Evening star., 1921-06-26
DIVORCE
UPHELD BY Judge
Grants Motion to Drop Case
Involving Actress Separa-
tion From Owen Moore.
DECREE MUST STAND
Attorney General, Who Alleged
Contempt, to Appeal to State
Supreme Court.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
RENO. New. June 25.-The effort of
the state attorney general to have
the divorce decree Of Mary Pickfard
from Owen Noore;se asYde fa1fede4S
Minden this afternoon. when District
Judge Langan granted motto stp
quash the summons in the attorney
generals proceedings. = .
The court held that while It has
true the state was a party "t6dAH
divorces. as contended by the attor-
ney general. yet the state was repre-
sented by the trial judge and not by
the attorney general. AS the decree
had been accepted by the plaintiff and
defendant, the Judge decided the
state was estopped from proceedings
to set aside the decree.
Many of the members of the bar
from all western Nevada were present
at the Minden court this afternoon
when the decision was rendered.
Divorce Granted in 1920.
Mary Pickford was granted her de-
cree here March 20, 1920, by District
Judge Frank p. Langan, and, in a
short time. married Douglas Fair
banks in Los Angeles. Calf. Moore,
Fairbanks and Miss Pickford, who
gave her name in the divorce action
as Gladys NJ. Moore, are motion pic
ture stars.
Testifying at the divorce trial, Miss
Pickford said she had come to Ne
vada February Is. 1920. for the bene-
fit of her health. She charged Moore
with desertion and cruelty. Moore
was not present at the hearing and
did not contest, although on the day
before he was served with the sum-
mons in Douglas county, in which
Mipden is located. Miss Pickford
testified that she did not know Moore
lowing the divorce both left the
state. -
Attorney Generals Claim.
Nearly one month later. on April 16.
after Miss Pickford and Fairbanks
were married, the attorney general
filed an action here asking that the
decree be set aside ''in the interests
of the state of Nevada" He charged
Moore and Miss Pickford with fraud
and collusion," declared Judge Langan
had no jurisdiction in the case as
both principals were residents Of Los
Angeles, said the decree was color
able" said that the two principals
held the Nevada court lin utter con-
tempt" and charged that the marriage
of Miss Pickford and Fairbanks was
part of a fraudulent plan concocted
BY the defendants"
Moore, he charged, came to Douglas
county solely to submit to personal
service of the divorce summons. The
attorney generals action was pred
icated, he declared, on the principle
that the state reserves interest in all
divorce cases."
Denied Any Collusion.
Attorneys for Miss Pickford an
swered the attorney generals charges
and asked that his suit be set aside.
They asserted that the attorney gen.
.eral had no authority under Nevada
laws to bring his action. and declared
that IL the principle on which the
states suit was predicateo was sus-
tanned, the attorney general could re-
view all divorce cases ever granted in
Nevada. The defense counsel said
that no case could be found as prece-
dent for Fowlers action.
The right of review, which the at
torney general said he held, was at
tackled, The state. it was claimed,
was represented at the trial by the
court, and the courts action in grant
ing the decree was final. They held
that the divorce was legal In every
way. that the residence requirement
had been lived up to and claimed
there was no collusion between Miss
Pfckford and Moore.