135 Mich. 549 | Mich. | 1904
Prior to November 27, 1900, the parties to this suit were husband and wife. On that day they were divorced by the circuit court for the county of Bay, in chancery. This suit was commenced by a writ of
Respecting the property covered by the decree, if plaintiff’s cause of action therefor either arose before the decree (in which case it was merged therein), or if it arose simply from the nonperformance of the decree, we agree with the trial judge that redress should be sought from the court which made it. See Allen v. Allen, 100 Mass. 373; Lyon v. Lyon, 21 Conn. 185; Bauman v. Bauman, 18 Ark. 320 (68 Am. Dec. 171); Berry v. Innes, 46 Mich. 518 (9 N. W. 834). That court clearly has. jurisdiction to enforce the decree, and its jurisdiction is necessarily exclusive. It might modify the decree, and release defend
Respecting plaintiff’s claim for property not covered by the decree, we cannot agree with the trial judge that the decree in the divorce suit assumed to make a division and partition of the household property between the parties. It did direct plaintiff to transfer to defendant certain of this property, and it also directed the defendant to transfer to the plaintiff ‘ ‘ the remainder of the personal property described in the inventory, Exhibit G, in this cause, this day filed.” Exhibit G is a list of household articles headed, “What Jackson is Willing His Wife Should Have.” We cannot infer from this that the decree assumed to affect the title of plaintiff to other property of which he was the owner. If, therefore, there was such other property, and if, as plaintiff claims, defendant sold it, the money received by her may be recovered in this suit.
The judgment of the court below must therefore be reversed, and a new trial ordered.