Zoppelli v. Zoppelli

45 N.W.2d 599, 153 Neb. 577, 1951 Neb. LEXIS 8
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 12, 1951
DocketNo. 32866
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 45 N.W.2d 599 (Zoppelli v. Zoppelli) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Zoppelli v. Zoppelli, 45 N.W.2d 599, 153 Neb. 577, 1951 Neb. LEXIS 8 (Neb. 1951).

Opinion

Messmore, J.

This is a divorce action commenced in the district court for Deuel County by Sadie R. Zoppelli against [578]*578Adolph E. Zoppelli. The court granted the plaintiff a divorce and dismissed the defendant’s cross-petition praying for a . divorce. The plaintiff perfected appeal to this court.

The basis of the appeal is that the district court was in error in not awarding her the full and complete title to the real estate known as the home place, described as the south half of the southeast quarter of Section 12, Township 12 North, Range 44 West of the 6th P. M. The parties are agreed that division of the real estate and personal property otherwise has been settled between them to their entire satisfaction.

We shall refer herein to the parties as they appeared in the original action.

“An appeal lodged in this court from a decree rendered in a divorce action brings the case here for trial de novo.” Nickerson v. Nickerson, 152 Neb. 799, 42 N. W. 2d 861. See section 25-1925, R. R. S. 1943.

The parties were married August 23, 1919, at Denver, Colorado. They established their home in Deuel County, Nebraska, in September 1920. They lived together as husband and wife until about Christmas of 1947. To the marriage two children were born, both of which are of age and married.

The plaintiff’s cause of action was based upon extreme cruelty. The petition alleged certain specific acts constituting extreme cruelty which were denied by the defendant’s answer, and his cross-petition charged the plaintiff with extreme cruelty, setting forth certain acts of the plaintiff constituting extreme cruelty. The evidence with reference to the charges so made need not be related, and the sufficiency thereof to award the plaintiff an absolute divorce is not contested in this court by the defendant. A review of the evidence discloses that it was sufficient to warrant the district court in granting the plaintiff a decree of absolute divorce.

The record discloses that at the time the parties were married the plaintiff owned four head of cows which [579]*579gave the parties a start in the dairy business. In 1921, the defendant became a bankrupt. Thereafter, by borrowing money from the First National Bank at Jules-burg, Colorado, other cattle were purchased, and the plaintiff started a dairy business which developed to some considerable extent. She testified that she conducted this business for a period of some 15 or 16 years, and applied the money she received from the business to the household expenses, the purchase of machinery, a truck, oil, and all necessary equipment to carry on the dairy business and the business of farming, and paid out in that course of time an amount of $29,000. The defendant was engaged in farming, and at the time of the trial was farming 600 acres most of which was wheat land.

On September 24, 1945; the plaintiff and defendant entered into a written agreement to the effect that differences had arisen between them as to their marital relations and concerning their property interests, and agreed upon a future conduct of their business interests until such time as they could settle the matters between them. This contract related that the real and personal property then owned and operated by the parties, or either of them, as a. farm and dairy was the joint property of the parties, having been earned, acquired, and accumulated as the result of their joint efforts and contributions during their married life. Further, they desired to carry on the business, maintain and operate the business, until their son was discharged from the military service, at which time the intention of the parties was to arrange for the son to operate the property or a portion thereof. Further, that neither party was to incur obligations or indebtedness exceeding the aggregate sum of $500 without the consent of the other, and the income from the property over and. above operating and living expenses would be used to pay any indebtedness owing by either party.

The plaintiff testified that the reason for the con[580]*580tract was that the defendant was taking money from the business and spending it wrongfully and extravagantly. He also constantly threatened to have a sale and dispose of the business and all their personal property.

In 1946, the parties harvested a large crop of wheat. The exact number of bushels is not shown by the record. The defendant estimated the crop as 25,000 bushels, but the plaintiff knew of some 12,000 bushels which she claimed the defendant sold and made no accounting of the proceeds. At this point it may be well to state that in this action she requests no accounting. Differences arose between the parties with reférence to this matter and on September 3, 1947, there was a public sale held by them to dispose of their cattle, equipment for farming and otherwise, and household goods. After deducting expenses of the sale and items bid in by the defendant there was a net of $23,968.25, as testified to by the plaintiff, from which there was deducted notes owing to the bank by the defendant in the amount of $7,510.83, of which the plaintiff claims to have had no knowledge, but contends that she suffered a personal loss by such notes being deducted from the net proceeds of the sale. She was unable to ascertain the indebtedness of the defendant to the bank. She contended it violated their formal agreement as to the operation and management of the business. The remaining amount was divided into two equal parts, the plaintiff receiving one-half of such proceeds and the defendant the other one-half. This constituted a property settlement of the personal property satisfactory to both parties.

The parties each own an undivided one-half interest in 320 acres of good farm land. The district court decreed that they owned such land as tenants in common, each holding an undivided one-half interest therein. The parties are satisfied with this arrangement and division of the 320 acres.

With reference to the 40 acres which has the improve-[581]*581merits on it and is involved in this cause, this was purchased from one Bessie Johnson for $2,000. The plaintiff paid $500 cash, borrowed $500 from her son Harold, and $500 from the First National Bank of Julesburg, Colorado, and the defendant paid $500. The plaintiff testified this money came from the two-thirds interest that she and her husband had in the dairy business, the other third having been given to a daughter during the absence of the son in the military service.

The defendant’s testimony with reference to this 40 acres is that at the time it was purchased they had $2,400 worth of improvements on the place, and the $2,000 was paid in addition to that. The $500 which he paid was from the sale of some lots that he owned in Julesburg, Colorado.

The other 40 acres constituting the homestead was bought at a partition sale, the plaintiff paying in the amount of $750, and the defendant testified he paid one-half thereof to the plaintiff for his interest in the 40 acres.

The plaintiff, in 1945, was desirous of improving the house and asked the defendant if he was willing that it be done. Plaintiff testified that he stated his willingness. The defendant denies that he did, except that he agreed that the plaintiff might fix up the basement. However, the plaintiff spent $4,157.38 in improving the house, which was paid from her own separate funds. In addition she did some sanding, painting, and finishing in the house. This was after the divorce action was started.

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51 N.W.2d 310 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1952)

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Bluebook (online)
45 N.W.2d 599, 153 Neb. 577, 1951 Neb. LEXIS 8, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/zoppelli-v-zoppelli-neb-1951.