Carlson v. Rosencrans

88 N.W.2d 169, 1958 N.D. LEXIS 66
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 3, 1958
DocketNo. 7715
StatusPublished

This text of 88 N.W.2d 169 (Carlson v. Rosencrans) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Carlson v. Rosencrans, 88 N.W.2d 169, 1958 N.D. LEXIS 66 (N.D. 1958).

Opinion

SATHRE, Judge.

The plaintiff herein Nellie Carlson is the daughter and only child of James Phil-amalee and his wife Lizzy. They were married in 1890. Lizzy died in 1911, and in 1912 James Philamalee married a widow, Ida Rosencrans, who had three children by [170]*170a former marriage, Morris B., Ralph, and Esther Rosencrans. James Philamalee and his second wife continued to live upon the farm that had been occupied by him and his first wife, Lizzy.

In 1944 James Philamalee, then 76 years of age, executed his will leaving all of his property to his wife Ida, and three children born to him and Ida, his second wife; Charlotte, Alvina, and Doris, and to one Steve Drake, who had lived with the Phil-amalees from his childhood. The will provided that one third of his estate should go to his wife Ida, and that the remaining two thirds should be divided equally among ■Charlotte, Alvina, Doris and said Steve Drake. The will made no provisions for the plaintiff, Nellie Carlson, his child by his first marriage.

James Philamalee died in July 1947 at the .age of 78 years. His will was filed for pro-hate in Mountrail County, and Citation was •duly issued and served on the interested parties including the plaintiff. James Phil-amalee nominated his wife Ida to be executrix of his will, but upon the hearing for proof of the will, her son by her first marriage, M. B. Rosencrans, was appointed •administrator with the will annexed.

In September 1947, after the appoint-ment of M. B. Rosencrans, as Administrator with the will annexed of the Estate of James Philamalee, deceased, the plaintiff, .Nellie Carlson, called on her stepmother Ida Philamalee at the Philamalee farm, and •inquired about the provisions in her father’s will. She was informed by her stepmother ■that plaintiff’s father made no provision for !her in his will and that he had given all his ■property to his wife Ida, and to his children 'by Ida and to one Steve Drake. That plaintiff then stated that she could contest the will. She asserts that her stepmother then •■stated that if plaintiff would not make any trouble she would get an equal share with the rest of the children.

Her stepmother continued to live on the •farm home which was being operated by Steve Drake as a tenant. Ida Philamalee died in 1956 intestate at the age of 84 years, leaving an estate consisting of the one third of her husband’s estate which she received under the terms of his will. The estate included real estate, cash and securities. Her son by her first marriage, Mr. M. B. Rosen-crans, one of the defendants in this action was appointed administrator of her estate.

The estate of James Philamalee was closed and final decree of distribution issued and entered therein on October 8, 1948, and the residue of the estate distributed to the persons named in the Will. The plaintiff Nellie Carlson was named as a respondent in the probate proceedings of her father’s will and she was served with notice and citation of the hearing for proof •of will and appointment of executor July 22, 1947. However she made no appearance therein, and received no part of the estate.

Final discharge of M. B. Rosencrans, as administrator -with the will annexed of the estate of James Philamalee was filed and entered on the 21st day of December 1948.

The plaintiff was not made a party to the probate proceedings in the estate of her stepmother Ida Philamalee. The final report and account of the administrator of that estate was filed in the county court of Mountrail County on the 12th day of December 1956. The plaintiff contends that the conversation that she had with Ida Phil-amalee in the fall of 1947, and referred to herein, resulted in a contract whereby Ida Philamalee agreed to give the plaintiff a share in her estate on condition that she, the plaintiff, would not contest her father’s will. The plaintiff did not contest her father’s will, and after her stepmother’s death she brought this action against M. B. Rosencrans, Ralph Rosencrans and Esther Manley, children of Ida Philamalee by her first marriage, and against Charlotte Prentiss, Alvina Murphy, and Doris Buckley, children by her second husband James Philamalee, and also against Steve Drake.

Plaintiff’s complaint alleges that Ida Phil-amalee entered into an agreement with the [171]*171plaintiff to the effect that if plaintiff would make no demand on her father’s estate, and would cause no trouble under his will, that Ida Philamalee, on her death, would make plaintiff share equally in her estate with the other children of James Philamalee and Ida Philamalee; that therefore plaintiff is entitled to a one seventh share of the estate of Ida Philamalee deceased. Judgment is then demanded to the effect that the defendants are holding in trust for plaintiff an undivided one seventh interest in the estate of Ida Philamalee, deceased; that defendants be required to pay plaintiff one seventh of the money in said estate; that they be required to convey to plaintiff an undivided one seventh interest in the real estate belonging to estate of Ida Philamalee deceased.

The defendants’ answer admits that James Philamalee executed his will as alleged by plaintiff and that he made no provision therein for the plaintiff; that Ida Philamalee died intestate and that her estate is in course of administration in the county court of Mountrail County. They deny that Ida Philamalee made any valid agreement .with plaintiff to give her a share in her estate.

The case was tried in the district court of Mountrail County to the court without a jury. The trial court found for the defendants and dismissed the action and plaintiff appealed and demanded a trial de novo.

The plaintiff contends that when she met with her stepmother in September 1947, a valid contract was entered into whereby her stepmother agreed that upon her death the plaintiff would receive a share in her estate equal with her other children if she, the plaintiff, would not contest her father’s will and is therefore entitled to participate in her estate equally with the other heirs of her stepmother. The plaintiff testified as follows with reference to the conversation with her stepmother in September 1947:

“What actually did you tell Mrs. Ida Philamalee?”
In answer to the question Nellie replied.
“I asked her how it come up in Stanley and she said there wasn’t much doing. She said Maurice had been appointed Administrator and so then I said, ‘well, I didn’t go up’. She said there was no court because she said all he had to do is get it straightened out. I said ‘what did he leave in his Will?’ She said T got one third and the three girls and Steve got the other two thirds.’ So, I said ‘he didn’t leave anything to me?’ She said, ‘no, it in the will that you got your share.’ Well, I says, ‘as far as getting our share we haven’t got nothing as he had got far more from us than we got from him’. I said ‘it sure hurts’. She said ‘I didn’t figure having the Will administered right now,’ but she said ‘Alvena wants to put it through Court,’ She said, ‘the other two girls are in no hurry’. She went on to say Alvena had been trying to force her to do it as quick as she can. I said ‘she better not get too smart or I can contest the Will’. When I said ‘Contest the Will’ she wasn’t interested in me coming up to Stanley to sign the papers. All she wanted for me not to cause her any trouble and not contest the Will and I told her I wouldn’t.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
88 N.W.2d 169, 1958 N.D. LEXIS 66, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/carlson-v-rosencrans-nd-1958.