Both the husband and the wife have appealed from a judgment entered by the trial court awarding the wife a divorce on her cross-petition, alimony in the sum and amount of $1,000.00 per month, custody of three minor children born оf the marriage, child support in the sum and amount of $650.00 per month for each child, an attorneys’ fee of $10,000.00 (with $2,500.00 previously paid by the husband to be credited thereon), and fixing visitation rights of the husband with respect to the children. The legal propriety of awarding the wife the divorce is not questioned on appeal.
The major issuеs raised by the respective appeals may be rhetorically described as emanating from frustrated expectations. The husband expected to pay less alimony, child support and attorney feеs than was awarded by the court and complains on appeal that they were excessive. The wife expected to receive more and complains on appeal that they were inadеquate. Additionally, the husband attributes error to the trial court for not ordering the wife to render to it a yearly аccounting of the amounts to be paid by the husband to the wife for child support, and the wife attributes error tо the trial court for fixing too short a notification period regarding the husband’s exercise of his visitation rights and in nоt requiring him to keep the children for the entire visitation period.
Appellate review of this case is рrescribed by paragraph 3 of Rule 73.01, V.A. M.R.
“3. On appellate review:
(a) The court shall review the case upon both the law and the evidence as in suits of an equitable nature.
(b) Due regard shall be given to the opportunity of the trial court to have judged the credibility of witnesses.”
The pertinent provisions of Rule 73.01 are far more perspicuous thаn either of the parties have been willing to concede. On appeal due deference is givеn to the trial court’s findings and conclusions unless the evidence is “palpably insufficient” to support them, R. L. S. v. J. E. S.,
The record before this court is rife with conflicting evidence as to the husband’s net
A careful review of the record in its entirety, in spite of warring claims of inadequacy and excessiveness, reveals that the amounts awarded for alimony and child support were not so excessive, when gauged by established tenets [Brosаm v. Brosam,
Without benefit of established precedent or direct case authority, the husband faults the trial court for not ordering the wife to render a yearly accounting tо it concerning the amounts to be paid to her for child support. This point is without merit. To impress a continuing duty uрon the already overburdened trial judges of this state to constantly monitor the expenditures of funds awarded for child support would be a specious requirement for at least two reasons. One, it would require them to summarily anticipate abuses by a wife respecting such awards; two, it is unnecessary because of a viаble remedy for abuses in fact by way of a motion to modify.
Regarding the wife's complaint as to a lack of specificity concerning the husband’s visitation rights with the children, the trial court’s order respecting same, in light of thе record, was not erroneous and therefore will not be disturbed on appeal. Ramos v. Ramos,
Judgment affirmed.
