HODDER DIVORCE CASE.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 282, 27 November 1919, Page 9

HODDER DIVORCE CASE.

VERDICT AGAINST IFWERSEN. HUSBAND GETS DECREE. The jury in the divorce action Gordon i Hodder y. Florence Evelyn Hodder and I Karl Ifwersen, returned a unanimous , i verdict yesterday afternoon to the effect •that the co-respondent had miscon- . ducted himself with the respondent. The jury took four hours in arriving at their , verdict. j The case was peculiar in that on the application of the co-respondent an order had been made prior to \t'he hearing, sev- ; ering the issues against the respondent (who made no defence) and the co-re- [ spondent respectively. The case against i the co-respondent was taken first, the severance of the issues Tendering inadmissible any 'statements made by Mrs. Hodder otherwise than in Ifwersen's presence. In consequence the petitioner*, sought to prove only one of the four acts of misconduct alleged in the petit-ion. This morning the other issue, that against Mrs. Hodder, was taken by the Judge alone: No defence was offered, and a written admission of misconduct,signed by the respondent, was put in. Mr. Justice Cooper, remarking that he had no doubt that there had been misconduct between the respondent and corespondent, granted a decree nisi, and gave the petitioner the-interim custody of his two children. Costs on the higher scale, amounting to £53 8/, were-. allowed against the co-respondent. Mr. R. A. Singer appeared for the petitioner, and Mr. S.'T>. Paterson for the co-respondent. Mr. A. J. Moody watched the case on behalf of the respondent.