Opinion ID: 1291731
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Sum Certain Requirement for Support Alimony

Text: ¶ 5 Alimony is an allowance made by the court for the maintenance of a party out of the separate property of the other party, either in the form of money or in the form of property carved out of the property estate. Tobin v. Tobin, 89 Okla. 12, 213 P. 884, 888 (1923). Alimony must be predicated on what is reasonable for the support of the party, under all of the circumstances of the case. Noel v. Noel, 206 Okla. 16, 240 P.2d 739, 741 (1952). ¶ 6 The Court in Dutton v. Dutton, 97 Okla. 234, 223 P. 149 (1924), held that the whole authority for decreeing alimony was found in Comp. Stat.1921, § 508, [1] and based on the wording of that statute a court had power to decree monthly payments of alimony only as installments of a fixed sum specified in the decree. Dutton, 223 P. at 150. ¶ 7 In Frensley v. Frensley, 177 Okla. 221, 58 P.2d 307 (1936), the Court referred to this rule as the rule repeatedly recognized that, Where, in a suit for divorce, the court awards alimony to the wife, to be paid in money, it must be for a definite sum, to be paid in gross or in installments. Frensley, 58 P.2d at 312. The Court cited Dutton and seven other cases as authority. [2] In 1976, [3] the legislature deleted the phrase by decreeing to her such sum of money. The statute, now codified at 43 O.S.Supp.1998, § 121, [4] no longer contains the phrase. Nevertheless, the sum certain rule has continued in effect. Mayhue, 1985 OK 68, ¶ 6, 706 P.2d at 894. [5] ¶ 8 Where the divorce decree on its face reveals that money awarded as alimony was not in a definite fixed sum, the award is void and subject to being attacked after term. Clark, 1969 OK 141, ¶ 16, 460 P.2d at 939. Such a decree is subject to attack directly or collaterally. Clark, 1969 OK 141, ¶ 17, 460 P.2d at 940.