Court Opinion

ID: 9527191
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 03:28:13.217945+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:25:36.905119
License: Public Domain

ON REHEARING
WRIGHT, Presiding Judge.
Appellant states on application for rehearing that the instrument referred to in the record as a Bill of Exceptions is not in fact intended to be a Bill of Exceptions but rather an abstract of the evidence as provided for in Title 7, Section 773, Alabama Code. He further states that since there is no official court reporter for the Houston County Court, it has been common practice for counsel to agree as to the abstract of the evidence.
We have no knowledge of such procedure on appeal from the Houston County Court. Perhaps such has occurred. It has not occurred in the experience of this Court in divorce cases. Appellant has misconstrued the effect of Section 773. The case of Williams v. State, 215 Ala. 586, 112 So. 193, cited by appellant and appearing in the annotation following the statute clearly states that the abstract of the record referred to in the statute has nothing to do with the evidence in the case. The transcript of the record referred to in Section 773 and the preceding Sections of Article 3 of Chapter 16, is that existing prior to the abolishment of the Bills of Exceptions. Such transcript of the record did not include a transcript of the evidence. The purpose of Section 773 was to allow parties by agreement, and for the purpose of saving costs, to present an abstract of the instruments and pleadings filed in the case. Such an abstract included only things pertinent to the issues of law presented by the appeal. If questions of fact were presented by the appeal, the evidence was presented by the Bill of Exceptions.
*120 In the instant case appellant has challenged the decree of the trial court, charging error therein because of the court’s conclusion from the evidence. This Court is unable to review the trial court’s findings made after hearing and observing the witnesses without a transcript of the questions and answers heard by the trial court. A so-called abstract of the evidence, which in this case is nothing more than a condensed statement of the substance of testimony of each witness, is insufficient. In divorce cases where the witnesses are heard orally by the trial court, the finding and conclusions of fact embodied in the decree have the standing of a jury verdict and are presumed correct on appeal. Such findings will only be reversed on appeal, if unsupported by the evidence, amount to an abuse of discretion, or are plainly wrong and unjust. Wilkes v. Wilkes, 270 Ala. 341, 118 So.2d 906. This Court cannot make such determination except upon examination of a full and complete transcript of the evidence as required by Equity Rule 56.
Rehearing denied.
BRADLEY and HOLMES, JJ., concur.