Title: Ver Meer v. Ver Meer

State: south-dakota

Issuer: South Dakota Supreme Court

Document:

241 N.W.2d 571 (1976) Shirley VER MEER, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. John VER MEER, Jr., Defendant and Appellant. No. 11536. Supreme Court of South Dakota. April 29, 1976. *572 Sam D. Sechser and Roger A. Schiager, Sioux Falls, for defendant and appellant. Derald W. Wiehl and John C. Quaintance, May, Johnson & Burke, Sioux Falls, for plaintiff and respondent. DOBBERPUHL, Circuit Judge. The Plaintiff and the Defendant were married on July 31, 1949, at Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and were husband and wife until the divorce was granted on April 19, 1974. Four children were born as issue of the marriage, two of the children of legal age and two of the children of ages fifteen and twelve. The trial court found in Number IV of the findings: Finding Number V of the trial court: On that basis the trial court awarded to the Defendant husband on his cross-complaint a divorce. He also awarded custody of the two minor children to the plaintiff wife and provided for their support, and made a division of property. The court awarded the Plaintiff wife alimony in the sum of One Dollar ($1.00) per year. When this appeal was taken, the court on a hearing to show cause, brought by the Plaintiff for attorneys' fees, ordered the Defendant to pay attorneys' fees to the Plaintiff's attorneys in the total sum of Seven Hundred and Fifty Dollars ($750.00) for the purpose of making the appeal. Defendant in his appeal presents five assignments of error. Number One: Did the Court err in requiring the Defendant to pay alimony in the sum of One Dollar ($1.00) per year to the Plaintiff wife when the Defendant husband had been awarded the decree of divorce from the Plaintiff based upon extreme cruelty and conduct by the Plaintiff towards the husband? The answer to that question is found in SDCL 25-4-41: This Court dealt with this statute in Bernard v. Bernard, 1952, 74 S.D. 449, 54 N.W.2d 351; in that case a divorce to the husband by the Court because of extreme cruelty of the wife. Pursuant to a stipulation, the husband agreed to pay the wife Eighty Dollars ($80.00) per month for her support and the Court ordered the husband to pay that Eighty Dollars ($80.00) to the wife. Three years later, the husband brought an Order to Show Cause seeking to have the judgment by the Court modified by striking the support payment. The Court, acting upon the request, modified the judgment to a payment of Sixty Dollars ($60.00) per month, but did not strike the payment in its entirety. The husband appealed and this Court held that alimony is statutory in origin and authority for such allowance is granted when the divorce is for the offense of the husband, and the Court does not have equitable powers for granting alimony. The ruling of that case is applicable here even if both parties are guilty of misconduct, but only the husband is granted the divorce. Assignments of error Two and Three: (1) Did the trial court err in granting custody of the children, ages fifteen and twelve, to the mother, since these children were not of tender years and other considerations between the mother and the father were not equal but were in favor of the father? (2) That the evidence would show that the mother was unfit to care for the children? The trial court talked separately to the minor children in private and out of the hearing of others, to determine their preferences. That, as well as other factors covered by the record, establishes that the court found that considerations between the father and the mother were not equal, and that the mother, in spite of her misconduct to her husband, was the proper parent to have custody of the children. It is clear from the record that the discretion invested in the trial court was not abused. It is well settled that the trial court must be allowed wide latitude and the exercise of its discretion in awarding custody of minor children, which discretion may not be interfered with, on appeal, unless the appellate court is soundly persuaded by the record that the trial court has abused that discretion. Engle v. Yorks, 1895, 7 S.D. 254, 64 N.W. 132; Hines v. Hines, 1960, 78 S.D. 464, 104 N.W.2d 375, rehearing denied, 78 S.D. 502, 105 N.W.2d 70; Howells v. Howells, 1962, 79 S.D. 480, 113 N.W.2d 533. Appellant argues finally, The allowance of attorneys' fees rests in the sound discretion of the trial court, Baron v. Baron, 1947, 71 S.D. 641, 28 N.W.2d 836, and will not be interfered with by this Court unless it appears there is error in the exercise thereof. Each case must rest upon its own facts, and there is little to be gained by comparing the present fee with others which have previously been allowed, De Witt v. De Witt, 1971, 86 S.D. 59, 191 N.W.2d 177. The trial court in awarding attorneys' fees did so after considering the needs of the Plaintiff and the support for herself and the minor children. A request was made by the Plaintiff for Eleven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($1150.00) for attorneys' fees and costs and the trial court, after a hearing, cut such request to a total of Seven Hundred and Fifty Dollars ($750.00). A fee for appeal of this type and in this day of inflation is not unreasonable, and does not give an impression of abuse of the trial court's discretion. The judgment is modified by striking therefrom the award of alimony, and as so modified is affirmed. Costs in this appeal, by virtue of our holding being discretionary under SDCL *574 15-30-7, will be taxed against the appellant as the modification of the judgment is not substantial. WINANS, WOLLMAN and COLER, JJ., concur. DOBBERPUHL, Circuit Judge, sitting for DUNN, C. J.