Costen v. Fricke

276 S.W. 579, 169 Ark. 572, 1925 Ark. LEXIS 509
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedOctober 19, 1925
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 276 S.W. 579 (Costen v. Fricke) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Costen v. Fricke, 276 S.W. 579, 169 Ark. 572, 1925 Ark. LEXIS 509 (Ark. 1925).

Opinion

Smith, J.

This canse was tried in the court below on an agreed statement of facts, from which we copy the following- recitals:

W. C. Greathouse departed this life testate on March 12, 1923, leaving him surviving his widow, Emily C. Greathouse, and certain children and grandchildren, who were the children of deceased children. . On October 15, 1923, W. T. Costen qualified as administrator of the estate. The will devised to the testator’s wife, “for and during her natural life, and at her death, if undisposed of, then to my heirs hereinafter named, # * * the home place and a tenant house located on each side thereof; * * * with full poiwer to mortgage the fee simple title of all or any part thereof, if necessary, to raise money for her reasonable support and maintenance during her natural life;” The will further recited that “I further give, will, devise and bequeath unto my said wife, Emily C. Greathouse, all the household and kitchen furniture, beds and bedding, cooking utensils, etc., now used by us in keeping house and the sum of $135 in money.” And it was therein further recited that “I give to my children and grandchildren (who were there named) all of the residue of my estate, both real, personal and mixed, in equal portions and to share and share alike. ”

The will was duly witnessed and probated as required by law. After the death of the testator, his widow took possession of the property devised and bequeathed to her and continued in possession thereof until her death, which occurred October 12, 1923. During the life of the widow no administration was had upon the estate of the testator, and the widow did not, after the death of her husband, during her lifetime, expressly elect either to take under the will or in opposition thereto.

Before the death of W. C. Greathouse he and his wife contracted with ÍW. J. Fricke for the sale of a lot adjacent to the homestead for the consideration of $1000, of which $100 was paid in cash, the balance to be paid .in monthly installments of $15, beginning May 1, 1922.

After the death of Mrs. Greathouse the Security Bank & Trust Company qualified as administrator of her estate. Thereafter Fricke filed a bill in the chancery court against the administrators of both estates, alleging the facts herein recited and praying the court to adjudge to whom he should make the monthly payments on the lot he had purchased.

The administrator of the estate of the testator filed an answer claiming everything. The administrator of the estate of the widow filed an answer claiming the statutory allowances provided for by §§ 80 and 86, C. & M. Digest, or the value of those allowances, towit, the sum of $450.

In opposition to the claim of the administrator of the wife, the administrator of the testator contended that, by accepting the benefit of the provisions of the will, the widow had elected to take under the will, and could not therefore take in addition these statutory allowances.

The court declared the law to be that the widow was entitled to claim these statutory allowances, and decreed accordingly, and the administrator of the testator’s estate has appealed.

By § 3538, C. & M. Digest, it is provided that “If any husband shall devise and bequeath to his wife any portion of his real estate of which he died seized, it shall be deemed and taken in lieu of dower out of the estate of such deceased husband, unless such testator shall, in his will, declare 'otherwise.”

The sections of the statute following, towit,, 3539, 3540, 3541 and 3542, provide for :'am election by the widow where a devise was made to her in lieu of dower. There is conferred upon her by these sections of the statute the right to elect whether she will take under the will or under the statute as if there were no will, and they provide how she may renounce the will and the time within which she must do so. Here the widow made no election.

We pretermit any discussion of the fact that the widow died before the time limited by the law had expired within which she might elect to renounce the will, and dispose of the question presented for decision without taking that fact into account.

By § 80 the widow and minor children, or the widow or minor children, are given the sum of $300 out of the personal estate at its appraised value when the value of the personal estate exceeds that sum. There are here no minor children to share this allowance with the widow.

By § 86 the widow alone is given, in addition to the allowance specified in § 80, when the estate is not insolvent, such personal property as she may wish not to exceed the appraised value of $150. The solvency of the estate involved is not questioned.

Is the widow barred from asserting a claim for the allowances provided in §§ 80 and 86, C. & M. Digest, in addition to the testamentary provision? It is conceded that this is the controlling question in the case.

The principle which controls here was announced in the case of Stokes v. Pillow, 64 Ark. 1. There Tapp, the cwner of a homestead and ether lands, made a will containing the following words: “I give and bequeath unto my beloved wife, Amanda M. Tapp, all my real and personal estate of whatever kind I may die possessed of, land, tenements, rents and issues, profits and ohoses in action, to be hers so long as she may live, and to dispose of as she may deem proper at her death, taxing her only to pay what legal debts I may owe at the time of my death and my funeral expenses.” The testator died May 10, 1877, and the will was probated, but the widow, who was therein named as executrix, did not qualify as such, and there was no administration during her lifetime. The widow 'occupied the homestead until her death on September 10, 1892, at which time an administrator of the estate of Tapp was appointed, and certain debts were probated against Ms estate. Afterwards the administrator of Tapp brought ejectment against the heirs and devisees of Mrs. Tapp to recover the lots for the purpose of subjecting them to sale to pay the probated debts. The admimstrator alleged that Tapp devised the lots in controversy and other property to his wife, and that as widow and sole devisee she elected to accept the provisions of the will; that she took possession of said premises and remained in possession until she died, holding the same adversely under claim of absolute ownership, and not under claim of homestead, and that the rights of the administrator and creditors were barred by adverse possession and the statute of limitations.

Mr. Justice Riddick, speaking for the court, said: “It becomes, therefore, material to determine whether the provision in the will was intended to be in lieu of the homestead given by law, for, if the provision in the will was made for the widow in lieu of her homestead, she would be put to her election, but, if the provision was not made in lieu of the homestead estate, she had the right to hold both the homestead and the benefits conferred by the will, and the creditors could not subject the land to their debts until the expiration of the homestead estate.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
276 S.W. 579, 169 Ark. 572, 1925 Ark. LEXIS 509, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/costen-v-fricke-ark-1925.