Burris v. McConnell

206 S.W.2d 894, 185 Tenn. 489, 6 A.L.R. 2d 509, 1947 Tenn. LEXIS 364
CourtTennessee Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 8, 1947
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 206 S.W.2d 894 (Burris v. McConnell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Tennessee Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Burris v. McConnell, 206 S.W.2d 894, 185 Tenn. 489, 6 A.L.R. 2d 509, 1947 Tenn. LEXIS 364 (Tenn. 1947).

Opinions

Mr. Justice Burnett

delivered the opinion of the Court.

*491 The original bill herein was filed by the appellees, mother and son, against the appellants, daughter and sister, for partition of a farm left the parties by the father and husband Alfred McConnell, when he died intestate in 1932.

As to whether or not the farm was divisible in kind was a controverted matter. The Chancellor determined the farm not divisible in kind and ordered a sale of the farm in two tracts. The appellant and her husband eventually became the purchasers of both tracts for $10,-000. Before the order confirming the sale was entered, an order of reference was entered ordering among other things that the Clerk and Master hear proof and determine :

“What is the interest of the complainant, Mrs. Iva McConnell, in said land and what would her said interest be worth in dollars and cents based upon her life expectancy according to the Wigglesworth Mortality Table; the parties having agreed to the use of said table1?”

He reported in answer to the above quoted query:

“Mrs. Iva McConnell, as shown in Item I of this report, owns a dower and life estate in this tract of land, and taking into consideration the value, $5,000.00, as shown by the proof in this cause, and according to the Carlyle Table would be $1,347.01.”

On June 5, 1946, a decree was entered confirming the sale, vesting and divesting title, fixing attorney fees and adjudging costs. This decree concluded with the following paragraph:

“Upon payment of all the costs of the cause, the Master will distribute said funds in accordance with his report on reference heretofore made and confirmed.”

On September 23, 1946, the parties entered into a stipulation which provides in part as follows:

*492 “That the said Alfred McConnell left surviving liim a widow, Iva McConnell, and two children, namely, William A. McConnell and Daisy McConnell Burris. That the said Iva McConnell made application, by petition, in October, 1937, to the County Court of Monroe County, Tennessee, to have said Court to set aside her homestead and dower interest in said land, and pursuant to said application the said County Court of Monroe County did, on the 21st. day of October, 1937, by Commissioners duly appointed and qualified, set apart to her as homestead the entire 104 acres of land heretofore referred to, being the land of which the said Alfred McConnell died seized and possessed on the 1st. day of October, 1932. Said Commissioners filed a report on the 21st. day of October, 1937, showing* that, in their opinion, the tract of land was of less value than $1,000.00, and -that they therefore allotted the whole of said tract to Iva McConnell as homestead and allotted no dower.
“The parties hereto being in disagreement as to the amount of money to be distributed in this cause to the said Iva McConnell as the cash value of her interest in said land, and the Clerk and Master having* made application to the Court for instructions in the matter of calculating the cash value of said homestead and dower of the said Iva McConnell, the parties have agreed to this stipulation of facts and to a submission to the Court of the question of the interest of the said Iva McConnell. It is agreed and stipulated that this stipulation constitutes the entire facts necessary for the determination and adjudication of the basis upon which the homestead and dower interest of the said Iva McConnell may be calculated. It is further agreed that as a part of this stipulation the parties may rely upon, and the Court may look to, all necessary and pertinent parts of the record in this *493 cause, particularly tire portions lierein referred to, and tire exhibit attached to this stipulation.
“It is further stipulated and agreed that this matter may be submitted to the Court, at Chambers, in the Town of Athens, McMinn County, Tennessee, before the Honorable T. L. Stewabt, Chancellor, on the 23rd day of September, 1946, at 1:00 o’clock P. M., Central Standard Time.” (Italics those of the Court.)

On the day this cause was heard on the above stipulation the Chancellor entered a Chambers decree in which he found that the widow “is entitled to a life estate in the entire proceeds of the sale of said land” less costs. The amount is then calculated according to the mortality tables for one of her age and the amount fixed. A vigorous petition to rehear was filed to this decree which was denied and the cause appealed here.

Assuming that the Chancellor had authority to act and determiné the cause on this stipulation he is correct in his conclusion. This question is settled by our case of Hutcheson v. Hutcheson, 176 Tenn. 468, at page 473, 143 S. W. (2d) 886, 887, where it is said:

“The fund realized from sale represents the land itself ; it stands in place of the land. Could it be doubted that had the Authority found it necessary to acquire the whole of the 200 acre tract, the allotted homestead right of the widow would have attached to the consideration paid therefor? We think it clear that on a sale of homestead lands, where the entire fee and homestead estate are passed by deed or decree, that the whole of the fund realized from the sale represents the homestead. . . .
“In the instant case, homestead had been set apart to the widow. Code, section 8357. When assigned, it became an absolute estate for life, with right to use or sale. Carey v. Carey, 163 Tenn. 486, 43 S. W. (2d) 498; *494 Grier v. Canada, 119 Tenn. 17, 107 S. W. 970. Thus the whole fund realized from the sale was impressed with the widow’s homestead right.” (Italics those of the Court.)

This holding is based on sound reasoning. We see no reason to in any way question what is so logically herein held. This reasoning applies to the instant case with equal force.

In the case now before us the life tenant, widow, with whole property assigned to her as homestead, joined in the bill as a party complainant asking that her interest be sold and the proceeds therefrom paid to her in gross. The Chancellor granted her request. This is proper under Code, sections 9209 and 9211.

Assignment of errors III and IY are pressed with much force. They are:

“The Court erred in failing to hold that the interest of the complainant, having* been adjudicated in this cause by a reference to the Master which was únexcepted to and unappealed from, and of which complainant had ample notice, was res adjudicata, could not be disturbed, and the computing of complainant’s interest on the excess of the net purchase price of $5,000.00 was a clerical duty to be performed by the Master according to the principles and method already employed by him and confirmed by the Court.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
206 S.W.2d 894, 185 Tenn. 489, 6 A.L.R. 2d 509, 1947 Tenn. LEXIS 364, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/burris-v-mcconnell-tenn-1947.