Crowell v. Milligan

59 N.W.2d 346, 157 Neb. 127, 1953 Neb. LEXIS 85
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedJune 12, 1953
Docket33215
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 59 N.W.2d 346 (Crowell v. Milligan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Crowell v. Milligan, 59 N.W.2d 346, 157 Neb. 127, 1953 Neb. LEXIS 85 (Neb. 1953).

Opinions

Simmons, C. J.

Plaintiff in this action is the president of the Crowell Elevator Company, a corporation.

One of the defendants is the administrator of the estate of Rena S. Milligan, deceased. The deceased was a maiden lady, who lived to advanced years and accumulated a considerable estate. She was frugal with her expenditures so far as she herself was concerned. She was quite generous with relatives and friends. She directed her own business affairs. She consulted with and trusted the plaintiff on many matters of business.

She died intestate October 24, 1950.

The defendant Viola Mae Milligan was a sister-in-law of deceased. The defendant Elizabeth M. Mathewson was an old friend of deceased and a beneficiary, at least on one occasion, of deceased’s generosity.

Plaintiff brings this action as a stakeholder to determine the ownership of three items of personal property which he holds. The issues go to whether or not the property belonged by gift inter vivos to the two women defendants or to the administrator for the estate.

For convenience we will refer to the deceased as Rena, to the alleged donees as Viola and Elizabeth, and to the administrator by that designation.

The trial court decreed that the property belonged to the estate. Viola and Elizabeth appeal. We affirm in part and reverse in part.

There is evidence that plaintiff discussed with Rena the matter of making a will, and she declined, stating that she would have all of her property disposed of at the time of her death.

Viola was the second wife of Rena’s brother. He died intestate. There is evidence that Rena considered that Viola did not receive her proper share of the property of her husband’s estate.

[130]*130Rena had for years paid money to the Crowell Elevator. Company to be held for her. The company mingled these funds with its own and paid out funds at Rena’s direction. It was a debit and credit account on the company books.

Rena was the owner of a block of stock of the elevator company.

At different times Rena discussed this money and the stock and its disposition with plaintiff. After such a conversation in late October 1947, plaintiff dictated a letter directed to the elevator company which contained the following two paragraphs: “Will you please transfer all stock of your company now issued in the name of Rena S. Milligan to ‘Rena S. Milligan and Viola M. Milligan as Joint Owners with Rights of Survivorship.’ Will you please transfer any funds that now stand to my credit on the books of. Crowell Elevator Company to account which is to be known as ‘Rena S. Milligan and Viola M. Milligan as Joint Owners with Rights of Survivorship.’ ” This was prepared for Rena’s and Viola’s signatures. It was mailed to Rena. She did not return it at once.

On December 1, 1947, plaintiff wrote Rena calling her attention to the matter and stating: “We would have to have these before we can transfer your stock or your account into joint ownership. We have heard nothing from you and wonder if you still want to put this into effect.” Thereafter, in late December 1947, Rena and Viola came to the office of the plaintiff and Rena signed the letter. Viola signed below: “Approved: Viola M. Milligan.” The letter, so signed, was delivered to the plaintiff. Thereafter a new certificate of stock was issued reciting that “Rena S. Milligan and Viola M. Milligan as Joint Owners with Rights of Survivorship are the owner of” the shares involved. This stock was mailed to Rena January 14, 1948. She receipted for it and returned it to plaintiff. On January 30, 1948, plaintiff, signing as “President,” acknowledged receipt of the [131]*131stock and that it was being held “subject to your instructions.” Viola never had the stock in her possession. Dividends were thereafter paid to Rena. Rena signed the proxy authorizations for the annual meetings. After Rena’s death a dividend check was issued payable to Rena and Viola and held by the company pending the disposition of this action. Our determination herein as to the ownership of the stock includes that dividend.

Plaintiff testified that he had” Viola sign the approval of the letter of October 25, 1947, as “a good idea, seeing she .had an interest in those bonds at the time.” He also testified that Rena “intended” to' control the property during her lifetime and to handle and treat it as her own during her lifetime. These were obviously his conclusions. Viola testified that she never claimed any share of the dividends and considered they were Rena’s property, and that she took it for granted that Rena meant the stock was to remain hers (Rena’s). She testified that Rena said, “if anything happens to her it would go to me and if anything would happen to me it would go back to her.”

At the end of October 1947, Rena had a credit balance with the company of $7,513.53. On January 6, 1948, after the execution and delivery to it of the letter of October 25, 1947, this account was set up on the books of the company under the heading: “Rena S. Milligan and/or Viola M. Milligan.”

On September 16, 1949, plaintiff wrote a letter to Rena with reference to Rena’s agreement to pay him $50 a month for his services. The letter contained this statement: “As I understand it, you wish to deposit certain funds with me from time to time, which I will carry for you in a special bank account. Also, from time to time you will instruct me to pay out funds from this account on your order.” Also, on the same day, Rena signed a letter directed to plaintiff, the body of which is as follows: “This will be your authority to transfer the funds now held by Crowell Elevator Company in an [132]*132account known as ‘Rena S. Milligan and/or Viola May Milligan as Joint Tenants and not as tenants in common, with rights of survivorship’, to an account in the Omaha National Bank known as ‘Herman F. Crowell, Agent’. Deposits to this account and charges against it will be in accord with your letter to me of September 16, 1949, and accepted by me. The funds in this account at the Omaha National are for ‘Rena S. Milligan and/or Viola Mae Milligan as Joint Tenants arid not as tenants in common, with rights of survivorship’, but can only be drawn out on your signature while the agreement in the aforesaid letter remains in force.” As to this letter plaintiff testified: “Yes. That is the funds that we had held, joint account, that we had held, Rena Milligan and Viola Milligan on Crowell, Elevator Company books; they wanted that transferred to the bank account as confirmed in the other letter.”

On September 22, 1949, the balance in that account was $3,719.36. On that day the account was balanced and that amount deposited in the Omaha National Bank under the name of “Herman F. Crowell, Agent.” Thereafter the funds were deposited and handled through that account. At the time of Rena’s death an amount in excess of $11,000 was in the account. The plaintiff kept a ledger account of it under the name of “Herman F. Crowell, Agent Bank account of Rena S. Milligan and Viola M. Milligan, as joint tenants.”

There is evidence that all funds paid into or out of this account were done by and at the direction of Rena. Viola testified that she did not have knowledge of the fund in the bank until after Rena’s death. However, without question she had knowledge of the fund while it was being held in the elevator company accounts.

We have held in In re Estate of Scott, 148 Neb. 182, 26 N. W.

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

Related

Ferer v. Aaron Ferer & Sons Co.
732 N.W.2d 667 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 2007)
In Re Estate of Rosso
701 N.W.2d 355 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 2005)
Lewis v. Poduska
481 N.W.2d 898 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1992)
In Re Estate of Redpath
402 N.W.2d 648 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1987)
Rorabaugh v. Garvis
252 N.W.2d 161 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1977)
Bunt v. Fairbanks
134 N.W.2d 1 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 1965)
In Re Ogier's Estate
125 N.W.2d 68 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1963)
Rose v. Hooper
122 N.W.2d 753 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1963)
Marans v. Newland
374 P.2d 721 (Montana Supreme Court, 1962)
In Re Whiteside's Estate
67 N.W.2d 141 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1954)
Jaiser v. Milligan
120 F. Supp. 599 (D. Nebraska, 1954)
Crowell v. Milligan
59 N.W.2d 346 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1953)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
59 N.W.2d 346, 157 Neb. 127, 1953 Neb. LEXIS 85, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/crowell-v-milligan-neb-1953.