Court Opinion

ID: 9685912
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 15:08:14.16065+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:18:11.270199
License: Public Domain

ON REHEARING
PER CURIAM.
We have fully considered appellant’s application for rehearing and brief in support thereof.
The point is raised by appellant on application for rehearing that this Court, in its original opinion, went beyond its authority in holding error in the trial court’s decree, allowing deduction from the sum of $50,-000, the amount paid by appellant as monthly support payments. It is contended that since there was no cross-assignment of error by appellee as to that portion of the decree, there could be no correction by this Court on appeal.
We must disagree with appellant. We fully realize the general rule that no error will be considered on appeal unless assigned by appellant or cross-assigned by appellee.
We call appellant’s attention to his Assignment of Error Number 2, which states:
“2. The Court committed prejudicial error in its final decree in paragraph twelve (12) thereof in finding in part as follows, ‘further that the right to receive such sum for the use and benefit of said minor children was a vested right under said decree, subject only to the amount and as herein provided; * * * ’ ”
This assignment of error specifically includes that portion of the lower court’s decree ordering the deduction of the support payments. We consider that the error is sufficiently raised so that it should be considered. The fact that that particular part of the decree was not desired by appellant to be modified on appeal has no bearing. We intend to avoid, so far as possible, in*191consistencies in our decisions. It would have been clearly inconsistent to hold that the sum of $50,000 was due appellee as the result of a non-modi fiable property settlement agreement, and allow to stand that portion of the decree deducting a substantial sum from it.
We consider it the duty and authority of an appellate court to fully determine the issues raised by appeal, directly or indirectly, and not to rely on strained interpretations of rules of procedure to avoid doing so.
It was necessary, to the complete disposition of the issues raised by appellant’s own assignment of error, for the Court to rule as it did on this point.
Opinion extended; application overruled.