In Re Marriage of Neal

The wife appeals from specified portions of an amended interlocutory judgment entered in a proceeding for dissolution of the parties’ marriage.

Appellant commenced the proceeding by filing a petition for dissolution in 1975. It eventually came on for trial 19 months later. The parties had by then reached agreement on some aspects of a division of their marital property, but not on custody and support of their two small children, spousal support, and certain other issues. Pursuant to a stipulation between them, the trial court received extrinsic evidence on the unresolved issues, took them under submission, and entered an interlocutory judgment forthwith. The stipulated judgment ordered dissolution of the marriage, the agreed property division, and that “the Court hereby expressly reserves jurisdiction with respect to the issues of the determination of child custody, child visitation, spousal support, child support,” and other matters upon which evidence had been received.

The court subsequently filed a notice of intended decision announcing its disposition of the issues reserved. Appellant requested formal findings of fact and conclusions of law. The court signed and…