JAMES G. TEPLY, APPELLANT,
v.
GERTRUDE KEY, FORMERLY GERTRUDE K. TEPLY, APPELLEE
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In this divorce appeal, the court affirmed the dismissal of a former husband's petition to eliminate child support obligations for a minor child placed in the parties' custody by a Virginia court. The court held that the petition failed to meet the statutory requirements for post-decretal modification and did not qualify for relief under the applicable rules.
The court held that the petition properly was dismissed because it failed to comply with the requirements of § 65.15, which requires showing of changed circumstances, and did not qualify under any provision of Rule 1.38(b). The court further held that even if the support requirement lacked legal basis, it would be erroneous rather than void, and would not justify post-decretal relief absent the requisite changed circumstances or other qualifying grounds.
“A petition under § 65.15, supra, requires an allegation and showing of changed circumstances in order to warrant a change in an alimony or support decree.”
Establishes the statutory requirement for post-decretal modification of support obligations
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceJames Teply and Gertrude Key were divorced by decree of the Circuit Court of Dade County on May 3, 1961. The decree required Teply to support a minor …
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On May 3, 1961, by a decree of the Circuit Court of Dade County, the appellant and appellee were divorced. The decree required the appellant to support a minor child, not adopted by the parties but who had been placed in their custody by order of a Virginia court. The appellant appealed from the decree of divorce and, inter alia, assigned as error the child support provisions of the decree. The appeal was dismissed on September 15, 1961.1 Appellant, on February 15, 1963, filed a petition in the original proceedings to amend the final decree by eliminating the support provisions thereof and for a declaration that appellant was not legally obligated to support the child. The chancellor on motion dismissed the petition and this interlocutory appeal followed.
The appellant relies on three grounds for reversal of the order dismissing his petition. We deem it necessary to discuss only two.
Since this was a post-decretal proceedings, the petition could be considered only under § 65.15, Fla.Stat., F. S.A., or one of the provisions of Rule 1.38(b), Florida Rules of Civil Procedure.2 A petition under § 65.15, supra, requires an allegation and showing of changed circumstances in order to warrant a change in an alimony or support decree. Obviously, the petition here did not meet those requirements since it simply alleged that there did not exist, at the time of the institution of the divorce action or at any time thereafter, a legal duty on the appellant to support the child. This is the same error which the appellant urged in the appeal from the final decree which was dismissed on September 15, 1961.
*551As will be noted, there are generally five grounds under which a motion for relief from a final judgment or decree will lie under the provisions of Rule 1.38(b), supra. It is apparent that the first three grounds encompassed in this rule would not apply to the present proceedings. As to the fourth ground, the decree does not appear on its face to be void. The thrust of the appellant’s argument here, as we understand it, is that the requirements of the decree for the support of the minor child, who is neither the natural nor adopted child of the appellant, are without legal basis. Without deciding that question, we conclude that it does not render the decree void although it may have been erroneous and subject to reversal on appeal. See 19 Fla.Jur., Judgments, § 228; also Klausner v. Ader, Fla.App.1963, 1S6 So.2d 193.
The fifth provision of Rule 1.38(b), supra, permits relief from decrees where they have been satisfied, released or discharged, or where a prior judgment or decree upon which it is based has been reversed or otherwise vacated, or it is no longer equitable that the judgment or decree should have prospective application. Our rule 1.38(b) is patterned after Rule 60(b), Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. We have been unable to find where the appellate courts of this state have construed the fifth provision of this rule, but the federal courts have generally applied this rule or permitted its use in in-junctive proceedings where changed circumstances would render it inequitable to permit the injunctive decree to have prospective application. See 7 Moore, Federal Practice, § 60.26(4), p. 284. It can be seen under this interpretation of that portion of provision (5) of Rule 1.38(b), supra, that there is an implied admission of the validity of the original decree from which relief is sought but that changed circumstances have arisen since the decree which would make it inequitable to enforce it or give it prospective application. No such circumstances exist in the case at bar.
The appellant also contends that since there was no legal basis for the allowance of support money for the minor child, it thereupon followed that the allowance of attorney’s fees to the appellee was also without lawful authority. In view of our conclusion on the main point of the case, and the fact that it has been held that the resistance of any attempt to have support money reduced was in effect “litigating to enforce that portion of the former decree which by his (the former husband’s) petition he seeks to take away from her,” it follows that the chancellor’s allowance of attorney’s fees was not an abuse of discretion and was allowable under the provisions of § 65.16, Fla.Stat., F.S.A. Blunda v. Blunda, Fla. 1958, 101 So.2d 41; Metz v. Metz, Fla.App.1959, 108 So.2d 512.
We conclude that the chancellor was eminently correct in dismissing the petition since it failed to conform to the requirements either of § 65.15, Fla.Stat., F.S.A., or any of the provisions of Rule 1.38(b), Florida Rules of Civil Procedure. However, this conclusion is without prejudice to the rights, if any, that the appellant may have to institute an independent action to be relieved from that portion of the decree requiring child support.
Accordingly, the order appealed is affirmed.
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Aldrich v. Aldrich, 163 So. 2d 276 (Fla. 1964)…the decree as originally rendered. If the alimony decree was procured by fraud and without proper notice to appellant, equity afforded him a remedy for the impeachment of said decree.” The Third District Court of Appeal, in Teply v. Key, Fla.App., 158 So. 2d 549, has considered recently a case that is also analogous to the situation here. There, a petition was filed by the ex-husband, after the time for appeal had expired, for a modification of a divorce decree as to its provision for child support. In affi…
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Austin Burke, Inc. v. Vigilant Ins. Co., 179 So. 2d 600 (Fla. 3d DCA 1965)…Rule 1.38 constituted a gross abuse of discretion. In the light of the facts recited above, we are unable to hold that the trial judge abused his discretion. Cf., Somerville v. Skidmore, Fla.App.1965, 175 So. 2d 575, and Teply v. Key, Fla.App.1963, 158 So. 2d 549. Appellant relies upon North Shore Hospital, Inc. v. Barber, Fla.1962, 143 So. 2d 849; however, that case was expressly limited to-the setting aside of an interlocutory order of default. In Florida Investment Enterprises v. Kentucky Co., Fla.App.1…
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Anne Marlowe Salomon v. Salomon, 186 So. 2d 39 (Fla. 3d DCA 1966)…ies which recognize that a former wife is entitled to fees to protect her rights, established by a prior agreement or decree. See: Simpson v. Simpson, Fla. 1953, 63 So. 2d 764; Blunda v. Blunda, Fla. 1958, 101 So. 2d 41; Teply v. Key, Fla.App. 1963, 158 So. 2d 549; Wilner v. Wilner, supra. Counsel for the appellant has filed a petition in this court for attorney’s fees for services rendered in perfecting and prosecuting this appeal. Because of the fact that this cause will be returned to the circuit court wi…
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- Metz v. Metz, 108 So. 2d 512 (Fla. 3d DCA 1959)
- Gaspare Frank Blunda v. Louie Regina Ellert Blunda, 101 So. 2d 41 (Fla. 1958)
- A. W. Barkley Used Cars, Inc. v. Fiada Enters., Inc., 133 So. 2d 781 (Fla. 2d DCA 1961)