Court Opinion

ID: 9715832
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 06:15:38.938126+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:23:38.460390
License: Public Domain

SCHREIBER, J.,
dissenting.
In Kozlowski v. Kozlowski, 80 N.J. 378 (1979), we recognized the possible existence of an agreement between consenting adults who desire to live together. However, Judge Halpern, writing for the Court, carefully noted that “our decision today has not judicially revived a form of common law marriage which has been proscribed in New Jersey since 1939 by N.J.S.A. 37:1-10.” Id. at 387. He also observed: “Alimony may be awarded only in actions for divorce or nullity, and equitable distribution is awarded only in actions for divorce. N.J.S.A. 2A:34-23 et seq.” Id. at 383. Today’s decision, only three years later, has drained those words of meaning. The majority requires that defendant provide pendente lite monetary support, pay all necessary medical, dental and pharmaceutical bills, and furnish a home. It also acknowledges that plaintiff may maintain a suit for specific performance for continued support for the rest of her life and for a reasonable share of all property, both real and personal, acquired by defendant while the parties *139lived together. In so doing, the majority has significantly closed the gap between the married and unmarried.
The legislative proscription against common law marriage remains on the books, but is rendered meaningless and ineffectual by this Court. The majority today has created a de facto marriage and distorted traditional equitable standards for interim relief in order to grant a remedy the Legislature has provided only for married persons. I do not deny the right of consenting adults to live together, but until the Legislature decides otherwise I would not grant pendente lite relief under the circumstances here.
In a situation not involving marriage, the Court would do well to follow settled equitable principles in determining whether interim relief should be granted for an alleged breach of contract. In Citizens Coach Company v. Camden Horse Railroad Company, 29 N.J.Eq. 299 (1878), the Court of Errors and Appeals codified the rules governing the granting of preliminary injunctive relief. These guidelines have proved workable and useful. They may be summarized as follows: (1) Is there an urgent necessity for the relief? The injury threatened should be a material one that cannot be adequately redressed by pecuniary damages. If the plaintiff has an adequate remedy at law, namely, an action for damages, interlocutory relief should be denied. (2) Is the right on which the plaintiff founds his claim settled? In other words, does it involve a novel legal problem? Compare Public Bancorporation v. Atlantic City Wimsett Thrift Co., 112 N.J.Eq. 367 (E. & A. 1933), with General Investment Co. v. American Hide & Leather Co., 98 N.J.Eq. 326 (E. & A. 1925). (3) Are the facts constituting the basis of the claim controverted? It is the general rule that a preliminary injunction will not issue where the material facts are met by a full, explicit and circumstantial denial under oath. Ferraiuolo v. Manno, 1 N.J. 105, 108 (1948).
A court may also intervene to protect the res from “destruction, loss or impairment, so as to prevent the decree of the court, *140upon the merits, from becoming futile or inefficacious in operation, and particularly so where it appears that the damage resulting to the complainant by a continuance of the status may prove to be irreparable.” Guangione v. Guangione, 97 N.J.Eq. 303, 305 (E. & A. 1925). See Naylor v. Harkins, 11 N.J. 435, 446 (1953); Christiansen v. Local 680 of the Milk Drivers, 127 N.J.Eq. 215, 219-20 (E. & A. 1940). So, too, a court should consider whether maintenance of the status quo will result in no material or only comparatively slight damage to defendant’s rights, pending the final hearing, Peters v. Public Service Corp. of N.J., 132 N.J.Eq. 500, 512 (Ch. 1942), aff’d, 133 N.J.Eq. 283 (E. & A. 1943). This involves a balancing of the conveniences. Where the plaintiff’s right is very doubtful, the balance of convenience in his favor must be extremely strong. This weighing process ultimately reaches the point where only destruction of the subject matter of the suit will move the court.
Lastly, courts should act cautiously in granting temporary injunctive relief, particularly when the matter is presented only on affidavits. Citizens Coach admonishes us:
There is no power, the exercise of which is more delicate, which requires greater caution, deliberation and sound discretion, and which is more dangerous in a doubtful case, than the issuing of an injunction. [29 N.J.Eq. at 303]
When tested by these guidelines, pendente lite relief should have been denied in this ease. The facts are sharply controverted and plaintiff’s claim for relief is not clear. The relief sought arises out of the “agreement” between the parties and plaintiff’s basic demand in her complaint calls for its enforcement. The defendant categorically denies the existence of that agreement.
All the proofs were in the form of pleadings and affidavits, which disclose the following facts:
Rose Crowe had been living in an apartment in Perth Amboy with her seven children, ages 5 to 17, when in 1960 she met the defendant, Sergio De Gioia. At that time she was separated from her husband. She alleges in her complaint that within a few weeks the defendant moved into her apartment and began to live with her and her family. In 1967, they moved to a *141one-family residence at 40 Lewis Street, Perth Amboy. She also asserts that they lived together for 20 years during which time “the plaintiff used the defendant’s surname and was known as Rose K. DeGioia.” Mrs. Crowe obtained a divorce three years after their relationship began. According to the plaintiff, De Gioia supported her and her seven children thereafter. All Mrs. Crowe’s children have become adults and left the household except a 27 year-old son who suffers from an emotional disability and receives Social Security payments. He advanced his mother $1,500 to pay her attorneys’ retainer in this action.
