Title: STENBERG v STENBERG

State: montana

Issuer: Montana Supreme Court

Document:

No. 12306 I N T H E S U P R E M E C O U R T O F T H E STATE O F MONTANA 1972 ANNE E. STENBERG, P l a i n t i f f and Appellant, -vs - C A R L M. STENBER.G, Defendant and Respondent. Appeal from: D i s t r i c t Court of the Eleventh J u d i c i a l D i s t r i c t , Honorable Robert S. Keller, Judge presiding. Counsel of Record: For Appellant : Korn, Worden, Walterskirchen & Christiansen, Kalispell, Montana. Gary L. Christiansen argued, Kalispell, Montana. For Respondent: M. Dean J e l l i s o n argued, Kalispell, Montana. Submitted: November 29, 1972 Decided: 3 f i ~ 1 2 TCJ~? Filed: !fib f % 273 XI. J ~ s t i c e viesley Castles delivered t h e Opix~ion of the Court. 'ihis is an appeal from a judgment entered i n a divorce a c t i o r ~ i n the e l e v e n ~ h j u d i c i a l d i s t r i c t , county of Flathead. P l a i n t i f f Anne E, Stzenberg brought the action seeking a divorce and alimony, division of property, attorney fees and various other r e l i e f . Defendant husband Carl M. Stenberg answered and counterclaimed f o r divorce. The cause was t r i e d by the court s i t t i n g without a jury. ,I divorce was granted t o both p a r t i e s hut no alimony was granted t o the wife. P l a i n t i f f appeals only on the f a c t t h a t she was ,-~ot given an alimony settlement; she does not appeal the granting QP the divorce. The p a r t i e s were married a t II' i.ii'~ ~ J O U ~ U I3c supplied by the husband, working t o supply the items they both would need. The court maintained the wife brought nothing i-llco the marriage, and was going out the same way, her position had not changed during the marriage. The t r i a l c o u r t ' s reasoning i s d i f f i c u l t t o find f a u l t J ~ i t i ~ , '1ut t h i s woman i-s c e r t a i n l y 1eavi.ng the marriage with l e s s .rhan when she entered it. She i s 14 years older; she cannot find ~5niploynent due t o physical i n f i r m i t i e s she did not have w'nen ;he entered the marriage. Further, she has contributed by helping on the farm, by aiding i n the building of an addition t o t h e farm hone, and other additions t o the farm property. The husband !CTT~FJ when he entered the marriage t h a t h i s wife came i n t o the 'ndrriage with nothing, no a s s e t s , and he should have Zcnom he was st~ing t o have t o take care of h i s wife f o r her lifetime. She was IJ-s wife and performed the domestic duties and he must have been Aware t h a t she could not earn a l i v i n g with what s k i l l s she had. 3 - ~qow, a t t h i s time, the husba~id and wife cannot l i v e together, n i~arriage has ended, The husband i s going t o be allowed t o keep a l i h i s property. The wife i.s t o l d t h a t since she entered tl-iis marriage with nothing, putting aside the f a c t t h a t she ,~orlced f o r 14 years helping with h i s farm, she w i l l not receive .i~ry cype of help. To put it bluneiy, the e f f e c t of the t r i a l i ~ u i - t ' s r u l i n g i s t o make the ex-wife a public charge, I n a case such a s t h i s , alimony shoult-1 h e granted i f possible 3 0 !:ha: {:he wife w i l l not become a ward of the s t a t e . It i s a ,dues tion of whether the taxpayers of Flathead County should pay for 1ivLng expenses of t h i s woman or should the man w h o married 11er 14 years ago and promised t o love,honor and cher'sh her till death v~ouid end 'clre relationship. The husband c l e a r l y has t h a t duty and ?-~e w i l l be required t o pay f o r the support of his wife, .h,ithin h i s abLiLty. 3ecLkon 3-1-139, li.C;,i"l 1 ? 4 / , ;Irovides ~ h a ~ a hdsband Lay 3 , - c e c j ~ i . ~ i c - . i ! 1-0 provide suppori: lior Ishc wife. In a situal-ion, ,,lch 2 s here, when Chc divorce i s granted t o both p a r t i e s ~ ~ t ~ h o r i t y f o r allowing an alimony settlement i s provided i n i~rizs v. Burns, 245 I/iont. 1, 0 , 400 P, 2d 642. There t h i s Court ~ a s e r - ~ e d that: to deny alimony under the f a c t s might r e s u l t i.rl "leaving the appellant a t large i n the community without i I i~cctrts of support. The d i s t r i c t court f e l t t h a t under existing law it could n , ~ c g ~ a n t alimony payment t o the wife. It remains the obligation 3;: the husband t o support the wife so t h a t she w i l l not became burden on the public. Idl~ile the t r i a l court f e l t existing law i ~ ~ ~ i l c l not allow a gross amount as alimony under these circun- ;t=inces, we C X ~ C I - I ~ the law of Burns and hold that such alimony ~ h d i l l d be ailowed. Appellant's second issue f o r review i s thac an indigent persorr has the c o n s t i t u t i o n a l r i g h t t o a transcri-pt on appeal i n a c i v i l matter without prepayment of costs. This i s a question of c o n s ~ i t u t i o n a l r i g h t s given t o indigent appellants. F u r t h a t issue t o be properly raised before t h i s Court an irldividual, proceeding i n forma pauperis, must have been denied c i copy of the t r a n s c r i p t wi.i:hout paying any of the costs. That i ~ d s n o t happened i-n t h i s case and appellant does not have 5 ~ a n d i n g t o a s s e r t the issue, I n National Surety Corp. v. Kruse, 1.21 Mont. 202, 207, 192 P,2d 317, t h i s Court sald: I I W e w i l l not decide a constitutional question unless i t is necessarily involved and necessary t o a decision. 11 H e x e , Che constitutional question raised i s not necessarily invoived, therefore w e w i l l not discuss i t . Appeliantls f i n a l issue concerns the costs of t h i s action a n J attorney fees, The husband w i l l be required t o pay reasonable aLtorney fees, a s determined by the t r i a l court, and a l s o costs oT the action, which includes cost of the t r a n s c r i p t , The cause i.s rerila~~cied t o I-he li.sl;ricir. l u c i ~ t ,o that a t.ea;oL~abLf2 a n d appropriate alirnony settlement cc3n be made. ;Lusts w i l l be assessed against respondent and the d i s ~ r i c t c:ourt s h a l l take any other action which might be necessary, n o t inconsistent with t h i s opinion. Associat'rJ J u s t i c e