce is dependent upon order of court and that such obligation does not exist where a divorce action is dismissed before attorney fees to the wife have been allowed. In the present case the support money had been allowed during the pendency of the action for divorce and separation.

It was held in Murphy v. Murphy, 1929, 56 S.D. 355, 228 N.W. 464, that where a wife had abandoned her suit against her husband for divorce and was living with him and presumptively receiving the support owing to her under amicable marriage relations, an order modifying an order for temporary alimony and counsel fees was erroneous. The court said:

“The modified order is a new order, not a mere amendment of the original, and does not relate back to the situation as it existed at the time of granting the original. Such orders are subject to modification to fit changed conditions, not to reflect a wavering judicial mind. The real object of the modification was to compel the husband to pay his wife’s attorneys. This cannot be done indirectly where it cannot be done directly. That it cannot be done directly is settled by Sears et al. v. Swenson, supra.”

[21]*21In our case there is no modification of the order of support pendente lite.

In Washington v. Washington, 1958, 163 Cal.App.2d 129, 329 P.2d 115, the California Court held: “Plaintiff is legally entitled to the amounts accrued under the order for temporary alimony up to the time when that order was terminated or superseded by further order or the interlocutory decree of the court (cases cited). Under settled principles the divorce court has jurisdiction after final judgment to take the necessary action to enforce the satisfaction of this accrued obligation.”

In Keezer on the law of Marriage and Divorce, Third Edition, Section 599 at page 672, the author in writing on temporary alimony states the law to be: “The allowance continues throughout the litigation, and ceases upon the entry of a final judgment, or upon the death of either party; but the order may be enforced for arrearages.” In 24 Am.Jur.2d, Divorce and Separation, § 560, ¡we find there is a split in authority concerning the effect of a final decree upon accrued obligation.

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Related

Maddox v. Maddox
160 So. 2d 481 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1964)
Button v. Button
222 A.2d 245 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1966)
Washington v. Washington
329 P.2d 115 (California Court of Appeal, 1958)
Sears v. Swenson
115 N.W. 519 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 1908)
Murphy v. Murphy
228 N.W. 464 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 1929)

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Bluebook (online)
201 N.W.2d 886, 87 S.D. 17, 1972 S.D. LEXIS 90, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/vetsch-v-vetsch-sd-1972.