Boackle v. Bloom

132 So. 2d 586, 272 Ala. 490, 97 A.L.R. 2d 1038, 1961 Ala. LEXIS 474
CourtSupreme Court of Alabama
DecidedJune 29, 1961
Docket6 Div. 610
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 132 So. 2d 586 (Boackle v. Bloom) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Boackle v. Bloom, 132 So. 2d 586, 272 Ala. 490, 97 A.L.R. 2d 1038, 1961 Ala. LEXIS 474 (Ala. 1961).

Opinion

GOODWYN, Justice.

The .question in this case is whether a child unborn when his father’s will was made is entitled to take a child’s part of the father’s estate the same as if the father had died intestate, under the provisions of Code 1940, Tit. 61, § 10. (This section was amended by Act No. 112, approved April 14, 1956, Acts Sp.Sess. 1956, Vol. I, p. 439, by making the section also applicable to a child adopted after the making of a will. The amendment has no bearing on this case.)

Section 10, prior to the amendment, provided as follows:

“Whenever a testator has a child, born after the making of his will, either in his lifetime or after his death, and no provision is made in the will in any way for such contingency, such birth operates as a revocation of the will, so far as to allow such child to take the same share of the estate of the testator as if he had died intestate.”

The testator, Louis M. Boackle, made his will on June 13, 1947. At that time his family consisted of his wife and eight children, all of whom were living with him except the oldest child, a daughter, who was married. On August 3, 1950, the testator’s child here involved, Michael L. Boackle, was born. The testator died on May 23, 1954, and his will was duly probated in the probate court of Jefferson County on June 18, 1954. A guardian ad litem, who is the appellee here, was appointed to represent the minor children, of which there were six.

On petition of the wife, who had been appointed executrix, the administration proceedings were transferred to the circuit court of Jefferson County, in equity, on June 3, 1957. Prior to such transfer, the guardian ad litem filed a petition in the [492]*492probate court to have a child’s part of the estate set apart to Michael L. Boackle, on the basis that he was born after the will was made and that the will made no provision for such contingency. After transfer to the circuit court, a hearing was had on said petition and testimony taken orally before the trial court. This testimony relates principally to the status of testator’s family at the time he executed his will and at the time of his death.

The trial court rendered a decree holding that the will “makes no provision for the contingency of the birth of the minor child, Michael L. Boackle” and that “the birth of said child subsequent to the execution of the will” operated as a revocation of said will as to said minor child. The executrix was ordered to set aside said minor child’s share in the estate of his father as if the father had died intestate. The executrix brings this appeal from that decree.

The report of the case will include a copy of the will.

It is to be noted that the will makes no mention of any child. It appears to be appellant’s position that failure to provide for any of the eight children living at the time the will was executed shows a clear intention on the part of the testator that any after-born child likewise was to be excluded. Also, that the last sentence of the will, providing that the widow should enjoy the full fruits and benefits of the estate immediately upon the testator’s death “free from the claims of any courts or any persons whatsoever”, shows that the testator thereby was providing for any contingency which might have the effect of denying to the widow the full enjoyment of the estate, including the contingency of after-born children.

Appellee’s position, of course, is that no provision is made in the will in any way for the contingency of having an after-born child and, therefore, § 10, Tit. 61, operates as a “revocation of the will, so far as to allow any such child to take the same share of the estate of the testator as if he had died intestate.” It is further argued that the language of the will is clear and unambiguous, leaving no field for its construction and, therefore, the intent of the testator must be ascertained from the instrument alone. In this connection, the argument is that it would be pure speculation to attempt to say what the testator likely or probably had in mind relative to the disposition of his estate in event he had children born after making his will.

Appellant relies on the following cases, viz.: Thomas v. Reynolds, 234 Ala. 212, 174 So. 753; Ensley v. Hodgson, 212 Ala. 526, 103 So. 465; Shackelford v. Washburn, 180 Ala. 168, 60 So. 318, 43 L.R.A., N.S., 1195.

In Thomas v. Reynolds, supra [234 Ala. 212, 174 So. 754], the testator, at the time he executed his will on October 24, 1935, had two children living and another child was born on January 3, 1936, less than three months later. The widow was the sole beneficiary under the will. Contained in the will was the following clause:

“I have made no provision for my children for the reason that I have confidence in my wife and I feel that she will deal justly with them and provide suitably for them.”

The trial court held that by including the foregoing provision in his will the testator “had in mind and intended to exclude from the provisions of the will the unborn child, as well as the two children then living at the time of the making of said will.” In upholding the decree this court said:

“Here the testator intentionally omitted his children in life with a full knowledge of the condition of the wife and the child thereafter born to his marriage.”

In Ensley v. Hodgson, supra [212 Ala. 526, 103 So. 466], the testator, at the time he executed his will on July 7, 1890, had two children by a former marriage and [493]*493expected a child to be born of his second wife, the child being born about eight months later. After testator’s death another child was born to his wife. The question presented was whether this last named child inherited an interest in the testator’s property as though he had died intestate. The will provided for a division of the testator’s property between his wife and his two children by his first marriage as follows:

“ ‘Should my wife give birth to a child in the next eight months and the child should live I will and devise to her (she to provide for the said child) my residence with all furniture’- — describing the same — ‘and after that one-third of all my other property of every kind. * * * The remainder of my property I give to my son Martin and daughter equally or say one-third of the whole each. * * * This land’— referring to the land in Jefferson county- — T don’t want sold but want it divided equal in value (in three parts) to my wife, son and daughter, my son’s and daughter’s part to go to them during their life and then to the heirs of their body, my wife’s part to go to her during her life and should she have no child by me I want my two children or their children to take her part. * * *'"

The trial court held that the will provided for the contingency of the expected child and that testator’s disposition of his estate was not to be opened for the benefit of such child, “but that no provision had been made for the contingency of other children.” In approving the trial court’s holding, this court said:

"* * * Testator made no provision for the contingency of the birth of a posthumous daughter. * * *

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Bluebook (online)
132 So. 2d 586, 272 Ala. 490, 97 A.L.R. 2d 1038, 1961 Ala. LEXIS 474, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/boackle-v-bloom-ala-1961.