Watchorn v. Watchorn

1924 OK 638, 227 P. 435, 102 Okla. 114, 1924 Okla. LEXIS 145
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJune 17, 1924
Docket14889
StatusPublished

This text of 1924 OK 638 (Watchorn v. Watchorn) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Watchorn v. Watchorn, 1924 OK 638, 227 P. 435, 102 Okla. 114, 1924 Okla. LEXIS 145 (Okla. 1924).

Opinion

BRANSON, J.

This cause is now on a motion to dismiss the appeal. The record presents a mongrel proceeding in this court. In order to understand it, it is necessary to observe the character of the pleadings, the contents of the judgments entered by the trial court, and the dates of each, together with the date on which the appeal was fileid in this court. They will he set out chronologically. The nature of this action was one for divorce, instituted by H. M. Watchorn against the defendant, Lou Watchorn. Although they appear in this court in the reverse order, they will be referred to as plaintiff and defendant, as they appeared in the trial court.

On March 3, 1922, the plaintiff filed his petition in the district court of Cr.eek county, which prayed for a divorce. On April 13, 1922, the defendant, Lou Watchorn, filed her answer and cross-petition, in which she prayed for a division of the; property, alimony and support, suit money, and “all other proper relief.” In her answer and cross-petition, the defendant set up grounds for divorce, as against the plaintiff. In the cross-petition, the defendant set out the character of the property and the description thereof, own® by the plaintiff, among which was a piece of property owned at the institution of the action, in the name of the plaintiff, but shortly thereafter conveyed to on^ Whitehead. After reply was filed, the suit came on for trial before Hon. John L. Norman, district judge, on June 22. 1922, and at the conclusion of the evidence, the trial court made specific findings of fact (Record, page 186) and conclusions of law. The court concluded that the plaintiff was not entitled to a divorce as against the defendant, but—

. “That the defendant, under her cross-petition, is entitled to a decree of divorce from the plaintiff, upon the grounds of abandonment, as hereinabove found, which abandonment the court finds to have existed for more than one year prior to the institution of this suit.
“The court concludes that the real estate in this action should be divided equally between the parties, and for thd purpose of making a just and equitable partition or division in kind of such real estate, by agreement of counsel, the court appoints J. A. Boyd, H. E. Whitehead, and W. E. Loucks as commissioners; said commissioners will proceed without unnecessary delay to perform such duties, and report their action back to the court for approval,” etc.

After making said findings of fact and conclusions of law, the court signed a formal journal entry as of June 22, 1922, but which the record disclosed was not actually filed in the district court until December 30, 1922. After the formal parts of the decree, the court sets out that at the conclusion of the trial, request was made that the court make special findings of fact and conclus- • ions of law, and that these findings of fact and conclusions of law are made a part of the decree. The decree further rejcites that the plaintiff was not entitled to the divorce, and then recitejs;

“It is therefore ordered and directed by the court that the defendant, Lou Watchorn, be, and she is hereby, given judgment of absolute divorce of and from the plaintiff, H. M. Watchorn.”

Then the court sets out the real estate found to be owned, and describes the same, and as to which real estate he ordered an equal division between the parties. The pur-posej of the commissioners was merely to adjust it equitably and to report their action to the court. The decree further directed that the plaintiff pay the defendant’s attorney fejes, and further provided:

“It is further ordered that this decree shall, not be in full force and effect until the expiration of six months from the date thereof.”

• There is nothing in this judgment suspending the finality thereof until the report of the commissioners was affirmed.

The decre^ then recites that the defendant, Lou Watchorn, objected to> the granting of a divorce to her, and stated that she did not want a divorce. On the 12th day of June, 1923, or nearly a year after the entry of the above judgment and decree, the defendant filed in this cause what is denominated a “petition,” in which she states that this cause was heard in this court on the 22nd day of June, 1922, and upon that hearing the court decreed an equal division of the property belonging to the plaintiff and the defendant, and appointed commissioners to divide the property, but that no allowance for support and maintenance of defendant was made out of the income of the plaintiff from the time plaintiff abandoned defendant in 1919, and no allowance was made for future alimony and support of the defendant. That on trial of the cause, plaintiff testified to certain state of facts which constituted a fraud on the court, and procured the judgment of the court (of June 22, 1922) on the question of alimony and support by misrep- *116 re&entation and fraud. The said petition concluding:

“Premises considered, petitioner prays that thej judgment of this court awarding a division of said property be vacated and set aside, and that petitioner he granted a fair and just division of all the property owned by plaintiff and defendant, including property sold by the plaintiff since! the separation of plaintiff and defendant, and that she be granted a reasonable allowance for support and alimony out of the income of plaintiff from the time he desejrted and abandoned defendant in May, 1919, and that she be granted a reasonable allowance against said plaintiff for future alimony and support.”

This petition was heard by thej trial court on the date on which it was filed, to wit, June 12, 1923, and on said date, the trial court entered an order, preliminary to which the judge stated:

“In thej division of the property rights, the court has appointed commissioners suggested and agreed to in open court by both parties, and in whose integrity and ability to do the duties enjoined upon them the court has confidence. It seems like there has been some kind of an obstacle every step taken in this cause. So far as the court' is concerned, it will be satisfactory to let the matter remain just where it is, knowing no better way that he can dispose of it. * * * Therefore, it is the judgment of the court that the petition of the defendant filed herein on this date, to vacate and set aside the previous order of this court with reference to the property rights of the plaintiff and the defendant be, and the same is hereby denied. * * * It is the further order of the court that the exceptions of the plaintiff filed herein to the majority report of the commissioners be and the same is hereby overruled. * * * It is the further order of the court that the majority report of the commissioners * * * making a division of the real estate between plaintiff and defendant be, and the same is hereby, in all things approved and made the judgment of this court.
■ “It is the purpose of the court to deny the prayer of the petition filed by the defendant herein on June 12, 1923, and it is so ordered.”

At which juncture, the attorney for the defendant in open court said:

“The defendant prays an appeal, and gives notice of an appeal in open court, but we will show that in the journal entry.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1924 OK 638, 227 P. 435, 102 Okla. 114, 1924 Okla. LEXIS 145, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/watchorn-v-watchorn-okla-1924.