Worland v. Worland

551 P.2d 981, 89 N.M. 291
CourtNew Mexico Supreme Court
DecidedJune 22, 1976
Docket10432, 10499
StatusPublished
Cited by33 cases

This text of 551 P.2d 981 (Worland v. Worland) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Worland v. Worland, 551 P.2d 981, 89 N.M. 291 (N.M. 1976).

Opinion

OPINION

MONTOYA, Justice.

This appeal arises from a divorce action filed in the District Court of Bernalillo County. The petitioner (wife) and the respondent (husband) were married in New Mexico in 1968. Later that year they moved to Oklahoma. -They both attended Oklahoma City University. The husband graduated from the law school there and became a member of the Oklahoma bar. In August 1973, they moved back to New Mexico.

On February 28, 1975, he left their home taking all his personal possessions with him. On March 4, less than a week later, the wife filed her action for divorce, custody, child support, division of community property and attorney’s fees. That same day, while she was away from home, the husband returned and took one of their daughters, Denise, and transported her with him to his mother’s home in Colorado. The wife immediately moved the district court to issue an order to show cause why she should not have temporary custody of the child and to restrain the husband from removing the child from the jurisdiction of the court. The district court issued the order to show cause.

The husband was personally served with summons and copies of the petition, motion and order on March 5, in Denver, Colorado. On March 6, his local attorney, appearing specially, moved the district court to quash the service of process. The hearing on the order to show cause and the motion to quash was held on March 10. His attorney appeared specially at the hearing to dispute the jurisdiction of the court to adjudicate the custody of Denise Ann Worland. The district court, by order filed March 18, denied the motion to quash and granted the motion to place Denise in the temporary custody of the wife. On the basis of this temporary order, the wife moved for a writ of habeas corpus in the District Court in and for the City and County of Denver, Colorado, on March 20 to compel the husband to deliver Denise to her. The writ was issued and the matter was set for hearing. On April 10, the New Mexico district court entered its final decree granting the dissolution of marriage, awarding custody of both children, child support, attorney’s fees, costs and travel expenses to the wife, dividing the community property, and restraining the husband from removing the children from Bernalillo County. On April 18, the Denver court quashed its writ of habeas corpus and refused to give full faith and credit to the temporary custody order on the basis that the New Mexico district court acted without jurisdiction. The husband appeals from the temporary and final decrees of the district court.

On appeal the husband contends that (1) the lower court was without jurisdiction to award either custody of Denise Ann Worland or attorney’s fees to the wife, and (2) the relief granted in the default judgment should be set aside because it exceeds the relief prayed for in the petition.

A court of this State has jurisdiction to determine the custody of a child only if (1) the child is domiciled in this State, (2) the child is physically present in this State, or (3) the parties disputing custody are personally subject to the jurisdiction of the court. Wallace v. Wallace, 63 N.M. 414, 320 P.2d 1020 (1958); Montoya v. Collier, 85 N.M. 356, 512 P.2d 684 (1973).

The husband would have us reach the conclusion that the lower court was without jurisdiction, even before considering the foregoing grounds, on the basis of res judicata. He claims that the unappealed decision of the Colorado district court, that the New Mexico district court lacked jurisdiction, precludes us from deciding otherwise. In considering the doctrine of res judicata, we observe that the New Mexico district court entered its final decree on April 10, more than a week before the Colorado district court entered its decision. The New Mexico district court could not be precluded by a former adjudication if there was in fact no former adjudication.

Can the subject matter jurisdiction of the district court be predicated on the child being domiciled in this State at the time of the filing of the action? The domicile of a minor is the same as the domicile of the parent with whom he lives. Restatement (Second) of Conflict of Laws § 22(1) (1971). Denise is a minor who was less than two years old at the time of her removal to Colorado by her father. Therefore, since her removal from the family’s home in Albuquerque her domicile has been that of her father.

The lower court concluded that the father’s domicile at the time of the filing of the action and decree was New Mexico. The ultimate facts necessary to sustain a conclusion of domicile are (1) physical presence in the State at some time in the past, and (2) concurrent intention to make the State one’s home. Montoya v. Collier, supra. The lower court found physical presence in the State,0 but it failed to find that the requisite intent existed.

“ * * *. A judgment cannot be sustained on appeal unless the conclusion upon which it is based finds support in the findings of fact. [Citations omitted.]”

Goldie v. Yaker, 78 N.M. 485, 488, 432 P. 2d 841, 844 (1967). Although the appellant did not precisely raise this defect in the judgment of the lower court, it is appropriate, where there is a question of subject matter jurisdiction, that we do so on our own motion. In Heath v. Gray, 58 N.M. 665, 671, 274 P.2d 620, 623 (1954), we said:

“It is true that the first point raised by appellant bases its jurisdictional attack on a slightly different basis from that upon which we dispose of the case. However, lack of jurisdiction in the trial court is a question which this Court is required to consider, even in the absence of its being raised by the parties. [Citations omitted.]”

Where the party has requested the appropriate findings the case will be remanded so that they may be entered. Isaac v. Seguritan, 66 N.M. 410, 349 P.2d 126 (1960). However, where the party has failed to request the appropriate findings of ultimate fact, as is the case here, they are waived, and the conclusion must fall. Goldie v. Yaker, supra. Accordingly, jurisdiction cannot be based on domicile.

It is not contended that the child was physically present in this State, so we must look to the third possible jurisdictional ground. Were both the parties disputing custody personally subject to the jurisdiction of the court? The wife submitted herself to the jurisdiction of the court by filing the action, but the husband was not served with process within the State. She asserts that her husband was nevertheless susceptible to service outside the State under the long-arm statute and the divorce statute. The long-arm statute reads as follows :

“Personal service of process outside state. A. Any person, whether or not a citizen or resident of this state, who in person or through an agent does any of the acts enumerated in this subsection thereby submits himself or his personal representative to the jurisdiction of the courts of this state as to any cause of action arising from:

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Bluebook (online)
551 P.2d 981, 89 N.M. 291, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/worland-v-worland-nm-1976.