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24 La. Ann. 75

Webb v. Bell

Supreme Court of Louisiana

Decided February 15, 1872

Supreme Court of Louisiana · decided 1872-02-15

<p>If it "be sliown that the wife brought no flowery into the marriage, and. that she has no actual claims against her husband, still she has the right to obtain a separation of property from her husband if she shows that he is in embarrassed circumstances, and that his con. dition is such that she might loose any property sho might receive thereafter in her own right from legacies or otherwise if it was to fall into the community.</p>

Key passage — most relied on by later courts

“The purpose sought by separation of property and dissolution of community in this case seems to be to enable the wife, by the use of her own limited means and those she might obtain through her relatives, to earn for herself and child a support, without having her earnings fall into the community.”

quoted by 1 later decision, including Carite v. Trotot

“for the future by putting an end to the community and thus securing to the wife her individual acquisitions or gains thereafter in whatever manner obtained.”

quoted by 1 later decision, including Tanner v. Tanner

Relies on Davock v. Darcy

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1872-02-15

How this case has been cited

Cited by 7 later decisions (3 by the Supreme Court) — most recently January 1956

1 district · 3 state decisions

20187218801890190019101920193019401950decided

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 →

Taliaeerro, J.

¶1This is a suit by the wife against her husband to obtain a separation of property and a dissolution of tho community between them.

¶2The petition is opposed by the husband on the ground that there is neither allegation or proof that the plaintiff had, at the time of the institution of this suit, a separate trade or industry of auy kind from which sho was deriving revenue or means inuring to her own benefit, and which were in danger on account of the embarrassed condition of the husband’s affairs. There was judgment in the court below in conformity with the prayer of the petition, and the defendant has appealed.

¶3The questions raised by the pleadings in this case were considered in the case of Davock v. Darcy, 6 Rob. 342, and the conclusions arrived at were, that “ it would be giving the article of tho code too narrow a construction to limit the wife’s right to a separation to the cases therein enumerated; that although a woman has brought no dowry and has' no actual claims against her husband, she is not absolutely precluded from the right of obtaining a separation of property; that the object of a separation of property is twofold, it provides for the present by enabling the wife to recover her dowry or other claims *76against her husband, and it provides for the future by putting an end to the community and thus securing to the wife her individual acquisitions or'gains thereafter in whatever manner obtained.”

¶4The doctrine of this caso has been reaffirmed by subsequent decisions. 6 An. 633 ; 7 Ah. 343; 10 An. 272; 11 An. 525.

¶5It is proved in the case now before us that the wife has a small amount -of paraphernal property shown to be wortli nine hundred dollars; that the husband is in embarrassed circumstances, owning no property, and that there are judgments against him amounting to more than twenty thousand dollars. The purpose sought by separation of property and dissolution of community in this case seems to bo to enable the wife, hy the use of her own limited means and those she might obtain through her relatives, to earn for herself and child a support without having her earnings fall into the community.

¶6We think the judgment of the lower court correct.

¶7It is therefore ordered, adjudged and decreed that the judgment of the district court be affirmed, with costs.

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