Bates v. Estate of Howell

179 Iowa 969
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedApril 6, 1917
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 179 Iowa 969 (Bates v. Estate of Howell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bates v. Estate of Howell, 179 Iowa 969 (iowa 1917).

Opinion

Preston, J.

Amnxismuv-AND ampnámraTs' lion of time Eo objection is urged by appellant to the claim, except as to the filing of the amended and substituted claim, The error relied upon for reversal is that the court erred in allowing the presentation to the jury of the amended and substituted claim, on the theory that it was not germane, but was an entirely separate and distinct claim from that originally presented. The statute of limitations is argued; but it is not strictly such, but only whether the amended and substituted claim, if it is a separate and distinct claim from that originally filed, was filed in time. If it bé held that the amendment was proper and germane to the original claim, then it is unnecessary to discuss the question of the date of the filing, or [970]*970the statute of limitations, and we will now take up that question.

The original and the amended and substituted claim are somewhat lengthy, covering several pages in the abstract. We shall set out enough of each to present the claim of the different parties. The claim as originally filed recites that the plaintiff claims of the estáte the sum of $10,000.

“That from January, 1891, up to the death of said Jennie F. Howell in May, 1911, plaintiff performed labor and services for the said estate, and for her benefit, and at her instance and request, as the general manager and superintendent of her farm and other properties and adviser in all her business and personal affairs; that he assisted in caring for deceased and for her father; that he performed said labor and discharged said duties during said period of 20 years without any compensation except his board and a few clothes, and that the total cash paid plaintiff or for his benefit by decedent did not exceed the sum of $30 per year during the entire period that said labor and services were performed for deceased, under the distinct oral understanding, agreement and promises of the said Jennie F. Howell, repeatedly made to plaintiff by her, that she would some day fully and liberally compensate plaintiff for all of his time, work and services, and for all his kindness and helpfulness, whenever she had available money and property with which so to do, and would execute a will in favor of the plaintiff and therein devise and bequeath to plaintiff a home and plenty of land to go with it, and ample property and means with which to equip said farm so devised to plaintiff by said decedent,- and so provide for plaintiff that plaintiff for the remainder of his days would have a good home and a good living without work and without wanting any of the comforts of life, and the said Jennie F. Howell frequently and repeatedly stated to and promised the plaintiff that she and the plaintiff were, and would continue to [971]*971be in the future, partners in all of her property and business, and have a permanent home together as long as they should live, and that plaintiff should have and receive one half of all that she owned, acquired, or possessed while living, and become her heir in the event-of her death.”

The claim then proceeds to state that, about 1894, plaintiff and deceased became engaged to be married, but that it was postponed because of the condition of her-father’s health and of her own physical infirmities, and then pro1 ceeds in more detail to state the promises to make a will, etc.

During the trial, claimant asked,leave to file what was denominated an amended and substituted claim, which, as appellant contends, is founded upon the rendering of certain services by claimant to the decedent, without any express agreement on the part of decedent as to payment for said services, or for a partnership, or for the making of her will in his behalf, and with no reference to any marriage agreement. A condensed statement of the amended and substituted claim is substantially as follows:

He claims $40,000; that plaintiff worked for deceased as superintendent and general manager of the farm and acted as general assistant and confidential adviser in all her business and affairs, and performed labor for her, and assumed the responsibility of the management of her farm and other properties; that, during all of said time, claimant did all these things without any compensation except his board and a few clothes, and that the total cash payment paid claimant, or for his benefit, by deceased, did not exceed $30 per year during the entire period; that this claimant alleges and claims that the reasonable value of the services rendered by this claimant to the decedent during said period was the sum of $125 per month, in addition to board and lodging.

The filing of this amended and substituted claim was [972]*972resisted by the estate on the ground that it was a new and independent cause of action, and entirely different from tlie cause of action submitted in the original claim; that, letters of administration having been issued in the estate on June 2, 1914, and notice of appointment posted June 3,1914, the alleged new claim was barred by the special statute, of limitations. Section 3349 of the Code. No answer or pleading of any kind was filed by the administrator. The objection to filing the claim was overruled, and the case proceeded to a conclusion, and a verdict was rendered as before stated. Appellant relies upon the following cases (particularly the.Hunt case) : Hunt v. Tuttle, 125 Iowa 676; Jones v. Buck, 147 Iowa 494, 497; Littell v. Webster County, 152 Iowa 206, 215; In re Estate of Oldfield, 158 Iowa 98, 100; Sullivan v. Herrick, 161 Iowa 148.

In the Hunt case, plaintiff sued upon an express oral contract of employment to sell defendant’s property, without any agreement as to plaintiff’s compensation, and the answer denied the employment. The trial court instructed upon these issues, and. also gave an instruction under which the jury might render a verdict for plaintiff upon'a quantum meruit, and this was held to be erroneous. The court said:

“It does not seem to ns that the question here presented is one alone of variance between pleading and proof. The plaintiff selected his own ground,, and chose to rely upon the express contract pleaded; and, while the evidence offered by him in support of his petition may also have tended to prove an implied contract, he was not entitled to recover on such a contract under the authorities cited.”

But in that case, the petition alleged only the express contract. But in the instant case, claimant relied upon a contract, — at least such was the original claim, — and by the amended and substituted claim asked for the value of the services. The case at bar is for services rendered by the [973]*973claimant, and it is alleged that it was done with the consent and knowledge of the person to whom the services were rendered. Such was substantially the situation in the Jones and Littell cases.

In the Old-field case, the second count of the petition or claim averred that plaintiff worked for deceased at his instance and request, and under an express agreement so to do. Defendant contended that, as there was no direct evidence of such agreement, plaintiff was not entitled to recover on that branch of the case. But the court said that direct evidence of the agreement for employment is not necessary, but that if, from all the facts and circumstances appearing in the case, it can fairly be said that there must have been such an agreement, it' is sufficient.

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Bluebook (online)
179 Iowa 969, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bates-v-estate-of-howell-iowa-1917.