Smith v. Smith

• Decision Date: 17 June 1969
• Citation: 303 N.Y.S.2d 193,60 Misc.2d 692
• Parties: Philip SMITH, Plaintiff-Respondent, v. Ethel SMITH, Defendant-Petitioner.
• Court: New York Family Court

Page 193

303 N.Y.S.2d 193

60 Misc.2d 692

Philip SMITH, Plaintiff-Respondent, v. Ethel SMITH, Defendant-Petitioner.

Family Court, Ontario County, New York.

June 17, 1969.

[60 Misc.2d 693] David N. Cohen, Geneva, for defendant-petitioner.

Albert J. Rubin, Penn Yan, for plaintiff-respondent.

DECISION

ROBERT P. KENNEDY, Judge.

This is a proceeding brought on by the Defendant-Petitioner seeking support for herself from Plaintiff-Respondent. It is here by referral from the Supreme Court.

By decree dated November 13, 1968, the Supreme Court, Yates County, New York, dissolved the bonds of matrimony therefor existing between Philip S. Smith, Plaintiff and Ethel S. Smith, Defendant, the grounds for such divorce being extreme cruelty on the part of the defendant toward the plaintiff. In addition to dissolving the marriage, the Decree awarded custody of the minor issue of the marriage to the defendant, gave the plaintiff reasonable rights of visitation and directed the plaintiff to pay to the defendant in accordance with the orders of the Ontario County Family Court For the support of said issue. (Emphasis supplied.) This decree is silent as to alimony and support for the defendant. On December 19, 1968, an order bearing the same title and index number as the original decree was signed by the same judge who signed the original decree referred the application for alimony and support for defendant and two minor children to the Family Court of Ontario County for determination pursuant to Article 4 of the Family Court Act.

The second or December 19, 1968, order recites that it is made 'on the motion of the Court'. The final paragraph of the original or the November 13, 1968, order states 'Ordered, Adjudged and Decreed that this judgment is the final judgment upon the entry and filing thereof'. This order was filed and entered in the Yates County Clerk's Office on November 26, 1968, and by its terms became final on that date.

As can be seen, in this order no mention was made of alimony. If we were to stop here the court would have to make a finding that it was without power to consider the wife-defendant's present application for alimony. Section 236 of the Domestic Relations Law, however, provides, in part, that such direction (for support of a wife) 'may be made in the final judgment in such action or proceeding, or by one or more orders from time to time before Or subsequent to final judgment, (emphasis supplied) or by both such order or orders and the final judgment'.

The Court can, therefore, take into consideration the December 19, 1968, order, and, pursuant to Section 466 of the Family Court Act, has jurisdiction to decide the question of support or alimony, if any, for the wife-petitioner.

The fact that the Court has jurisdiction over the matter is going to be of no avail to the wife-petitioner. If her application is for alimony, as denominated in the December 19th order, it must be denied. The petitioner was the defendant in the divorce action and the judgment dissolving the marriage was granted because of her misconduct. A wife's success or failure in a matrimonial action is not determinative of her right to alimony except where her misconduct is so serious as to constitute grounds for separation or divorce (2 Law and the Family, N.Y. Foster-Freed, p. 76).

The wife's 'right affirmatively to seek support from husband is precluded generally as a matter of law only when her conduct has been or is such as to entitle him to a decree of separation or to a divorce'. (Brownstein v. Brownstein, 25 A.D.2d 205, 207, 268 N.Y.S.2d 115, 120).

Nor is the fact that most of the case law on this subject was written before September 1, 1967, the date upon which grounds for divorce other than adultery became part of our law, of help to the petitioner here. Section 236 of the Domestic Relations Law whose most recent amendments became effective June 16, 1968, gives the Court discretionary power to grant alimony to an errant wife unless her 'misconduct would itself constitute grounds for separation or divorce.' Such are obviously the facts here. The petitioner is given no help if her application is termed an application for 'support'.

Alimony is paid to a former wife in the event of an annulment or divorce, or to a wife in the case of a judicial separation.

In the Family Court, support is awarded only to a wife and is not awarded where the marriage has been terminated.

The liability of the husband for support depends upon the existence of a valid marriage and such must be established. When that relationship ceases to exist, the...