Court Opinion

ID: 9707002
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 01:58:08.603791+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:22:26.727602
License: Public Domain

Dissenting Opinion by
Mr. Justice Roberts:
After correctly stating the principle of law that a contract tending to facilitate the procurement of a divorce is unenforceable as against public policy, Mathiot's Estate, 243 Pa. 375, 90 Atl. 139 (1914); Commonwealth v. Glennon, 92 Pa. Superior Ct. 94 (1927), the majority concludes that the present contract has no such tendency. I cannot abide by such a conclusion and must therefore dissent.
Paragraph 8 of this contract provides that the wife wil] no longer be entitled to receive support from *613her husband if they are not divorced within six months. This to me gives the wife an obvious incentive to seek a divorce, especially given the fact that the parties were separated at the time the agreement was signed. Furthermore, once the divorce proceedings have been commenced, the only way in which husband can thereafter escape payments under the agreement is to allow the proceedings to proceed uncontested and hope that even though uncontested, the decree does not issue within six months. In this way, he can get a breathing spell from payments. Since this paragraph not only encourages wife to commence divorce proceedings quickly, but also encourages husband not to contest, it would, by itself, be enough to make the contract unenforceable.
But there is even more. Paragraphs 4(f) and 4(g) provide that all the proceeds in escrow from the sale of the Stern’s real estate shall pass to husband unless a divorce has been obtained within six months or has not been obtained due to husband’s contesting. Once again, there is an obvious incentive for wife to seek a divorce, and a corresponding incentive for husband not to contest it once she begins proceedings. For once wife begins her suit for divorce, the only way husband can hope to get all the escrow funds is to refrain from contesting the divorce, and hope that it is not granted for six months. If he contests, the money will be evenly divided.
It seems clear to me that the teaching of our presently controlling cases, properly applied to this agreement, compels the conclusion that the contract is against public policy, and should not be enforced by this Court, or any other court in our Commonwealth.
I dissent.
Mr. Chief Justice Bell and Mr. Justice Musmanno join in this dissenting opinion.