In Re Marriage of Chapman

This appeal is from the judgment dissolving the parties’ second marriage to each other and awarding appellant spousal support of $500 a month for a period of one year. The support order was based on consideration only of the second marriage of three and a half months duration, without regard to the prior marriage of nineteen years. Appellant contends that the trial court erred in failing to consider the parties’ first marriage and abused its discretion in ordering an insufficient amount of support. We agree with the first of these contentions and remand for reconsideration of the support order.

Facts

The parties first married on July 23, 1960. Appellant obtained an interlocutory judgment of dissolution on June 5,1979, and a final judgment of dissolution on June 9, 1981. At the time the interlocutory judgment was entered, the parties had reconciled but decided to go through with the divorce to “clean out the emotional garbage” and then remarry.

During the three years following the interlocutory judgment the relationship was characterized by brief separations and reconciliations. Shortly after obtaining the interlocutory decree in 1979, appellant moved to Portland,…