138 Mo. App. 211 | Mo. Ct. App. | 1909
— The appeal in this cause was taken by defendant from an order of the trial court overruling a motion to quash an execution issued to enforce a judgment for alimony pendente lite. The cause is presented to us on the record proper.
Plaintiff brought suit in the circuit court of Jackson county against defendant, her husband, for divorce on grounds not now important. In the petition she
The ground of defendant’s motion to quash the execution issued on this judgment is “that said pretended judgment against this defendant for the amount aforesaid was rendered at the time and as a part of the judgment in which the issues wrere found for this defendant and the said execution issued thereunder and thereupon accordingly are wholly null and void.” Defendant argues in effect that the jurisdiction of the court over the subject of allowing suit money to the wife ends with the hearing of the cause on the merits when such hearing-results in .a final adjudication that the wife is the guilty party. The statute provides: “The court may decree alimony pending the suit for divorce in all cases where the same would be just whether the wife be plaintiff or defendant and enforce such order in the manner provided by law in other cases.”
This statute superseded the rule of the Ecclesiastical courts of England which allowed the wife suit money almost- as a matter of course. Under the provision quoted, the trial court had authority pending the suit to award plaintiff suit money if in the exercise of a sound
The judgment is affirmed.