Plaintiff alleged in her complaint that “from time to time” during the 20-year period of cohabitation, the defendant “expressly declared to the plaintiff that he would take care of her and support her for the rest of her life, and that he would share with her his various assets.” It is this general declaration, uncertain as to when it was made or under what circumstances, that is the heart of the complaint. No other agreement or promise is asserted. The defendant’s answer denied the alleged living arrangements and specifically denied that he had ever made the declaration of life support or sharing his assets with her. Defendant’s supplemental affidavit stated that “[a]t no time did I tell Rose Crowe that I would support her for the rest of her life or share any of my assets.... ” The defendant also claimed to be “so outraged at the assertion contained in the plaintiff’s affidavits that I feel that this matter can only be resolved surely with a plenary hearing and I request that the Court set up a convenient date when testimony can be taken.”
The trial court on the motion for pendente lite relief also had before it other material. The defendant produced an affidavit of Frank Simonelli who had known defendant for approximately 40 years and had been defendant’s business partner. He averred that, contrary to plaintiff’s assertion, neither plaintiff nor defendant had represented themselves as husband and wife and that the defendant had always maintained his own residence separate and apart from plaintiff and her children. An affidavit of Simonelli’s former wife, Adelaide Spitsbergen, confirmed *142these facts. Peter and Vera Yuresko’s joint affidavit stated that they had known defendant since 1974, when the defendant purchased the Holmdel Motor Inn from them. They had met defendant and plaintiff on a number of occasions, and plaintiff was never introduced as or represented to be the defendant’s wife.
The defendant also showed that plaintiff had not been using his surname throughout the 20-year period, as she had certified, because her telephone, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, State Unemployment Insurance, various bills, election records, and magazine subscriptions were listed under and addressed to plaintiff as Rose Crowe. These items brought into question the plaintiff’s credibility.
A fair appraisal of all this information raises a serious doubt as to whether the parties had ever entered into an agreement that defendant would support plaintiff for life and share all his property acquired during the 20-year period that he allegedly lived with her. Interestingly, the trial court never found that that agreement existed. The most that it was willing to say was “there seems to be sufficient evidence for me to at least believe that there was some type of arrangement between the • parties.” (Emphasis added). That is a far cry from finding that a contract had been made under which the defendant bound himself to furnish lifetime support to the plaintiff and to share upon separation all property acquired while they lived together. It is most unlikely that the parties would have made such an agreement and not married.
Moreover, the plaintiff has an adequate remedy of money damages for breach of lifetime support. We recently so held in Kozlowski v. Kozlowski, supra. In Kozlowski, after a plenary hearing the trial court found that the parties made a contract under which the woman was to provide housekeeping, shopping and social services and, in return, the man was to furnish the funds for those purposes, and was to support her for the rest of *143her life. We held the contract was enforceable. The legal theory was simply the existence of a contract, for the breach of which monetary damages would be available. Accordingly, she was awarded a lump sum. Rozlowski made it clear that “[p]laintiff is not entitled to alimony or equitable distribution.” 80 N.J. at 383.
The force motivating the trial court here to grant interim support was the fact that the plaintiff was poor. The court stated that if she had had $10,000, it would not have granted any pendente lite relief. Underlying the majority’s rationale is the similar thought that defendant is “a person of substantial means” and if he failed to support her, the result “would be devastating.” In the absence of a necessary foundation—a clear right to relief—whether we grant or deny relief should not depend on the wealth of the parties. A judge should not yield to the subtle temptation to render an unjust judgment out of pity for the poor.
Furthermore, plaintiff had the burden of showing that she would not be able to maintain herself. In that respect, she made no allegations of her inability to work or to receive support from six of her children.1 See N.J.S.A. 44:1-140(a) (requiring children to support a parent who applies for and is eligible to receive public assistance).
Under traditional principles, plaintiff is not entitled to interim relief. Unless this action be classified in the same category as a matrimonial matter, a pendente lite remedy should not be made available. Yet the majority, without articulating any reason, has done exactly that. By clothing the action in equitable terms—specifically enforcing the agreement—it has transformed the action from one for damages for breach of contract *144and deprived the defendant of the right to a jury trial.2 Steiner v. Stein, 2 N.J. 367 (1949); Associated Metals & Minerals Corp. v. Dixon Chemical & Research, Inc., 82 N.J.Super. 281 (App.Div.1964). The Kozlowski rationale is now moribund. Support and equitable distribution are no longer awarded “only in actions for divorce.” Kozlowski v. Kozlowski, supra, 80 N.J. at 383. I conceive of nothing that has occurred since our decision in that case to justify departing from its holding and underpinning. Therefore, I would affirm the judgment of the Appellate Division.
For reversal and remandment—Justices PASHMAN, CLIFFORD, HANDLER, POLLOCK and O’HERN—5.
For affirmance—Justice SCHREIBER—1.

The majority asserts plaintiff certified that she was unskilled and unemployable. The record does not indicate that. She did assert that she actively participated and worked with the defendant in his business.

The two cases relied upon by the majority to support its proposition that this suit is properly in chancery because equity has granted affirmative relief in contracts for personal support are not appropos. In Soper v. Cisco, 85 N.J.Eq. 165 (E. & A. 1915), and Giacobbi v. Anselmi, 18 N.J.Super. 600 (Ch.1952), the actions were to set aside conveyances of realty.