Austin v. Burns

35 P.2d 142, 139 Cal. App. 747, 1934 Cal. App. LEXIS 638
California Court of Appeal·Decided July 18, 1934·No. Civ. No. 9330·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

SCHMIDT, J., pro tem.

The complaint in this case filed by respondent as the executrix of the estate of Thomas Murphy, deceased, was for cancellation of a deed purported to have been given by said Murphy in his lifetime to Alice Burns, the appellant herein, charging that the purported deed had been obtained from said Murphy by undue influence. After hearing all the evidence in the case upon motion of the respondent the trial court permitted her to file an amended complaint to conform to proof setting up the additional ground of nondelivery of the deed. The complaint also asked for judgment for the rental value of the property from the date that appellant took possession. The court found for respondent that the purported deed had been obtained by undue influence; that there was not any consideration for the deed; that the deed had not been delivered and found that the rental value of the premises during the period occupied by appellant was $1170 and entered judgment for the cancellation of the deed and for the sum of $1170. The appeal is from this judgment.

[749]*749Although appellant attacks substantially' every finding of the court and the judgment thereon, these attacks may. be stated as insufficiency of the evidence to support the findings (a) that appellant procured the purported deed through undue influence; (b) that the purported deed had not been delivered; and (c) for the rental value of the premises.

The testimony showed that the alleged grantor, Thomas Murphy, died on the thirty-first day of December, 1928, aged eighty-six; that the date of the deed involved herein was twelve days prior thereto, namely, the eighteenth day of December; that at the date of the deed said Murphy owned two pieces of property which for convenience will be designated as the Orange Street or his home property, located in the town of Compton, and the other the Stock-well Street property, located a few blocks therefrom in the county of Los Angeles, the said Stockwell property being the property described in the deed involved herein; that said Murphy and the defendant had been acquainted for a year or more prior to his death and that they lived next door to each other on Orange Street.

Appellant testified that during the earliest part of her acquaintance with Murphy he was ill; she took food to him and otherwise took care of him; that she went into his home “every day when I came home at noon from the store, I went in there and fed him . . . and in the morning I would wash his face and hands and give him whatever he wanted, and at night when I came home I did the same thing, I fed him . . . ”; that he soon recovered from his temporary illness and their friendship continued. “ ... he used to come in and eat when I came home at noon; he didn’t have breakfast with me at all, but at noon he came in and had lunch with me, and at night when I came home he would come in and have dinner with me, and if he .didn’t come in, I brought it in to him.” This continued “as long as I lived there .- . . Well, no, not every day ... he would come in for quite a while steady, and then all of a sudden ... he wouldn’t come in for awhile . . . and then he would come in again.” During this relationship between them no discussion was had between them about any property except about three months prior to his death and then in connection with some error regarding a cloud on the title [750]*750to one of bis pieces of property wbicb he had asked appellant to help him to straighten out, concerning which property he wanted to make a loan, and that she went with Mr. Murphy to see a Mr. Erickson concerning the error; that she had loaned money to Murphy at times when he needed it without any apparent expectation of receiving it back. She did not keep account of the money she either loaned him or that she gave him; that some months prior to his death Murphy told her he desired to remember her by deeding her the Stockwell property, the property in question. “Q. . . . now, what was stated by Mr. Murphy 1 ... A. Well, I don’t know; I can’t remember. Q. Just as near as you can recall? A. I know he told me he wanted me to have that deed to that property because that I had been kind to him and did everything; things that nobody else would have done for him, and I came to him and took care of him when nobody else did. . . . He told me that several different times. ’ ’

That Murphy was acquainted with a real estate man named Nygaard. When he wanted the deed executed, “Why, he told me to get Mr. Nygaard; ... he wanted Mr. Ny-gaard to come to him; ... he wanted to make some papers out; ... I went and got Mr. Nygaard. . . . Mr. Nygaard told him to get a lawyer.’’ Mr. Nygaard told the deceased to get a Mr. Aylmer as an attorney. “Q. . . . did Mr. Nygaard get the lawyer? A. No, Mr. Nygaard told Mr. Murphy to get Mr. Aylmer, or to get a lawyer, and I told him I didn’t know any lawyers, and Mr. Nygaard told Mr. Murphy to get Mr. Aylmer. . . . Q. . . . then did you see Mr. Aylmer; ... A. Well, Mr. Aylmer went down to Mr. Murphy’s; I don’t know if it was that day or the next day, but I know he went down.”

Mr. Nygaard testified “Mr. Murphy asked me to draw a deed in favor of Mrs. Burns; he said he would like to deed his Orange street property, . . . and I stepped outside of the house and I talked to Mrs. Burns, and I advised Mrs. Burns, under the circumstances, that she better consult an attorney and have a deed drawn up and have the transaction handled by an attorney. She asked me what attorney I would recommend; I said ‘There are several up town; Mr. Aylmer is very reliable; you might see him. ’ ” At the time he had conversation with Mr. Murphy “Mrs. Burns was [751]*751.there, but, however, she went out before — she stepped out of the kitchen, on the rear porch, as I remember; she was in the other room part of the time.”

The record shows that the appellant Mrs. Burns, went to the office of Mr. Aylmer, an attorney, and had him prepare a deed and then took Mr. Aylmer with her to Mr. Murphy. Mr. Aylmer testified: “Tes, I asked him if he really wanted to deed the property to her and he said he did . . . after I found out that it was his wish to sign that deed, I said ‘We will have to have a notary;’ ... he wanted to have it cleared before he gave her a deed.” Aylmer was not present when the deed was signed.

The witness Mrs. Olive ITarr testified that she was the notary who placed the certificate on the deed involved herein; that she first saw the deed at the bank where she worked; that Mrs. Burns asked her to go to Mr. Murphy’s house; that she saw him sign the deed, but did not have any conversation at all with Mr. Murphy; that she took the deed back to the bank where she placed her notary seal on it; that she then gave the deed to Mrs. Burns. ‘‘The Court: Do you remember whether he told you to give it to Mrs. Burns? A. I don’t remember that he did. Q. Why did you give it to her? A. Well, it was made out to her.”

One witness, Carrie Dimmler, testified she had known Mr. Murphy for sis or seven years; had seen him frequently almost every day; that he was an old man; that she talked to him occasionally; that she had observed him; that “he was a very feeble old man”. When questioned as to his mental condition she answered, “He was very feeble. . . . Well, he was childish. ...”

Another witness, Mrs. Delia Guay, testified that she had known Mr.

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Austin v. Burns, 35 P.2d 142, 139 Cal. App. 747, 1934 Cal. App. LEXIS 638 (Cal. Ct. App. 1934).

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