Barnard v. Bilby

1917 OK 506, 171 P. 444, 68 Okla. 63, 1917 Okla. LEXIS 400
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedOctober 30, 1917
Docket7389
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 1917 OK 506 (Barnard v. Bilby) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Barnard v. Bilby, 1917 OK 506, 171 P. 444, 68 Okla. 63, 1917 Okla. LEXIS 400 (Okla. 1917).

Opinion

RAINEY, J.

This ease involves the title to the allotment of Tom Rentie, an enrolled Creek freedman, who died on the 22d day of April. 1908, intestate, unmarried, and without issue, leaving surviving him as his next of kin and heirs at law the followng: Sophia Thompson, mother, Louis E. Nero, and Robert Nero, half-brothers, Sam Renüe; brother, Alice Rentie, sister, Curtis Nero and Sadie Nero, nephew and niece, respectively, children of his predeceased brother, Will Nero, and Mattie Cooks, a niece.

Louis E. Nero was appointed administrator of the estate of the said Tom Rentie on the 9th day of June, 1908, and soon thereafter filed his petition in the county court of Wagoner county for the sale of the homestead allotment of -the decedent for the purpose, as alleged in said petition, of paying the debts of the deceased, costs of administration, etc. The petition was granted, and said homestead allotment was purchased at the administrator’s sale by one John S. Bil-by. .

Tom Rentie, who was a minor at the time of his death, when about 14 years of age, attempted to convey) by 'two warranty deeds, one for 80 acres and one for 40 acres, his surplus allotment to his half-brother, Will Nero. Soon after the execution of these deeds Will Nero attempted to convey the 80-acre tract to James M. Barnard, and the 40-aere tract to H. V. Lowe, and H. Y. Lowe, in turn, attempted to convey the 40-acre tract to James M. Barnard.

Subsequent to the execution of these deeds Louis Nero, as next friend of Tom Rentie, commenced an' action in the District Court of the United States at Wagoner, Okla., against James M. Barnard, to cancel and set aside these conveyances, as clouds upon the title of the said Tom Rentie. With the advent of statehood this action was transferred to 'the district court of Wagoner county, as successor to the United ¡Sitates District Court, and while the cause was pending therein Tom Rentie died, and the cause was revived in the name of his heirs and Louis E. Nero, as administrator of his estate, and on April 27, 1909, judgment was rendered therein canceling ithe aforementioned deeds. No appeal was taken from this judgment.

¡Subsequent to the death of Tom Rentie, and prior to the administrator’s sale of his homestead allotment to Bilby, Sophia Thomp; son and Alice Rentie sold to James M. Barnard the interest inherited by them in both the surplus and homestead allotments of the deceased.

Louis E. Nero, as administrator of the estate of the deceased, agreed to give Mr. F. Scruggs, an attorney at law of Wagoner, Qkla.,' an undivided one-fourth interest in the deceased’s allotment, as attorney’s fees in cause No. 1373,' said action being the one wherein judgment was procured canceling the deeds above mentioned. This agreement was in writing and approved by the county court of Wagoner counity.

' Will Nero died prior to the death of Tom Rentie, and left as his children and only heirs at law Curtis Nero and Sadie Nero. Barnard went into possession of the surplus allotment soon after Will Nero and H. Y. Lowe attempted to convey the land to him, and he went into possession of the homestead allotment immediately after ¡Sophia Thompson sold him her interest therein. After his purchase at the administrator’s sale Bilby filed suit in ejectment in ¡the district court of Wagoner county, said action being No. 380, against James M. Barnard, for the possession of Tom Rentie’s homestead allotment. Barnard answered, alleging that Bilby’s 'title was void, and while this action was still pending and undecided, Barnard instituted an action in the same court against Bilby and the heirs of Tom Rentie, deceased. In this action Barnard sought to enjoin the prosecution b,y Bilby of cause No. 380, and to set aside the judgment in cause No. 1373, alleging that 'the judgment in said cause was void, for the reason that the action had never been properly revived. The action instituted by Barnard in the district court was No. 639, and was consolidated with cause No. 380, and the two cases were, by agreement, tried together, before 'the court, a jury being waived.

The findings of the trial court in said consolidated cases are too long to be incorporated herein in full, but in substance 'they were as follows;

*65 \i) That the devolution of the estate of Tom Rentie, deceased, is governed by the laws of descent and distribution of the state of 'Oklahoma.
(2) That the administrator’s sale of the homestead allotment of the deceased operated to vest in John S. Bilby the fee-simple title thereto.
(3) ’ That John S. Bilby is entitled to possession of said homestead allotment, together with damages in the sum of $720.
(4) That James M. Barnard is entitled to recover of and from John S. Bilby the sum of $1,000, the‘same being the value of the improvements placed on the homestead allotment of Tom Rentie by Barnard, in good faith and under color of title.
(5) That Mattie Cooks has an undivided one-seventli interest in the surplus allotment of Tom Rentie, deceased.
(6) That Louis E. Nero has an undivided three-sevenths interest, in said allotment, having purchased the interests of Robert Nero and Sam Rentie.
(7) That James M. Barnard has an undivided two-sevenths interest in said surplus allotment.
(8) That Curtis Nero and iSadie Nero together have an undivided one-seventh interest in said surplus allotment.
(9) That E. Scruggs has an undivided one-fourth interest in said surplus allotment, and “that E. 'Scruggs recover of and from each of the said defendants and plaintiffs an undivided one-fourth interest in said surplus allotment, and that the shares of Louis E. Nero, James M. Barnard, Mattie Cooks, Sadie Nero, and Curtis Nero be calculated after said §0 acres of the said F. Scruggs is taken away from the said 120 acres.”

Mr. ¡Barnard excepted to the judgment, and filed a motion for a new trial, which was overruled, and as plaintiff in error brings the case here for review. Hereinafter he will be denominated as plaintiff, and all the other parties herein as defendants.

Plaintiff first contends that the judgment in the suit instituted by Tom Rentie against him in the United States court is void, for the reason .that said cause was not properly revived in the name of the 'heirs arid administrator of the estate of the deceased. The trial court found:

That the cause was properly revived, and “that the judgment rendered by the district court of Wagoner county in cause No. 1373 was rendered after a general appearance therein by Barnard, and after the same had been revived by the heirs at law and the administrator of 'the estate of Tom Rentie, deceased, and after full notice to the plaintiff, and to his attorney of record,_ that no appeal had been taken from 'the judgment-in said cause, and that the judgment therein was conclusive as to all matters and subjects litigated therein.”

This finding of the trial court is not clearly against the weight of the evidence, and we are not at liberty to disturb the .same. Schock et al. v. Fish, 45 Okla. 12, 144 Pac. 584.

In the trial of 'the instant case it was contended by the plaintiff that Louis E.

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Bluebook (online)
1917 OK 506, 171 P. 444, 68 Okla. 63, 1917 Okla. LEXIS 400, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/barnard-v-bilby-okla-1917.