Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 54, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 February 1904 — Alimony Orders But Small Account. [ARTICLE]

Alimony Orders But Small Account.

The supreme oonrt on Friday decided that a husband cannot be punished for contempt of court in failing to pay alimony to his divorced wife. The court oritioised the particular order in question, saying that it was voidable if not void, because it merely ordered the husband to pay $4 a week for tbe support of his wife without stating the whole amount he was condemned to pay. But it also said that whether -valid or not the order oould not be enforced by an attachment for oontempt. A judgement for alimony, said the court, is an ordinary judgement, to be oolleoted by sn execution: and it pointed out tbe provisions of the statuet for enforcing by attachment a preliminary order for the support of the wife while a divorce suit is pending, as showing that there is no common law right to oolleot alimony in that manner after the divorce is granted. This deoisien of the Supreme court will have the practical effeot of releasing the great majority of men ordered to pay alimony, from their obligations. Piobably four if the of them at least, are men torn whom nothing oould be oolleoted by ordinary process of law.