Court Opinion

ID: 9864502
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-25 13:36:37.76064+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:14:20.569737
License: Public Domain

THE COURT.
We are of the opinion that the contract herein comes within the rule announced and applied in Newman v. Freitas, 129 Cal. 283 [50 L. R. A. 548, 61 Pac. 907], and referred to in Parsons v. Segno, 187 Cal. 260 [201 Pac. 580], for the reason that under it the attorneys were directly and financially interested in preventing a reconciliation and in bringing about a divorce. The contingent provisions of the contract appear to have been a portion of the inducement which led to its execution and therefore cannot be deemed a severable portion thereof. The contract being void as against public policy afforded no basis lor a recovery which could have been had only upon a quantum meruit and we agree with the conclusion of the district court of appeal that, in the absence of any allegation or finding as to the reasonable value of the services rendered, the judgment of the trial court was correct. The petition for a transfer and hearing by this court is denied.