Opinion ID: 2168657
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Overruling of Terry's Motion to Quash.

Text: At the core of Terry's appeal is the claim that he should not be liable for temporary alimony pending appeal when the alimony award set forth in the decree is reversed on appeal. Indeed, in his brief in support of his current appeal of the order of the district court overruling his motion to quash, Terry asserts: When a party to a dissolution of marriage action seeks temporary alimony to be paid during the pendency of an appeal which claims error in the awarding of the alimony, it is patently unfair that the recipient should be entitled to receive the money with impunity and without any risk of repayment should the appellant's appeal prove to be successful in reversing the alimony judgment. Brief for appellant at 6. However, rather than challenging the order of October 18, 1996, granting temporary alimony pending appeal in the initial appeal of the divorce as the law allows, Terry now attempts to challenge the order of temporary alimony pending appeal through the vehicle of a motion to quash, which he filed on April 20, 1999. In response to Terry's appeal, Kathryn argues in her brief before this court that this court should dismiss Terry's appeal for lack of jurisdiction because Terry's challenge to the district court's order awarding Kathryn temporary alimony pending appeal is out of time. Although we determine that we do have jurisdiction over Terry's appeal of the denial of his motion to quash, we agree with Kathryn that Terry's challenge of the order of temporary alimony pending appeal should have been raised in the appeal from the decree and not in the form of a motion to quash collection of temporary alimony pending appeal, as Terry has attempted to do. It is not the office of a motion to quash, filed in response to a motion to garnish, to collaterally attack the judgment, the collection of which is the subject of the garnishment. See Department of Banking v. Foe, 136 Neb. 422, 286 N.W. 264 (1939) (decree rendered by court having jurisdiction of subject matter and parties cannot be successfully assailed collaterally by challenge to garnishment). Terry's motion to quash, filed in response to Kathryn's applications seeking garnishment for payment of the unpaid temporary alimony, is an impermissible attempt to attack, collaterally, the district court's October 18, 1996, order awarding Kathryn temporary alimony pending appeal. The district court properly overruled Terry's motion to quash. In reviewing the present record as well as the briefs and the transcript in the appeal of the decree, we note that the district court's order awarding Kathryn temporary alimony pending appeal was entered on October 18, 1996, and that Terry filed his notice of appeal on November 8. We also note that Terry did not assign as error in the appeal of the decree the district court's award of temporary alimony pending appeal. Neither Terry's assignments of error in the appeal of the decree nor his brief filed in that appeal discuss or challenge in any manner the award of temporary alimony pending appeal. Terry did not challenge the award of temporary alimony pending appeal, nor did he seek any type of credit for the temporary alimony he paid during the appeal to be applied against either the permanent alimony award, if any, or the division of marital property, should his challenge to permanent alimony be successful on appeal. Given the presentation of claims for appellate review, the Court of Appeals did not address the award of temporary alimony pending appeal in its memorandum opinion. See Nelson v. Lusterstone Surfacing Co., 258 Neb. 678, 605 N.W.2d 136 (2000) (to be considered by appellate court, alleged error must be both specifically assigned and specifically argued in brief). In the appeal of the decree, the Court of Appeals affirmed the decree in all respects, except for the award of permanent alimony. Prior cases of this court demonstrate that in dissolution actions, a challenge to an award of temporary alimony pending appeal is to be brought at the same time as the appeal of the decree of dissolution. See, e.g., Davidson v. Davidson, 254 Neb. 656, 578 N.W.2d 848 (1998) (claim that trial court erred in not allowing credit toward permanent alimony for temporary alimony paid pending appeal); Isenberger v. Isenberger, 239 Neb. 706, 477 N.W.2d 927 (1991) (same); Seemann v. Seemann, 225 Neb. 116, 402 N.W.2d 883 (1987) (challenge to trial court's order allowing credit against property settlement for temporary support paid pending appeal); Barnes v. Barnes, 192 Neb. 295, 220 N.W.2d 22 (1974) (credit sought against permanent alimony award for temporary alimony paid pending appeal). In Olson v. Olson, 195 Neb. 8, 236 N.W.2d 618 (1975), a case procedurally similar to the instant appeal, the district court entered the divorce decree, awarding the petitioner alimony in a lump-sum amount, payable by the respondent in 10 annual installments. After the decree was entered and following a hearing, the respondent was ordered to pay the petitioner temporary support during the pendency of the appeal. The petitioner appealed, and the respondent cross-appealed. On appeal, the respondent specifically claimed he was entitled to a credit of the amounts he paid petitioner pending appeal against the lump-sum award of alimony. Although this court rejected on the merits the respondent's appeal for a credit, we noted that the respondent had followed the proper procedure. There is considerable logic supporting the procedure by which a temporary award of alimony pending appeal is to be considered in the appeal of the divorce decree. Consideration of temporary alimony pending appeal in an appeal of a decree permits the appellate court to rule on the propriety of temporary payments in connection with its ruling on permanent alimony and other matters such as division of property and modification of the decree if necessary. If the alimony award is reversed or modified, the appellate court can order, inter alia, that the temporary payments be applied to permanent alimony or credited against property division. See Isenberger v. Isenberger, supra . Thus, had Terry raised a challenge to the award of temporary alimony pending appeal at the same time he challenged the award of permanent alimony, the Court of Appeals could have decided the propriety of the temporary award, as well as determined the issue of what credit or adjustment to which Terry may have been entitled. Had Terry followed the prescribed procedure, Terry's current attempt to gain relief from the temporary alimony payments made during the appeal by collaterally attacking the order awarding temporary alimony through a motion to quash would have been obviated. Not having challenged the temporary award of alimony pending appeal in the appeal of the decree, the order awarding temporary alimony pending appeal remained in effect, and Terry remained liable therefor until the mandate was spread on the record. See Neb.Rev. Stat. § 42-365 (Reissue 1998); State v. Kinser, 256 Neb. 56, 588 N.W.2d 794 (1999). In his reply brief, Terry argues that this court's decision in Aspinwall v. Aspinwall, 18 Neb. 463, 25 N.W. 623 (1885), precludes an appeal of a temporary award of alimony because the temporary order is not final. Terry misunderstands the Aspinwall opinion. In Aspinwall, we held that an order awarding temporary alimony prior to the entry of the decree of dissolution is not a final order. We said [t]he principal thing sought and litigated for in the action is a divorce, and no judgment or decree in the case can be considered final unless it either awards or denies such divorce. 18 Neb. at 464, 25 N.W. at 623-24. Thus, we held in Aspinwall that an order awarding temporary alimony during the pendency of the case and prior to the entry of a divorce decree was not a final, appealable order. The purpose of a temporary alimony award prior to a decree is to provide temporary support during the dissolution proceedings, see, generally, Kricsfeld v. Kricsfeld, 8 Neb.App. 1, 588 N.W.2d 210 (1999), and such temporary alimony terminates when the divorce decree is entered, see, e.g., Rickus v. Rickus, 184 Neb. 833, 172 N.W.2d 628 (1969). The purposes of an award of temporary alimony pending appeal include providing for support pending appeal and, by virtue of the award being denominated temporary, permitting the recipient of the alimony award to appeal its sufficiency without being deemed to have accepted its benefits and having waived an appeal thereof. See Fletcher v. Fletcher, 227 Neb. 179, 416 N.W.2d 570 (1987). Based on the foregoing, we conclude that the proper manner by which Terry should have challenged the award of temporary alimony pending appeal was in the appeal of the decree, and having failed to do so, he waived such challenge.