Court Opinion

ID: 5076678
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2021-10-01 11:28:37.373994+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:20:02.770505
License: Public Domain

PER CURIAM:
Pro se defendant and putative father in paternity case appeals trial court’s penden-te lite order awarding custody of 16-month old child to mother.
We hold that the trial court’s pendente lite custody order was not a final judgment. It was therefore not appealable. Section 512.020, RSMo 1986.
Pendente lite orders awarding child support, maintenance and attorneys' fees in dissolution cases have been held to be ap-pealable final judgments, see Bradley v. Bradley, 295 S.W.2d 592, 595 (Mo.App.1956), on the rationale of State ex rel. Gercke v. Seddon, 93 Mo. 520, 6 S.W. 342, 343 (1887). See also, Richardson v. Richardson, 524 S.W.2d 149, 153 (Mo.App.1975). Temporary child custody awards, on the other hand, are held to be not final for purposes of appeal. Haldeman v. Haldeman, 685 S.W.2d 570, 571-72 (Mo.App.1984); Femmer v. Femmer, 669 S.W.2d 63 (Mo.App.1984); Dorris v. Dorris, 623 S.W.2d 47, 48 (Mo.App.1981); Raines v. Raines, 590 S.W.2d 117, 118 (Mo.App.1979); Raines v. Raines, 567 S.W.2d 459, 460 (Mo.App.1978); Lipschitz v. Smith, 459 S.W.2d 17, 18 (Mo.App.1970).
Appeal dismissed.