Case Name: Shelby Jean S. GRAHAM, Respondent, v. Donald Earl GRAHAM, Appellant
Court: Supreme Court of South Carolina
Jurisdiction: South Carolina
Decision Date: 1970-01-05
Citations: 253 S.C. 486
Docket Number: 18998
Parties: Shelby Jean S. GRAHAM, Respondent, v. Donald Earl GRAHAM, Appellant.
Judges: Littlejohn, J., and Louis Rosen, Acting Associate Justice, concur.
Reporter: South Carolina Reports
Volume: 253
Pages: 486–501

Head Matter:
18998
Shelby Jean S. GRAHAM, Respondent, v. Donald Earl GRAHAM, Appellant.
(171 S. E. (2d) 704)
Messrs. Abrams, Bowen & Townes, of Greenville, for Appellant,
/. D. Todd, Jr., Esq., for Leatherwood, Walker, Todd & Mann, of Greenville, for Respondent,
January 5, 1970.

Opinion:
Moss, Chief Justice.
Shelby Jean S. Graham, the respondent herein, did, on November 6, 1967, commence this action against Donald Earl Graham, the appellant herein, in which she asked that the custody of the minor child of the marriage be awarded to her and that she be granted support and maintenance for herself and such child. The trial judge, on November 15, 1967, issued his order directing the appellant to pay the sum of'$350.00 per month, pendente lite, for the support of his wife and child. It appears that $200.00 a month was for the support of the child and $150.00 a month for the support of the respondent. The trial judge also ordered the appellant to pay to the respondent the sum of $669.50, representing one-half of a joint savings account of the parties and which the appellant had withdrawn for his own use.
It further appears that in May, 1968, a hearing was had before the trial judge to determine whether the appellant should be held in contempt for failure to comply with the aforesaid order of the court. At the contempt hearing it was represented to the court that the appellant had recently purchased a new business, in which he was then engaged, but such had not been as successful as he had anticipated and for that reason he was unable to make the monthly payments of $350.00 as he had been previously ordered. The trial judge, by his order dated May 29, 1968 found that the appellant was in violation of the order of November 15, 1967, and in view of his explanation as to why he was unable to make the payments therein provided, reduced the alimony support payments for the months of June, July and August of 1968, from $350.00 per month to $200.00 per month, with the proviso that thereafter the monthly payments would be as was provided in the original order.
The record shows that on October 5, 1968, the respondent filed an amended complaint seeking a divorce from the appellant a vinculo matrimonii upon the grounds of adultery, physical cruelty and desertion. Section 20-101 of the 1962 Code. An answer to the amended complaint was filed by the appellant on February 13, 1969, and hearings were held before The Honorable James H. Price, Jr., Judge of the Greenville County Court, on February 13, 1969, and March 27, 1969.
It appears from the record that the parties to this action were married on June 25, 1960, and a daughter, eight years old at the time of the hearing, was born of this marriage. While the parties to this action lived in Charlotte, North Carolina, the appellant was employed as a salesman by Republic Steel and had an income in 1965 of $7,-949.00, in 1966 an income of $8,400.00, and in 1967 an income of $8,000.00. Even though the respondent testified that she was allowed $500.00 per month for household expenses, she did not testify as to what items were paid from this sum. In October, 1967, the appellant and the respondent moved to Greenville, South Carolina, where he was a manufacturer's agent. The record shows that in 1968 he earned from his business $9,938.12 and paid therefrom business expenses amounting to $5,490.33, leaving net earnings of $4,447.79, before taxes. He further testified that he had $8,000.00 earned commissions but that such could not be paid to him until such time as the materials he had sold had been shipped to the purchasers and the projected ship ping dates on these sales were eighteen to twenty months from the time of this trial. He admitted that his business was improving and he anticipated that his earnings would increase in the future but he stated that he was not making as much from his new business as he had previously made while in the employ of Republic Steel. The appellant testified that his personal living expenses were $285.00 per month or $3,420.00 per year. He further testified that he was indebted to three banks in the total amount of $3,-900.00, and was additionally indebted, the amount not being stated, for the purchase of an automobile he was using in his business. He further testified that in view of his financial condition and his earnings, together with his own living expenses, he was unable to make the child support and alimony payments required by the court. However, he did state the most he could possibly pay was $150.00 per month.
It was testified that during the marriage of the parties the respondent worked only sporadically and when they lived in Greenville she was not working. After the separation, the wife returned to Charlotte, North Carolina, and was there employed by a bank from which she earned take-home pay of $167.00 every two weeks or on an annual basis of $4,-342.00. She testified that her apartment rent was $150.00 per month and she had to pay $90.00 a month for a baby sitter for her daughter. She had the use of a car purchased for her by her father and while traveling for her employer she used a car belonging to the bank. She stated that she could not support herself and the child on her salary.
The trial judge, on March 31, 1969, issued his decree granting the respondent an absolute divorce from the appellant on the ground of desertion and ordering him to pay to the respondent $350.00 a month, $200.00 thereof was for the support of the infant daughter of the marriage, and $150.00 as alimony for the wife. It appearing from the evidence that the appellant was still not making as much from his new business as he had previously made while employed by Republic Steel, the trial judge provided that for the months of April through September, 1969, the total payments should be $250.00 a month, of which $100.00 would be alimony for the wife and $150.00 would be for child support. Thereaftex', the total payments were to be $350.00 a month and allocated as above stated. The appeal is from the aforesaid order.
The appellant contends that under a view of all the circumstances of this case the amount of the award of alimony and child support was excessive and the trial judge abused his discretion in decreeing such an award.
