Case Title: Acheson v. Acheson

Citation: 107 Ariz. 235, 485 P.2d 560

Docket Number: 

State: arizona

Court: Arizona Supreme Court

Date: 1971-05-28T00:00:00Z

Document:
107 Ariz. 235 (1971) 485 P.2d 560 Eddie Lou ACHESON, Appellant, v. Richard M. ACHESON, Appellee. No. 10322. Supreme Court of Arizona, In Division. May 28, 1971. *236 Raineri, Raineri, & Raineri, by Joseph C. Raineri, Sr., Scottsdale, for appellant. Minne & Sorenson, by Harold E. Whitney, Phoenix, for appellee. UDALL, Justice: Plaintiff, Eddie Lou Acheson, brought an action against her husband, Richard M. Acheson, seeking a decree of divorce on grounds of cruel and inhuman treatment. The defendant husband filed an answer and by counterclaim alleged similar grounds of misconduct on the part of the plaintiff and asked for divorce. The action was tried before the court without a jury. Judgment was entered granting the decree of divorce and ordering the defendant to pay the plaintiff's attorneys' fees in the amount of $1,312.00 and to pay the plaintiff $5,000.00 as reimbursement for debts and expenses, medical and otherwise, which she had incurred. The divorce decree made no provision for alimony. On appeal, plaintiff's only contention is that the trial court abused its discretion in not granting her an award of alimony. The parties in the case before us first met in 1963, in a Phoenix restaurant and bar where the plaintiff was employed as a waitress. They developed a friendship which ultimately led to their marriage in October, 1965, and soon thereafter they moved to Prescott. Each of them had been married twice before. The plaintiff quit her job sometime prior to the marriage and has not worked since, apparently in part because of certain physical infirmities which required considerable medical care and some hospitalization during marriage. The defendant husband was formerly in the sign business but has been retired for some 10 years because of an arthritic condition. Prior to the marriage he inherited considerable property from his father, and this property apparently was the primary source of income for the parties during their marriage. The parties separated in June, 1968, and the plaintiff filed this action in August, 1968. Trial before the court was held on April 25, 1969, and the formal judgment granting the decree of divorce was entered on June 16, 1969. The defendant was 53 years old at the time of the divorce; the plaintiff was 41. No children were born of the marriage. As is discussed in greater detail hereafter, an examination of the record reveals an absence of corroborating evidence of the misconduct which was alleged by the parties as grounds for the divorce. Since such corroborating evidence is required by statute, we must hold that the trial court was without jurisdiction to grant a divorce and that the judgment entered by the trial court *237 is therefore void. The judgment of the trial court is accordingly reversed and the cause remanded for a new trial. At the new trial the court may consider anew the question of alimony. To demonstrate our basis for the above holding, we first note that the trial court in the instant case granted a "Brown Decree" i.e., granted the decree of divorce without specifically granting the decree to either party. This form of divorce decree was first sanctioned by this Court in Brown v. Brown, 38 Ariz. 459, 300 P. 1007 (1931), and has been approved by this Court in a number of decisions since that time. See Hemphill v. Hemphill, 84 Ariz. 95, 324 P.2d 225 (1958); see also 133 A.L.R. 556. However, such a decree may be granted only where both parties have established satisfactory legal grounds for divorce. Moore v. Moore, 101 Ariz. 40, 415 P.2d 568 (1966). In the Moore case the trial court made a finding that neither the plaintiff nor the defendant established by satisfactory evidence their grounds for divorce, but in spite of that finding the trial court granted a "Brown Decree" dissolving the bonds of matrimony. As the basis for holding that the trial court was without jurisdiction under these circumstances to award a decree of divorce, we stated: As indicated above, A.R.S. § 25-312 provides ten grounds for divorce. The parties in the instant case relied on the second of those grounds. The statute provides as follows: In the instant case, both parties in their pleadings alleged grounds of cruel and inhuman treatment on the part of the other. Also, each party denied the allegation of cruel and inhuman treatment made by the other. Thereafter in a pre-trial agreement, the parties made the following stipulation: The stipulation that the parties were "entitled to a Brown Decree" was apparently an attempt to eliminate the need for presenting evidence as to whether grounds existed for the divorce. On this point, the wife's reply brief contains the following statement: We have reviewed the entire record on appeal, including the depositions and the exhibits attached thereto. It is apparent that the evidence presented was directed almost exclusively toward the issue of the financial circumstances of the parties. As a result, there was very little evidence relating to the issue of whether grounds existed for the divorce. The plaintiff and defendant, in their testimony, occasionally made an accusation or an admission regarding the misconduct alleged in the pleadings as grounds for the divorce. Other than these isolated comments, however, their testimony was directed entirely toward the issue of her needs and his ability to pay. The only other person to testify was the husband's banker, and his testimony was restricted to matters involving the husband's financial dealings with the bank. To sustain a judgment of divorce, corroborating evidence is required as to all material allegations. A.R.S. § 25-317 provides as follows: In interpreting this statute, we have held that the purpose behind the requirement of corroboration is to prevent collusion between or connivance by the parties to secure a divorce upon simulated or false grounds. Hemphill v. Hemphill, 84 Ariz. 95, 324 P.2d 225 (1958). In Lawson v. Lawson, 88 Ariz. 352, 356 P.2d 701 (1960), we further stated: Earlier in this opinion we pointed out that, in order for a "Brown Decree" to be valid, it is necessary that both parties establish satisfactory legal grounds for the *239 divorce. We also noted that in establishing such grounds, it is necessary, under A.R.S. § 25-317, to present corroborating evidence as to all material allegations. In the instant case, the parties in their pleadings alleged grounds of cruel and inhuman treatment, but the record reveals no corroborating evidence sufficient to meet the requirements of A.R.S. § 25-317. This situation apparently developed because the parties in their pre-trial agreement stipulated that they were both "entitled to a Brown Decree" and then presented evidence directed almost exclusively toward the issue of the financial circumstances of the parties. In effect, then, the parties attempted to obtain a divorce by mere mutual agreement, an approach which has clearly not been authorized by the legislature. Because of the lack of corroborating evidence, the parties in the instant action failed to establish satisfactory legal grounds for divorce. Under these circumstances the trial court was without jurisdiction to grant a divorce and the judgment entered by the trial court is therefore void. The judgment of the trial court is accordingly reversed and the cause remanded for a new trial. At the new trial the court may consider anew the question of alimony. Reversed and remanded. STRUCKMEYER, C.J., and CAMERON, J., concur.