MARCIA RICH, APPELLANT,
v.
JOHN OLIVER RICH ET AL., APPELLEES

Fla. 4th DCA | 1968-10-14
No. 1826
WALDEN, C. J., and OWEN, J., concur.
214 So. 2d 777 Florida District Court of Appeal, Fourth District (1968) Negative Treatment
Cited by 12 cases

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Holding

The court held that the trial court correctly vacated the temporary injunction and quashed service of process for relief requiring in personam jurisdiction, but erred in not allowing plaintiff to amend her complaint regarding custody.


Facts & Procedural History

Plaintiff filed a complaint for divorce, custody, and injunctions against her husband and a bank. The trial court initially granted a temporary injunc…

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Opinion of the Court
REED, Judge.

REED, Judge.

The plaintiff, Marcia Rich, appellant, filed a complaint in the Circuit Court for Orange County, Florida, against the defendants, John Oliver Rich and the First National Bank of Winter Park, on 4 August 1967. The complaint alleged that the plaintiff and defendant Rich were married and lived together until March 1967; that the defendant Rich was guilty of extreme cruelty; that the parties had three children, and that the plaintiff should have their custody. The complaint also alleged that the defendant Rich is living in Switzerland and will take the children to Switzerland when he has notice of the suit; that savings are in the name of the children in the defendant bank and will be taken by the defendant Rich unless he is restrained, and that said defendant is able to support the plaintiff and the children.

The complaint demanded separate maintenance and alimony; custody of the children with a temporary injunction restraining the defendant from removing the children from the jurisdiction; an order enjoining the defendant Rich from removing money from the savings account in the First National Bank at Winter Park, and other relief.

Service of process on defendant Rich was by constructive service under Chapter 48, F.S. 1965 (now Chapter 49, F.S. 1967).

On 23 August 1967 the court without notice to the defendants and without requiring a bond entered an order awarding the plaintiff temporary custody of the children and temporarily enjoining the defendant Rich from removing the children from the jurisdiction of the court. Defendant Rich made a motion to quash the service of process on the ground that it was insufficient for the relief sought.

On 20 September 1967 following a hearing, the trial court entered an order which: (1) vacated the temporary injunction of 23 August; (2) quashed the service of process on the defendant Rich; and (3) afforded the plaintiff an opportunity to file an amended complaint, the same to be served as though it were an original complaint. This is an interlocutory appeal from that order.

The trial judge vacated the temporary injunction because he was of the opinion that he had erred in granting it without bond. The trial court was correct (see F.R.C.P. 1.610, 31 F.S.A.) and had in*779herent power to correct its errors. Family-Loan Co. v. Smetal Corporation, 1936, 123 Fla. 900, 169 So. 48; Stuco Corp. v. Gates, Fla.App.1962, 145 So.2d 527; and Strazzulla v. Hendrick, Fla.1965, 177 So.2d 1. We, therefore, affirm the order vacating the temporary injunction.

Regarding that part of the appealed order quashing the service on the defendant Rich, we must consider the relief sought and the type of service required for such relief.

The primary item of relief sought was custody of the children. A suit involving an issue of custody is in the nature of an in rem action where the children are within the jurisdiction of the court. State ex rel. Galen v. Kuhl, Fla.App.1958, 103 So.2d 225; Dorman v. Friendly, 1941, 146 Fla. 732, 1 So.2d 734; State ex rel. Clark v. Clark, 1941, 148 Fla. 452, 4 So.2d 517; Smith v. Davis, Fla.App. 1962, 147 So.2d 177. For this reason a court within whose territorial jurisdiction the children reside has jurisdiction to adjudicate an issue of custody even though a parent resides in another state. Grant v. Corbitt, Fla.1957, 95 So.2d 25, 27, and Di Giorgio v. Di Giorgio, 1943, 153 Fla. 24, 13 So.2d 596. For purposes of trying a custody issue under those circumstances service of process under the constructive service statute on the nonresident parent should be sufficient to accord him due process of law. This is a rule of necessity. When the interest of minors are in need of protection the hand of the court within whose territorial jurisdiction they reside must not be stayed merely because a parent is unavailable for personal service of process. With respect to the present case, why then was the service of process by constructive service insufficient to sustain the relief sought as to the children, i. e., custody? The court answered this question in its order of 20 September 1967 wherein it said, “* * * there is no allegation of jurisdiction of the children for custody matters.” The court was referring to the complaint. The complaint completely failed to allege that the children resided within the territorial jurisdiction of the court; therefore, no justiciable issue was raised with respect to the children and the court could have treated the prayer for custody as surplus-age. On remand the plaintiff should be given an opportunity to file an amended complaint properly setting up the court’s jurisdiction over the children and to perfect service of process in a manner consistent with the relief sought.

The other relief sought by the complaint requires in personam jurisdiction which is not obtained by constructive service of process.

For the foregoing reasons the order appealed is affirmed and the cause remanded.

WALDEN, C. J., and OWEN, J., concur.


Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus


Citator

Cited By

  • Dov Gelkop v. Gelkop, 384 So. 2d 195 (Fla. 3d DCA 1980)
    …resence of the child within the territorial jurisdiction of the court, while desirable, is no longer a prerequisite to the court’s jurisdiction to determine the child’s custody. § 61.1308(3), Fla.Stat. (1979). The husband’s reliance on Rich v. Rich, 214 So. 2d 777 (Fla. 4th DCA 1968), for a contrary proposition is no longer good law. See also §§ 61.13(2)(b), 61.1302, Fla.Stat. (1979). As such, the child custody provisions of the final judgment were validly entered by the trial court as against the above attac…
  • Periolat v. Periolat, 336 So. 2d 1256 (Fla. 2d DCA 1976)
    …ve jurisdiction to enter the order regarding custody, because the child was within the court’s jurisdiction when the complaint was filed and the complaint so alleged. Mirras v. Mirras, Fla.App.2d 1967, 202 So. 2d 887; Rich v. Rich, Fla.App.4th 1968, 214 So. 2d 777; Nieburger v. Nieburger, Fla.App.1st 1968, 214 So. 2d 382. Therefore, the trial judge’s order in respect to temporary custody is affirmed. Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion. HOBSO…
  • Darian Northrup Castle v. Castle, 247 So. 2d 455 (Fla. 4th DCA 1971)
    …ritorial limits of this state. Under the present state of the law, this fact deprived the court of jurisdiction to initially adjudicate the custody of the minor child. Dorman v. Friendly, 1941, 146 Fla. 732, 1 So. 2d 734; Rich v. Rich, Fla.App.1968, 214 So. 2d 777; Nieburger v. Nieburger, Fla.App.1968, 214 So. 2d 382; Mirras v. Mirras, Fla.App.1967, 202 So. 2d 887; Smith v. Davis, Fla.App.1962, 147 So. 2d 177. The custody order appealed is reversed. REED, J., concurs. WALDEN, J., dissents, with opinion.…
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