Under our Divorce Act, Section 20-101 et seq. of the Code, the court is authorized in every judgment of divorce to make such orders for the care, custody and maintenance of the minor children of the marriage and to grant such alimony for the wife as may be fit, equitable and just. The court also has authority to increase, decrease or terminate, upon proper showing of a change of condition, the alimony and support payments provided for in a judgment of divorce. Porter v. Porter, 246 S. C. 332, 143 S. E. (2d) 619.
The amount of alimony and child support cannot be determined by any mathematical formula but is a matter resting withixi the sound discretion of the trial judge and the amount awarded will not be disturbed on appeal unless an abuse of discretion is shown upon a view of all the circumstaxices of the particular case.
In arriving at the amount of alimony and child support, the trial judge should take into consideration the needs of the wife and child axid the financial ability of the husband and father to meet thexn, considering his income and assets. It is proper to consider the wife's health, age, general physical condition, and her income and earning capacity. It is also proper to consider the husband's necessities and living expenses in fixing the amount of alimony and child support. The amount of the award for alimony and child support should not be excessive but should be fair and just to all parties concerned. Murdock v. Murdock, 243 S. C. 218, 133 S. E. (2d) 323; Porter v. Porter, 246 S. C. 332, 143 S. E. (2d) 619.
As is heretofore stated the trial judge, on Wovember 15, 1967, issued his order directing the appellant to pay the aggregate sum of $350.00 per month, pendente lite, for the support of his wfe and child. In the trial judge's decree of March 31, 1969, he also directed the appellant to pay the aggregate sum of $350.00 per month as alimony for the wife and support for the child. At the time of the first order, the respondent was unemployed and had no income. At the time of the final decree she was employed and had the take home pay above recited. It is apparent from what we have recited that the trial judge did not consider the income and earning capacity of the respondent in fixing the amount of alimony and child support. It is true, however, that the trial judge did take into consideration that the appellant was engaged in a new business and because such had not been too successful he reduced the required payments for a period of six months to $250.00 per month, but such reduction was not made because of any income that the wife had. It follows that the trial judge committed error in not considering the wife's income and earning capacity.
It is undisputed that the appellant had net income for the year 1968 of $4,447.79, before the payment of State and Federal income taxes, or a monthly income of $370.65. The wife had take home pay for the year 1968 of $4,342.00 or $361.83 per month. The trial judge directed the appellant to pay the aggregate sum of $250.00 for six months of 1969, and by adding this amount to the monthly take home pay of the appellant she would have $611.83 per month available for her support and that of their child. This would leave to the appellant only the sum of $120.65 per month with which to pay his necessities, living expenses ,taxes and debts. When the monthly payments were increased to $350.00 per month, under the aforesaid order, and adding this sum to the take home pay of the respondent she would have $711.83 per month for the support of herself and their child. This would leave the appellant only the amount of $20.65 per month to cover his living expenses and obligations. The award of alimony and child support in the amount of $250.00 per month for six months of 1969 would take approximately 67% of his monthly income and the payment of $350.00 per month would take approximately 94% of his monthly income. Considering the earnings of the parties to this action and their respective needs, we reach the conclusion that the award made by the trial judge for alimony to the respondent and support for their child was excessive and, therefore, in making such award the trial judge committed an abuse of discretion.
The appellant asserts that the lower court abused its discretion in limiting his visitation with his daughter to Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
The trial judge granted custody and control of the daughter of parties to the respondent and accorded the appellant visitation rights, as follows:
" the defendant shall have the right to have his daughter visit with him during the first week-end in each month and he is to be allowed to pick the child up at ten o'clock on Saturday morning at the home of the plaintiff, Mrs. Graham, and return the child to that home no later than five o'clock on Sunday afternoon. During such visit, the defendant is not to take the child out of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina without the consent in writing of the plaintiff and he is to properly care for the child under suitable circumstances and surroundings during such periods of visitation. The Court finds that the home of the defendant's mother and father in Charlotte, North Carolina is a suitable place for such visitation. "
The general rule is that in determining and limiting visitation rights, the matter is one addressed to the broad discretion of the trial judge and in the absence of a clear abuse of such, the order granting, denying or limiting visitation rights will not be disturbed. Porter v. Porter, 246 S. C. 332, 143 S. E. (2d) 619. There is an unappealed from finding of fact by the trial judge that the appellant did, without just cause or excuse, desert the respondent and their child. There is evidence that the appellant had committed adultery. It is apparent to us, that the trial judge, in limiting the visitation rights of the appellant, took into consideration the aforesaid conduct. We cannot say that he abused his discretion in so doing. This exception of the appellant is overruled.
The appellant charges the trial judge with error in finding that the testimony showed that he had on his books earned but uncollected commissions in excess of $8,000.00. There was no error on the part of the trial judge in making such a finding, for the reason that the appellant admitted such to be true and there was no objection thereto by him.
The testimony shows that the appellant's new business was one that had great potential and it was anticpated that the earnings and profit therefrom would increase with time. Since this case will have to be retried, the earnings of the appellant can be reevaluated in the light of this testimony.
So much of the decree of the trial judge granting the respondent alimony and child support in the amounts heretofore stated is reversed and this issue is remanded to the County Court for further proceedings in accordance with the views herein expressed. The other exceptions of the appellant are overruled.
Reversed in part and affirmed in part.
Littlejohn, J., and Louis Rosen, Acting Associate Justice, concur.
Lewis and Bussey, JJ., dissent.