Brown v. Thomason

1960 OK 172, 354 P.2d 451, 1960 Okla. LEXIS 431
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJuly 19, 1960
DocketNo. 38772
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 1960 OK 172 (Brown v. Thomason) 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
Brown v. Thomason, 1960 OK 172, 354 P.2d 451, 1960 Okla. LEXIS 431 (Okla. 1960).

Opinion

BERRY, Justice.

In the County Court of Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, Charles A. Thomason, defendant in error, hereinafter referred to as [453]*453“proponent”, on the 27th day of June, 1958, filed a petition for the probate of the purported will of Willis Brown, dated November 27, 1957. Willis Brown, who was an enrolled full-blood Chickasaw Indian, will hereinafter be referred to as “testator”.

On August 11, 1958, Annie Isabelle Brown, now Imotichey, Eliza Jane Brown, now Bose, and Bogan Brown, plaintiffs in error, hereinafter referred to as “contestants”, filed a contest of the will. On August 14, 1958, the contest was denied by the county court and the will was admitted to probate. On the following day, proponent was appointed executor. The contestants thereupon appealed to the District Court of Pontotoc County. The district court, on trial de novo, in effect affirmed the county court by ordering that the will be admitted to probate. From said- order, the contestants appealed to this Court.

Testator, at the time of his death, was a resident of Pontotoc County, Oklahoma. He was then approximately 55 years old and not married. Pie left as heirs-at-law the contestants and Lizzie Monroe who were nieces and nephew of deceased. Lizzie Monroe was named a beneficiary under the will but did not contest the probate of same. The proponent and one John Polk were the only other beneficiaries named in the will.

Testator’s estate consisted of an interest in allotted restricted lands, mineral rights and some money on deposit with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The contestants of the will alleged in part that the will was not executed according to law; and that at the time of making the will testator was incompetent to make a will; that testator was suffering from tuberculosis in an advanced stage and other illnesses; that he was weak of body and mind and was addicted to alcohol; that he was unable to resist the demands and undue influence of people seeking to procure such a will, and that testator’s execution of the will resulted from undue influence of proponent and others.

In their petition in error contestants urge 11 points of alleged error on the trial court’s part. The contestants in their brief, however, only urge that the trial court, erred in the following particulars:

1. In not finding that testator was incompetent when he made the will.

2. In refusing a certain witness’ testi-, timony in regard to the competency of the deceased. ,

3. In not finding that testator was under,undue influence in the making of said will.,

We shall discuss the alleged errors as' urged and set out in the contestants’ brief in the above order that same are stated.

The contestants first contend that testa-1 tor was incompetent to make the will. Thei contestants’ evidence tended to prove that-testator from time to time used alcohol excessively; that he attempted to obtain' money by a promise to make a will in one witness’ favor; that in their opinion testator was not competent to make a will. No evidence, however, was introduced that at the time of making and executing the will testator was incompetent or was under the influence of alcohol.

Contestants’ evidence did tend to prove that testator was forgetful and that he. borrowed money and made various promises in order to obtain credit and dissipated funds quickly and for nonessen-tials, but such evidence does not show that testator was incompetent to make a will at the time he executed the will in controversy. 94 C.J.S. Wills § 28, p. 726. Contestants’ evidence did not show that the testator did not know the extent of his property and what disposition he wished to make of same.

Contestants showed that in the will one of the contestants was named incorrectly as “Annie Kilcrease”. As we understand the facts, her correct name was Annie Isabelle Brown Imotichey as of date the will was executed. One witness testified that prior to World War II Annie was married to a person whose last name was “Kilcrease”. The mistake in Annie’s name is only a circumstance indicating possible confusion on the part of the deceased but does not establish that testator was wanting in testamen[454]*454tary capacity at the time he made the will. In using the name that testator used, there is no dispute as to whom he had in mind.

The proponent’s evidence showed that testator could read and write (in fact, one witness testified that deceased had a beautiful handwriting); that he was sober and competent at the time he made his will; that he was enjoyable to talk to and chatted quite lengthily and that he was of average intelligence.

The county judge, before whom testator appeared to acknowledge this will immediately after its execution and witnessing, testified that- she inquired concerning testator’s bequests and his property; that testator was competent; that he was not pnder the influence of alcohol and that she was close enough to him to smell his breath.

In the case In re Mason’s Estate, 185 Okl. 278, 91 P.2d 657, 658, this Court said ’in the first three paragraphs of the syllabus thus:

“1. A testator has a sound mind for testamentary purposes when he can understand and carry in mind, in a general' way, the nature and situation of his property, and his relations to the persons around him, to those who naturally- have some claim to ■ liis remembrance and to those in whom and the things in which he has been chiefly interested. He must understand the act which he is doing and the relation in which he stands to the objects of his bounty and to those who ought to be in his mind on the occasion of making a will.
“2. In determining the mental status of a testator, presumption of sanity must be indulged, and, where a will appears'to be a rational act performed in a rational manner, such presumption and such apparently rational act' amount to evidence of testamentary capacity.
! “3. ' The testamentary capacity of a testator must be determined as of the time of the making and execution of the will. In determining that question, prior and subsequent acts have bearing only to the extent of assisting in determining the mental status of the' testator at the time of the execution of the will.” '

We are of the opinion that the trial court’s finding that the deceased was competent when he made the will is sustained by the clear weight of the evidence.

Contestants’ next contention that the trial court erred in refusing testimony of contestants’ witness concerning his opinion in regard to the testator’s competency to make a will is not well taken. . An examination of the record shows that this particular witness was permitted to testify in this-regard.

Contestants’ third contention is that testator was under undue influence-’in the making of his will.

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Bluebook (online)
1960 OK 172, 354 P.2d 451, 1960 Okla. LEXIS 431, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brown-v-thomason-okla-1960.