Cate v. Cate

249 S.W.2d 73, 1952 Tex. App. LEXIS 2140
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 11, 1952
Docket14514
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 249 S.W.2d 73 (Cate v. Cate) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cate v. Cate, 249 S.W.2d 73, 1952 Tex. App. LEXIS 2140 (Tex. Ct. App. 1952).

Opinion

CRAMER, Justice.

This suit 'wás filed on the ’12th day of April, 1949,- by appellees, children of Mildred Joyce Cite and Hugh C. Cate, both deceased, against Madge Walden Cate, the second wife and present widow of Hugh C. Cate, deceased, and thereafter continued pending result of the case between the same parties reported in Tex.Civ.App., 235 S.W.2d 456, and tried after our judgment in said cause.

;The first count was in trespass to try title to the joint property of appellees’ parents at the time of the death of their mother. The second count was based upon an alleged oral agreement made by their parents during their lifetime and immediately before the execution by each of them of wills in which each left to the other all of their property, with the further provision that if the other were dead, then the .property would go to their children. Appellees alleged that such disposition was made of the property by such wills under such express oral ágreement between their parents that the survivor should, during his or her lifetime, have the right to possess, use, and dispose of such property for his or her maintenance, use, comfort, and support and that any property on hand at the time of the death of the survivor should, become and be the property of appellees (their children) in equal parts. Appellees further alleged that such agreement was in parol made immediately before and on the same occasion as the execution by the parties of'their joint, mutual, and reciprocal wills; that said agreement and plan was adopted for the benefit of appellees as well *74 as for the father and mother; that the wills each left their property to the survivor and if the other did not survive, then the property would go to their two children, appellees here; the only difference in the wills was a provision in Hugh C. Cate’s will providing that the proceeds of a named policy of insurance on his life should go to his sister if she survived him (See Note 1). It was further alleged that the mother and father of ap-pellees recognized such contract and after their mother’s death their father probated their mother’s will and received title thereunder to all of their mother’s property. Appellees allege that in so doing, their father ratified and confirmed the agreement between him and their mother as well as the plan adopted with respect to their estates. They further allege that on or about April 1, 1944 their father married the appellant, Madge Walden Cate, and thereafter breached his contract with their mother by executing on or about June 29, 1944 a deed to appellant to Lot No. 9, in Block 12 of Forest Hills in the City of Dallas, Texas, which property was, prior to their mother’s death, the homestead property of their parents; also that he breached his contract with their mother by thereafter on February 2, 1945 executing a new will in which all property, except $6,000 to each of the children, was left to his wife (appellant here).; that appellant has taken charge of all of their father and mother’s estate and is claiming title thereto; also plead alternative counts not necessary to state here.

Appellant answered, denying such allegations and affirmatively pleading the probate of the will and defenses hereinafter named. On the trial the jury returned a verdict on special issues, finding that: (1) On or about May 14, 1942 appellees’ parents entered into an agreement as to the disposition of their estates as follows: That whichever one of them should survive would retain and keep for the use and benefit of their children such of their property as was not used by the survivor during his or her lifetime; (2) and each executed a separate will in consideration of such agreement; (3) said wills were intended by the said Hugh C. Cate and Mildred Joyce Cate to be one transaction to consummate their purpose as provided for in the agreement; (4) it was not their intention that such wills should remain unre-voked for the benefit of the appellees herein-, (5) before Hugh C. Cate, now deceased, conveyed the Forest Hills property, Madge Walden Cate knew that such property was the homestead of Hugh C. and Mildred Joyce Cate; (6) before such conveyance of such homestead, it was the community property of Hugh C. and Mildred Joyce Cate; and (7) that Madge Walden Cate did not know before Hugh C. Cate conveyed the property in Block 359 to her that it was the community property of appellees’ parents.

On such verdict the trial court entered judgment for appellees for the property involved, and appellant Madge Walden Cate has duly perfected her appeal to this Court.

Points 1 to 5, inclusive, assert error in the trial court’s overruling of her motions for instructed verdict because (1) the un-controverted evidence showed appellees’ only claim rested on the parol agreement between their deceased father and mother, which was different from, and contradictory of, the terms 'of the last will of their father; (2) the appellant’s title was under the last will of Hugh C. Cate, deceased, duly probated by a judgment still in full force and effect; (3) because appellees failed to show title in themselves and failed to show title outstanding in some third person; (4) in not discharging the jury and rendering judgment for appellant, appellees having failed to make a jury issue against her; and (5) in overruling appellant’s motion for judgment n. o. v. Appellees counter with three counterpoints: (1) “The matter before this court in this appeal is the existence, nature and effect of the contract between H. C. Cate and Mildred Joyce Cate;” (2) the wills were executed as, and are, an integral part of the agreement, and any title taken under *75 the will is subject to said agreement; and (3) the will of Mildred Joyce Cate cannot be separated from the oral agreement, and construed as if standing alone, since to do so “would be not only to disregard the purpose and intent of the parties, but frustrate the same.”

Appellant asserts under these points that the first three paragraphs of appel-lees’ petition . alleged that their father and mother made an agreement that the survivor of them should have the joint property for life to use and dispose of, but on the death of the survivor, that remaining should go to their children; that under the record here, evidence of the parol agreement was not admissible, and, if admissible, was not sufficient to support the verdict and judgment since appellees’ pleadings alleged that “ * * * under the statute of descent and distribution, under the terms of said contract and agreement, and under the terms of said will executed in pursuance thereof, (they) became entitled to all of said property and estate.” Appellant in her brief states: “In other words, they say the title vested in them upon the death of Hugh C. Cate.” Appellant further asserts that under the terms of the first wife’s probated will, Hugh C. Cate received fee simple title to all the property involved and therefore appellees could not take from their mother.

If the children of Hugh C.

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Bluebook (online)
249 S.W.2d 73, 1952 Tex. App. LEXIS 2140, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cate-v-cate-texapp-1952.