City of Fort Worth v. Brandt

444 S.W.2d 210, 1969 Tex. App. LEXIS 2685
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 27, 1969
DocketNo. 17034
StatusPublished

This text of 444 S.W.2d 210 (City of Fort Worth v. Brandt) 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
City of Fort Worth v. Brandt, 444 S.W.2d 210, 1969 Tex. App. LEXIS 2685 (Tex. Ct. App. 1969).

Opinion

OPINION

MASSEY, Chief Justice.

On June 5, 1959, August H. Brandt and Ella Louise Brandt, husband and wife, executed a written instrument purporting to convey to the City of Fort Worth certain easement rights in their community owned homestead. These rights pertained to drainage and were admittedly an enhancement of rights theretofore possessed and/or claimed by the city. Though the instrument recited such there was in fact no monetary consideration for its execution.

During the period between June 5, 1959, and the date suit was filed in this case both husband and wife became deceased. Their children, Paul H. Brandt and George A. Brandt, became Independent Co-Executors of the estate of each parent.

Suit was brought and prosecuted on the theory that August Brandt, deceased, had been without the mental capacity and understanding on June 5, 1959 to have known and appreciated the effect of his action in executing the instrument of easement to the City of Fort Worth. The Co-Executors filed suit in October, 1963, seeking to set aside and cancel the easement conveyance which he and his wife had executed.

Following trial conducted before the court, without intervention of a jury, judgment was rendered on November 13, 1968. Thereby the plaintiffs, Paul H. and George A. Brandt, as Independent Co-Executors, recovered judgment against the City of Fort Worth, which has appealed. It was the obvious intent of the court’s judgment to cancel the easement instrument executed by August H. Brandt and Ella Louise Brandt on June 5, 1959, and to declare that pursuant thereto the city had acquired no right, title or interest in the property therein described. There was clerical error in the judgment, proper to be corrected by this appellate court in the event we should determine absence of reversible error.

Judgment is reformed in correction of clerical error; and as reformed is affirmed.

The most interesting question presented by the appeal is the city’s claim that since it was necessary that the trial court make the factual finding that August H. Brandt did not, on June 5, 1959, have mental competency to effectively contract as attempted, and since the trial court did make such finding — such amounted to an adjudication of incompetency, as of the material time on June 5, 1959, and consequently establish[212]*212ed that as of such date and occasion Mrs. Brandt had acquired and was possessed of full power (as the surviving member of the marital partnership) to manage, control, and dispose of the entire community estate; —wherefore, the city contends, the validity of its drainage easement is judicially established. It is the city’s theory that the easement instrument was valid because of its execution by Mrs. Brandt, and that it was binding because Mrs. Brandt alone would have had legal competence to execute a binding contract upon the property of herself and her husband at the material time. We hold that such contention by the City of Fort Worth is without merit. Explanation is covered in the discussion to follow.

In the Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law filed by the trial court the finding was made that August H. Brandt had been senile for at least two years prior to the date of the transaction of June 5, 1959; pursuant to which he did not have sufficient mental capacity to understand and comprehend the nature and probable consequences of his act in executing the drainage easement instrument, or understand ordinary business transactions including the significance of his act in signing and executing that instrument. The court found, however, that Ella Louise Brandt, the wife, did possess sufficient capacity to comprehend the nature and probable consequences of her own act in executing such instrument, and capacity to understand ordinary business transactions including the act of executing the easement in question.

The trial court further found that during the period of the transaction of June 5, 1959 (pursuant to which both August H. Brandt and his wife, Ella Louise, executed the instrument of easement) Mrs. Brandt never indicated by word, gesture or otherwise that her husband lacked sufficient mental capacity to understand and comprehend the nature and probable consequences of his act in signing it; or that he lacked sufficient mental capacity to understand ordinary business transactions, including the significance of his act in signing and executing the instrument in question.

We are of the opinion, and hold, that the points of error advanced on the theory of “no evidence” and “against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence” should be and are overruled. The contention made under the points of error is that the Co-Executors failed to discharge the burden of proof necessarily incumbent upon them to establish as of the material time a want of mental capacity; or, in any event, that under the whole of the evidence introduced upon trial, the trial court’s finding that there was such want of mental capacity was contrary to the great weight and preponderance thereof. The state of the evidence was such that the city only had in its favor the mere presumption of the mental capacity of the deceased. Two lay witnesses and one medical professional witness were placed on the stand by the Co-Executors of the deceased’s estate. By these witnesses’ testimony the plaintiffs established, prima facie, the want of mental capacity of the deceased at the material time. No countering evidence from any witness for the city was tendered, the only attack made being' by way of cross-interrogation of plaintiffs’ witnesses. The issue was for the fact-finder; there is no occasion to disturb its finding.

Under V.A.T.S. Probate Code, Ch. 6, “Community Property”, Part 5, “Administration of Community Property”, § 157, “When Spouse Incompetent”, it is provided that “Whenever a husband or wife is judicially declared to be incompetent, the other spouse, in the capacity of surviving partner of the marital partnership, thereupon acquires full power to manage, control, and dispose of the entire community estate * * It is under the city’s construction of the language quoted that it has advanced its contention that there was a valid transfer despite the incompetency of August Brandt.

[213]*213We hold that, within the meaning and intent of the aforesaid chapter and section of the Probate Code (Ch. 6, § 157), the judicial declaration therein specified is one which contemplates an adjudication of status, i. e. a judgment in rent, as the objective of the trial held for such purpose; — furthermore, that in any event there would be no authority conferred upon a wife, as the competent spouse (pursuant to the provisions of such section of the Probate Code wherein it speaks of such person’s right to “manage, control, and dispose of the entire community estate”, etc.) until after there had been a decree of adjudication declaring her spouse incompetent (though the decree itself might also find pre-existent incompetency).

It is our understanding that since enactment of the Probate Code there has been no case prior to this time in which it was necessary to make a decision upon this question. Nevertheless, Texas Jurisprudence seems to agree with our conclusion. See 30 Tex.Jur.2d 195, “Husband and Wife”, § 112, “When one spouse insane.” Furthermore in the construction of a former statute which was analogous in the material respect (V.A.T.S. of 1911, Title 52, “Estates of Decedents”, Ch. 29, “Administration of Community Property”, Art.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Donaldson v. Meyer
261 S.W. 369 (Texas Commission of Appeals, 1924)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
444 S.W.2d 210, 1969 Tex. App. LEXIS 2685, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-fort-worth-v-brandt-texapp-1969.