Court Opinion

ID: 9546820
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 17:35:53.476426+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:16:53.999668
License: Public Domain

CORN, Justice
(dissenting).
I think this case should be affirmed under the facts disclosed by the record. The record reflects that defendant owned 893 head of cattle and 2,633 acres of land, at the date the divorce was granted, of a value of about $150,000 and had liabilities as shown by the auditor’s statement of $58,-981.99, which indebtedness was incurred during coverture; that he owned between 600 and 700 head of cattle and 659 acres of improved land at the time of his marriage to the plaintiff. The judgment, based upon the following findings of fact, by the trial court, which is amply supported by the evidence in the record, does not appear to me to be against the clear weight of the evidence.
“The Court finds, from the evidence in this case, that the plaintiff and defendant were legally married on October 29th, 1938. The Court finds that previous to> this marriage, the defendant, C. A. Helvey, had been married and raised a family of several children.
“The Court further finds that at the time of the marriage of the parties to this action, the defendant, C. A. Helvey, already owned approximately 659 acres of land, fairly well improved and was living in the home on said premises and operating a cattle business and had considerable personal property at the time of the marriage, including cattle.
“Insofar as the testimony discloses the plaintiff brought little, if anything, into the marriage contract in the way of property or other assets.
“The evidence further shows that the plaintiff and the defendant have lived together at this ranch place since their marriage until in recent months when they became estranged, and that since the marriage of the parties, lands have been purchased and added to the original holdings until at the present time the ranch consists of approximately 2592 acres, although there is some question as to whether or not the parties own the entire fee in all of said lands, and there has been a showing that titles to a part of this land may not be in first class condition and suits may be required to be brought to quiet title to some of the lands, and some payments may have to be made to claimants and heirs in order to secure the full fee title. However, the exact nature of this situation has not been brought clearly to the court.
“The testimony shows that the defendant is a man of good judgment and through his knowledge of values of land and of the cattle business, he has been able through good *449management and a good understanding of business affairs, to accumulate lands and cattle and other personal property. Under the testimony it does not appear the plaintiff has ever had any experience in ranch work and had practically nothing to do with the management of the properties and the accumulation thereof, except that she was, of course, the wife of the defendant and bore a child by him that is now living, and the Court realizes that this is an important part of the relationship and has its values.
“Although there has been introduced the evidence of certified public accountants and of appraisers, there is yet some doubt in the mind of the court as to the valuation that should be placed upon the real estate and personal property and holdings of the parties to this action, and the exact indebtedness and obligations outstanding are also difficult to arrive at.
“But with the light of the testimony before the Court, the Court is of the opinion that considering all of the evidence, facts and circumstances that have been introduced in evidence, that the Court is warranted in making the award he hereinafter makes and the judgment he enters herein.
“ * * * The Court finds that inasmuch as the Plaintiff has had practically no experience in the management of ranch affairs, and knows nothing about cattle 'business, would render it unwise to divide said ranch in order to set over a portion thereof to her. And the Court is of the opinion that to grant the plaintiff a portion of said ranch and thus split it up would result in greatly decreasing the value of said property as a ranch and would thereby be a detriment and result in a loss to both parties to this action.”
The most of the property involved in this action is cattle and this court should take judicial notice of the fact that the value of cattle, since the rendition of the judgment in this case, has dropped about 50%, yet the defendant’s liability to the plaintiff has not been deflated or reduced.
I cannot agree to the amount of $6,900, attorney fees awarded to plaintiff’s attorneys for their services rendered on appeal in this court.
As reflected by the majority opinion the defendant was ordered 'by the trial court to pay plaintiff’s attorneys $600, which was paid. In the motion for a new trial no complaint is made that they have not received adequate compensation for their services rendered in that court, nor do I find any evidence in the record as to the reasonable value of their services in the trial court, which even indicates that it should be more. So I take it that it is impossible for this court to allow any additional attorney fee for the services of the attorneys rendered in the trial court; as no ground has been laid for such an award.
The only assignments of error are:
“1. The erroneous order made by the District Court of Coal County in regard to the custody and support of the minor child; and,
“2. The inadequacy of the purported property settlement or property division made to the plaintiff.”
After the appeal was filed in this court the plaintiff made application for attorney fees on appeal and on March 31, 1952 was allowed $1,500, for the services of her attorneys in this court to be paid 'by the defendant.
The majority opinion makes an additional allowance of $5,400, based solely upon the services of the attorneys in the briefing of the two above assignments of error, which has been accomplished in a thirty-nine page brief and a reply brief consisting of eight pages. Under the facts in this case as disclosed by the record which plainly indicates to me that the judgment of the trial court is not against the clear weight of the evidence, and also in the absence of testimony of attorneys showing that the services rendered 'by the attorneys for the plaintiff in error on appeal in this court is reasonably worth $6,900. I respectfully dissent.