Opinion ID: 1273330
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Questions: First. May a petition for dissolution of marriage be brought on behalf of a spouse who is under conservatorship by and through the spouse's guardian ad litem?

Text: Yes. Such a proceeding may be brought on behalf of a spouse under conservatorship by and through his or her guardian ad litem, provided it is established that the spouse is capable of exercising a judgment, and expressing a wish, that the marriage be dissolved on account of irreconcilable differences and has done so. In the present case, this requirement has been met. Here, the trial court found that the wife was not insane and had the ability to think; the record shows that the wife signed and verified the petition for dissolution of marriage and also two declarations in support of an order to show cause for injunctive relief against the husband's visiting her premises; and her deposition shows that she desired a dissolution of the marriage. (2) Under the terms of section 372 of the Code of Civil Procedure, when an incompetent person is a party to an action he must appear either by a guardian of the estate or by a guardian ad litem appointed by the court in which the action is pending. Although the mere fact that a conservator has been appointed does not constitute a determination that the conservatee is in any way insane or incompetent (cf. Prob. Code, § 1751; Schuck v. Myers, 233 Cal. App.2d 151, 154[1] [43 Cal. Rptr. 215]), section 372 of the Code of Civil Procedure specifically provides that reference to `incompetent person' shall be deemed to include `a person for whom a conservator may be appointed.' Under the circumstances, if the wife, being under conservatorship, had attempted to prosecute the action in her individual capacity, section 372 of the Code of Civil Procedure could have been raised against her right to bring it. It has been argued that under the Family Law Rules only the husband and the wife are proper parties to an action for dissolution of marriage, with certain exceptions not here applicable, and that therefore the present proceeding was improperly brought. [4] A guardian ad litem, however, is not a party to an action or proceeding, but only a representative of a party, just as an attorney of record is not a party. ( Dixon v. Cardozo, 106 Cal. 506, 507 [39 P. 857]; Estate of Cochems, 110 Cal. App.2d 27, 29-30 [242 P.2d 56]; see Serway v. Galentine, 75 Cal. App.2d 86, 89 [170 P.2d 32].) Accordingly, the husband and the wife are the parties in the present proceeding even though because of the requirement of section 372 of the Code of Civil Procedure the proceeding was instituted on behalf of the wife by and through her guardian ad litem. In Cohen v. Cohen, 73 Cal. App.2d 330 [166 P.2d 622], decided before enactment of the Family Law Act, it was held that a guardian ad litem could not obtain a divorce for an incompetent wife contrary to her expressed wishes. It was there implied, however, that if the wife's capability of consenting to a divorce were established, and if she verified the divorce pleadings and testified that she wanted a divorce, a divorce on her guardian ad litem's complaint might be proper. (73 Cal. App.2d at pp. 336-337.) In the present case, as hereinabove pointed out, the wife's capability of consenting to a dissolution of marriage and her desire therefor may be considered established. Findings of fact were waived, and it must therefore be presumed that the trial court, in effect, found all the facts necessary to support the judgment in favor of the wife with respect to dissolution of the marriage and that every fact or inference essential to support of the judgment and warranted by the evidence was found by the court. ( Reid v. Valley Restaurants, Inc., 48 Cal.2d 606, 609[1] [311 P.2d 473]; Greenfield v. Insurance Inc., 19 Cal. App.3d 803, 810(3) [97 Cal. Rptr. 164].)