Court Opinion

ID: 9743562
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 21:36:36.544955+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:24:42.055091
License: Public Domain

On Petition for Rehearing
Royse, J.
Appellee, through additional counsel, has filed a voluminous petition for rehearing, which is based more on rhetoric than legal reasoning.
He first contends we erred in holding the findings of fact lead inescapably to the conclusion the delictum in this case was on the part of attorney Rizzo and appellee. He says this error arose to a large extent because we were incensed at the attorney’s conduct. However, he does not condone that conduct. We retract not one word that we said in our original opinion about such conduct.
He further states this error was occasioned by our discussion of collusion, and then asserts that while the rule may be different in other states, “under Indiana law any contract for a divorce is ipso facto illegal whether collusion be present or not.” In support of this statement he cites from Indiana only the case of Jordan v. Kittle (1928), 88 Ind. App. 275, 150 N. E. 817, 821 (transfer denied). That case does not sustain his contention. The contract which this court condemned in that case was a collusive contract. It is set out in some detail in the opinion. We quote one of the provisions of the contract from pp. 279, 280 of the opinion which demonstrates this.
“The fourth section of this contract provides: That at the time of the delivery of said transfers, conveyances and personal property by appellant to Henry Eitel, Mrs. Jordan should deliver to said Eitel ‘in a sealed package not to be opened by him, all affidavits, statements, documents, other writings *164and things relating to the alleged cause of action for divorce on grounds other than cruel treatment, by whomsoever. made,’ together with affidavits of Mrs. Jordan’s attorneys, stating that such affidavits and writings constituted all affidavits, statements and writings in their possession or in the possession of Mrs. Jordan, her agents, or representatives, or in existence to their knowledge, which might in any way reflect upon or make charges against the character or conduct of appellant, and which statements, documents and writings should, at the time of the delivery by said escrow of said assignments, transfers, conveyances, cash and bonds to Mrs. Jordan, be examined and inspected by appellant’s attorney and by no other person whomsoever, and, after such examination and inspection, the same should be burned and destroyed by said escrow in the presence of the attorneys for appellant and his wife.”
Repeatedly this court in that case pointed out the collusive iniquity of that contract. See pp. 287 to 294. We approve the holding therein.
An exhaustive research of- the decisions of our Supreme Court and this Court discloses only where there was some form of collusion, as defined in our original opinion herein, were such contracts questioned.
We adhere to the conclusions reached in our original opinion on the question of delictum, also the exception to the rule in cases where the parties are in pari delicto, and the invalidity of the deeds.
Our conclusions and mandate were based on the insufficiency of the findings of fact to sustain the conclusions of law.
Appellee further contends that even though the case should be reversed for this reason, our mandate deprived him of the right to a new trial and therefore should be modified to permit a new trial of this cause.
*165*164We have carefully examined the evidence most favorable to the appellee and are of the opinion such evidence *165would not sustain the judgment of the trial court. However, it is possible that in another trial additional evidence could be presented which might sustain appellee’s, defense. Therefore, in the interests of justice we modify our original mandate directing the trial court to restate its conclusions of law and hereby direct said court to sustain appellant’s motion for a new trial.
Petition for rehearing denied.
NOTE. — Reported in 111 N. E. 2d 823.
Rehearing denied in 112 N. E. 2d 760.