Opinion ID: 2357753
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: the propriety of the superior court judgment of partition

Text: Kathleen argues that the Superior Court lacked jurisdiction to partition the real estate after the Family Court had awarded exclusive use of said real estate to one of the parties. The use of the word jurisdiction is inappropriate in this context. There is no question that the Superior Court had jurisdiction of the parties in this case and that it had jurisdiction of the subject matter pursuant to the provisions of G.L. 1956 (1969 Reenactment) §§ 34-15-1 through 29. This court has held that the Superior Court and the Family Court may have concurrent jurisdiction over the partition of real estate in instances in which divorce or separation proceedings have been commenced. Fox v. Fox, 115 R.I. 593, 598, 350 A.2d 602, 604 (1976). We further held that after a final decree of divorce has been granted, the litigants were no longer husband and wife out merely two joint tenants who, like any other joint tenants who are not married to each other, are free to resolve their real estate differences in a partition suit instituted in the Superior Court. Major v. Major, 121 R.I. 581, 582, 401 A.2d 1275, 1276 (1979). Consequently, the Superior Court clearly had jurisdiction of the subject matter of partition between the parties in the instant appeal whose final decree of divorce had been granted May 22, 1978. This had occurred prior to commencement of proceedings in the Superior Court for partition, wherein the initial complaint was filed on March 28, 1980. The determination of jurisdiction is, however, only a part of the inquiry into the propriety of the granting of a judgment for partition under the facts of this case. A survey of our prior cases discloses that we have been somewhat ambiguous in our directions to the Superior Court in respect to the partition of real estate between husbands and wives or former husbands and wives. A brief review of the pertinent cases in this area may be helpful in setting the stage for our current analysis. In Bianchini v. Bianchini, 76 R.I. 30, 68 A.2d 59 (1949), a complaint was filed for partition of real estate by the husband who owned the property jointly with his wife from whom he had been separated for three years. The trial justice, believing that the husband had an absolute right to partition by sale of the premises, granted the husband's petition. This court reversed on the ground that the trial justice failed to exercise his judicial discretion in determining whether or not a partition by sale should be ordered   . Id. at 35, 68 A.2d at 62. Later a similar question was presented in De Bartolo v. Di Battista, 117 R.I. 349, 367 A.2d 701 (1976). In that case a former wife sought partition of real estate that had been used as the marital domicile and at the time of consideration of the complaint was being occupied by a disabled husband. It should be noted that there was no indication that the final decree of divorce had purported to grant to either party the use of said marital domicile. Nevertheless, a justice of the Superior Court, taking into account the equities and the needs of the former husband, denied partition. Id. at 354, 367 A.2d at 703. This court reversed and enunciated the general rule that the inconvenience or difficulty in making partition or hardship or substantial loss or injury to some or all of the parties does not affect the right to partition, citing De Roulet v. Mitchel, 70 Cal. App.2d 120, 124, 160 P.2d 574, 576 (1945); Henkel v. Henkel, 282 Mich. 473, 481-82, 276 N.W. 522, 524-25 (1937); Thomsen v. Thomsen, 196 Okl. 539, 543-44, 166 P.2d 417, 421-22 (1946). It should further be noted that none of the cases cited in De Bartolo for this proposition dealt with a question of partition between husband and wife or former husband and wife. [1] Further, in none of the cases cited was there an outstanding decree granting the use and occupancy of the premises to one of the parties. As in De Bartolo, none of the parties to the partition proceedings had been subjected to any duty of support or maintenance in respect to the other party by operation of law or court decree. Nevertheless, the rule enunciated in De Bartolo would indicate that when a partition proceeding is commenced by a joint tenant or tenant in common against his or her former spouse, judgment of partition should be granted as a matter of right. It was in reliance upon this rule that the trial justice granted partition in the case at bar. This case, however, differs from the preceding cases in that the final decree of divorce rendered by the Family Court purported to grant permanent use of the marital domicile to Kathleen. Factually this case is more closely related to Prior v. Prior, R.I., 447 A.2d 1155 (1982). In that case a complaint for partition was brought by the former husband in spite of the fact that the former wife had been granted exclusive possession by the Family Court and further in spite of the fact that the former husband's request for partition in the Family Court had recently been denied. Id., 447 A.2d at 1156-57. Under those circumstances, the trial justice in the Superior Court refused to grant partition since the exclusive use of the marital domicile was an integral part of the support given to the wife by the Family Court decree. Id., 447 A.2d at 1157. We affirmed and held that the trial justice's decision constituted a reasonable exercise of discretion. Id. We have also held that a final decree of the Family Court may be modified only by a justice of that tribunal. Zinni v. Zinni, 103 R.I. 417, 422, 238 A.2d 373, 376 (1968). This is consonant with the general rule that, save in instances in which a court decree is self-terminating, it remains binding upon the parties until modified by the court that originally entered it. Siravo v. Siravo, R.I., 424 A.2d 1047, 1050 (1981); Calcagno v. Calcagno, 120 R.I. 723, 729, 391 A.2d 79, 82 (1978). We are of the opinion that the rule of comity would render unseemly a judgment by one court of coordinate jurisdiction to annul or render nugatory a decree of another court in the course of granting relief to one of the parties litigant. See Lippman v. Kay, R.I., 415 A.2d 738, 741 (1980). In the case at bar, the Family Court entered a final decree awarding the use of the marital domicile to Kathleen. This action did not purport to transfer to her a life estate in the property as she contends but was effective in granting her the use of such premises until, by virtue of a change of circumstances, it was no longer equitable that this use should continue. The proper tribunal to determine the question of modification is obviously the Family Court and not the Superior Court. It should be remembered that prior to 1961, domestic-relations jurisdiction was exercised by the Superior Court from the time of its establishment in 1905. Consequently, bills of complaint for partition were formerly presented to the same tribunal that had exercised jurisdiction in divorce. This procedure made it possible for the Superior Court to modify or annul a provision contained in the final decree of divorce if required. Presently the sharing of jurisdiction over different aspects of the rights and responsibilities of the parties between the Superior and Family Courts requires that rules of comity be established and observed. We hold, therefore, that when a complaint for partition is addressed to the Superior Court under circumstances in which a decree of the Family Court constitutes an impediment to the partition of the real estate, the Superior Court either may properly dismiss the complaint without prejudice pending application to the Family Court for modification of the decree constituting the impediment or, in the alternative, may stay proceedings pending such application by the plaintiff to the Family Court. However, the Superior Court may not grant partition as though such decree did not exist.