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157 Wis. 430

Voss v. Voss

Wisconsin Supreme Court

Decided May 21, 1914

Wisconsin Supreme Court · decided 1914-05-21

This action was brought for divorce by the plaintiff husband against the defendant wife on the ground of cruel and inhuman treatment. The defendant denied the material allegations respecting cruel and inhuman treatment and set up affirmative matter by way of defense and charged the plaintiff with cruel and inhuman treatment, and demanded that the plaintiff’s complaint he dismissed.

Key passage — most relied on by later courts

““. . . It is quite clear that the court below ordered judgment of divorce mainly for the reason that he did not think the parties could live together in harmony, not for the reason that plaintiff had made a case entitling him to a divorce. But divorces must be granted on legal grounds, not on notions of the court as to the propriety or advisability of the parties continuing to live together.””

quoted by 1 later decision, including 52 Wis. 2d 577 - McMurtrie v. McMurtrie

““In a judgment in an action for a divorce, although such divorce be denied, the court may make such order for the support and maintenance of the wife and children, or any of them, by the husband or out of his property as the nature of the case may render suitable and proper.””

quoted by 1 later decision, including Penn v. Penn

Relies on Ekern v. McGovern · Pease v. Pease · Hubbard v. Hubbard

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Reversed · Decided 1914-05-21

How this case has been cited

Cited by 8 later decisions — most recently November 1971

8 state decisions

301914192019301940195019601970decided

Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

EjeRwin, J.

¶1Several errors are assigned. It is first assigned as error that no cause for divorce was shown upon the plaintiff’s own evidence; and especially in view of the fact that the defendant was not permitted to testify in her own behalf. The defendant was called as an adverse witness by plaintiff and testified, and from the evidence it is quite plain that both parties were in fault, and perhaps the plaintiff in as great if not a greater degree than the defendant. Moreover, after the plaintiff closed his evidence the defendant was denied a hearing, the court assuming that he had heard all he desired to hear and that the proper thing to do was to grant a divorce, doubtless because of the revolting character of the eviderice disclosed by the adverse examination of defendant, together with the evidence of plaintiff.

¶2The court below practically denied the defendant a hearing, refusing to hear her evidence or the evidence of other witnesses offered on her behalf. This conduct on the part of *432the court was prejudicial error and entitles the defendant to a reversal. Ekern v. McGovern, 154 Wis. 157, 142 N. W. 595; State ex rel. Ringer v. Harper, ante, p. 421, 147 N. W. 633; State ex rel. Arnold v. Common Council, post, p. 505, 147 N. W. 50.

¶3The court is of opinion that upon the record made the plaintiff was not entitled to a divorce. Plaintiff’s conduct was grossly immoral and unjustifiable. Much of the improper conduct of the defendant was obviously provoked by the fault and misconduct of the plaintiff. Under such circumstances the plaintiff was not entitled to a divorce. Skinner v. Skinner, 5 Wis. 449; Pease v. Pease, 72 Wis. 136, 39 N. W. 133; Hubbard v. Hubbard, 74 Wis. 650, 43 N. W. 655. We shall not review the evidence, scandalous and grossly immoral as it is. Some of it should be expunged from the record, especially Exhibit 12. It is quite clear that the court below ordered judgment of divorce mainly for the reason that he did not think the parties could live together in harmony, not for the reason that plaintiff had made a case entitling him to a divorce. But divorces must be granted on legal grounds, not on notions of the court as to the propriety or advisability of the parties continuing to live together.

¶4Counsel for appellant asks relief under sec. 2366, Stats., which provides:

“In a judgment in an action for a divorce, although such divorce be denied, the court may make such order for the support and maintenance of the wife and children, or any of them, by the husband or out of his property as the nature of the case may render suitable and proper.”

¶5We are of opinion that relief under sec. 2366, Stats., should be granted.

¶6By the Court. — The judgment of the court below is reversed, and the cause remanded with directions to take such further evidence as may be necessary and grant the defendant the relief provided for by sec. 2366, Stats.

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