Weber v. Weber

371 P.2d 147, 189 Kan. 661, 1962 Kan. LEXIS 327
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedMay 5, 1962
DocketNo. 42,691
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 371 P.2d 147 (Weber v. Weber) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Weber v. Weber, 371 P.2d 147, 189 Kan. 661, 1962 Kan. LEXIS 327 (kan 1962).

Opinion

[662]*662The opinion of the court was delivered by

Parker, C. J.:

This is an appeal from decisions made by the district court in connection with a proceeding instituted by motion, under the provisions of G. S. 1949, 60-3220 and 60-3221, to revive a dormant alimony judgment.

The undisputed events leading up to the institution of the proceeding are necessary to a proper understanding of the appellate issues involved and should first be stated.

In what appears to have been a friendly divorce suit, at least so far as it related to a division of the existing property rights, Barbara May Weber, hereinafter referred to as Barbara, was granted a divorce from Warren Lamarr Weber, hereinafter referred to as Warren, by the district court of Geary County on August 16, 1957. By the terms of the divorce decree, approving a contract making disposition of the property and other rights of the parties, Barbara was awarded a judgment against Warren for $15,000.00, cash alimony, payable in stated installments.

Barbara left the Weber home in Junction City on or about the day the divorce was granted. Soon thereafter she and her mother, Isabel M. Green, who will hereinafter be referred to as Isabel or administrator, left Junction City for Colorado. They remained awhile in Colorado and then left for Las Vegas, Nevada, where they lived at the Thunderbird Hotel for a short time. Later they moved into an apartment.

The record as to how long the mother and daughter lived in Las Vegas is indefinite. However, it does disclose that in January and February, 1959, Barbara was back in Colorado and Isabel had returned to her home in Wichita. Later, and during the forepart of 1959, Barbara moved to Wichita where, following an automobile accident, she died intestate on August 10, 1959, leaving Isabel as her sole and only heir at law.

Subsequently, in probate proceedings not here in question, Isabel was appointed as administrator of Barbara’s estate. Thereafter, and on November 22, 1960, the proceeding referred to in the first paragraph of this opinion was commenced by the administrator, in manner and form as indicated, in the district court of Geary County.

The motion to revive the judgment came on for hearing in due course before the district court. At the outset counsel for the re[663]*663spective parties made it clear to the court the judgment was subject to revivor in the name of Isabel, as administrator of the estate of Barbara. They then announced in open court the only issues between them were founded on their respective differences as to the balance due from Warren to the administrator on the alimony contract and agreed to submit those issues to the court for its decision and judgment. Following these announcements the district court, sitting as a court of equity, proceeded to hear all evidence adduced by the parties, found that the judgment theretofore rendered in the case on August 16, 1957, should be revived against the defendant, Warren Lamarr Weber, subject to a credit on said judgment of payments theretofore made in the total amount of $14,467.00, leaving a balance on such judgment of $533.00, and then rendered judgment reviving the judgment of August 16, 1957, in the name of Isabel M. Green, administrator of the estate of Barbara M. Weber, deceased, in the amount of $533.00.

Thereupon Isabel, as administrator of the estate of Barbara, perfected an appeal from the foregoing decision and judgment and brings the case to this court under specifications of error to which we shall presently refer.

A preliminary question requires attention. Appellee’s motion to dismiss the instant appeal, filed sometime before the case was set for hearing, was denied by this court with leave to renew at the hearing on the merits. The motion was renewed and argued in accord with the permission granted and has been considered. Contrary to Appellee’s position, we hold that a motion for a new trial is neither necessary nor required in order to obtain appellate review of a decision rendered after a hearing in a proceeding such as is described in the first paragraph of this opinion. Therefore the motion to dismiss the appeal must be again denied. For decisions fully demonstrating that our statutes (G. S. 1949, 60-3001, et seq.) do not provide for the filing of a motion for a new trial upon the hearing of a motion see Vole Irrigation Supply v. Knackstedt, 186 Kan. 143, 144, 348 P. 2d 602; Walker v. Meschke, 178 Kan. 149, 153, 283 P. 2d 424; Achenbach v. Baker, 157 Kan. 292, 139 P. 2d 407; Kessler v. Frost, 103 Kan. 711, 713, 175 Pac. 967; McDermott v. Halleck, 65 Kan. 403, 69 Pac. 335.

A further recital of uncontroverted facts is required in order to insure a proper understanding of the issues.

During the course of the hearing on the motion the parties, who [664]*664will now be referred to as appellant and appellee, agreed that $8,-800.00 had been paid by appellee on the alimony judgment, prior to the death of Barbara by reason of the depositing, by appellee, of amounts totaling that sum to Barbara’s account in the First National Bank of Junction City, in accord with the terms of the contract theretofore approved and made a part of the divorce decree by the district court. Later, and on oral argument in this court, counsel for appellant, with commendable candor, frankly admitted that an additional $100, in controversy in the court below and hence included in the appeal, had also been paid by appellee. Thus it appears that credits of $8,900.00 of the total credit ($14,467.00), allowed by the district court in connection with the revival of the judgment, are conceded to be proper and require no further attention.

The remaining credits allowed by the district court on the judgment, amounting to $5,567, are subject to review and for purposes of this appeal, can be classed.

Class (1) includes:

(a) A claim that on February 10, 1959, while in Las Vegas, appellee paid for Barbara the sum of $3,000.00, pursuant to a statement of account presented to him by the Thunderbird Hotel, showing that while Barbara was in Las Vegas she became indebted to that institution in that amount on an account, which had never been paid.

(b) A claim that on August 16, 1957 (the date of the divorce decree), Barbara, while leaving the family home, preparatory to fulfilling her theretofore announced plan of moving to Las Vegas, surreptitiously picked up two checks, signed by the United Film Service, one for $270 and another for $250, belonging to appellee, which she subsequently cashed notwithstanding the fact that, under the terms of the divorce decree, appellee was the owner of the checks and she had no right, title or interest therein.

(c) A claim that in August 1959, immediately after Barbara’s death, appellee paid the appellant $1,000 in cash in order to make provision for the payment of Barbara’s funeral expenses.

Class (2) includes:

(a) A claim that in 1956 appellee made appellant and her husband a thirty day personal loan of $1,300 and that by a letter, dated after Isabel had been appointed as administrator of Barbara’s estate, Isabel advised appellee he could deduct $800, which she and her [665]*665husband still owed on the loan, as a credit on the judgment. In passing we note the judgment was then an asset (Chapman v. Chapman, 184 Kan. 319, 320, 336 P. 2d 407; Bowman v. Bowman, 155 Kan. 602, 127 P.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
371 P.2d 147, 189 Kan. 661, 1962 Kan. LEXIS 327, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/weber-v-weber-kan-1962.