Dewailly v. First National Bank of Coffeyville

1959 OK 42, 338 P.2d 1110, 1959 Okla. LEXIS 431
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedMarch 17, 1959
Docket38239
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 1959 OK 42 (Dewailly v. First National Bank of Coffeyville) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dewailly v. First National Bank of Coffeyville, 1959 OK 42, 338 P.2d 1110, 1959 Okla. LEXIS 431 (Okla. 1959).

Opinion

BLACKBIRD, Justice.

This is an appeal by Yvonne Dewailly from an order of the district court of Washington County sustaining defendant’s demurrer to her petition and striking her amendment to the petition and dismissing her cause of action.

The action was brought by plaintiff against the First National Bank of Coffey-ville, Kansas, executor of the estate of Marion Bennett, deceased, to enforce an alleged oral contract by deceased to will to plaintiff a wife’s share of his property in consideration of services to be rendered him by plaintiff during his lifetime.

The original petition, after alleging the death of Marion Bennett; the appointment of the First National Bank of Coffeyville, Kansas, as executor of his estate; the filing of a claim for one-half interest in the property of deceased, its disallowance by the executor and the county court of Washington County, Oklahoma, further alleges :

“Plaintiff alleges that in the year of 1946 she was a resident and citizen of Paris, France. During the First World War the plaintiff became acquainted with Marion Bennett, and after the cessation of hostilities, and after Marion Bennett’s return to the United States, he, through the course of years and up through the year 1947, maintained a correspondence and contact with this plaintiff.
“In the year of 1946, Marion Bennett proposed to the plaintiff that she leave her home in Paris, France and come to the United States to make her home. As an inducement for the plaintiff to leave her established home in France and come to the United States, Marion Bennett promised that if she would do so, he would provide her with all of the necessities of life, and would in exchange for her companionship, provide her with an abundant life.
“The plaintiff accepted in good faith the promises and statements of Marion Bennett and left her home in France, and on or about the 22nd day of February, 1950, plaintiff arrived in Bartles-ville, Oklahoma, the then home of Marion Bennett. After plaintiff’s arrival in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, she assumed her duties as a companion of Marion Bennett and rendered to deceased, at his request, her services and advice in the conduct of his business affairs until his demise on the 25th day of September, 1956.
“After plaintiff’s arrival in Bartles-ville, Oklahoma, and upon the assumption of her duties as aforesaid, Marion Bennett re-stated his promises and agreements to provide for all the living expenses of the plaintiff and to provide her with an abundant life. As further consideration for the services rendered to Marion Bennett by the plaintiff, and *1112 because of his professed- love for the plaintiff, Marion Bennett promised to marry the plaintiff, and further promised and agreed to devise by will to this plaintiff so much of his property as she would be entitled to as his wife. The plaintiff fully and faithfully performed all of the obligations undertaken by her under the said promises and statements of Marion Bennett, and plaintiff accepted Marion Bennett’s offer and promise of marriage, and stood ready at all times during the lifetime of Marion Bennett to marry him.
“Marion Bennett wholly failed and neglected to provide for the living expenses and for an abundant life for the plaintiff, and he wholly failed, and neglected to fulfill his promise of marriage to the plaintiff; and that he wholly failed and neglected to devise by will to the plaintiff so much of his property as she would be entitled to as his wife.
“Plaintiff alleges that Marion Bennett left issue surviving him: a son, James Dean Bennett and by his will provided for distribution of his estate to the surviving son and to the three children of James Dean Bennett, namely: David Bruce Bennett, age 10; Elizabeth Jane Bennett, age 8 years; and Dee Ann age 4 years, and wholly failed and neglected to make provision for the plaintiff as he had promised and agreed to do.
“WHEREFORE, plaintiff prays for judgment for an undivided one-half interest of the estate of Marion Bennett, deceased, her costs and all other relief to which she is entitled.”

The trial court sustained defendant’s demurrer to this petition and plaintiff was given leave to amend. She thereafter, and on the 18th day of October, 1957, filed an amendment to her petition in which she alleged:

“On or about July of 1955, Marion Bennett suffered a general failure of health, which failure of health required that Marion Bennett be furnished with nursing care and domestic services and a more constant companionship than had been necessary prior to his failure of health. Marion Bennett did, on his failure of health as aforesaid, promise the plaintiff that if she would perform the services of nursing care, dómestic service and more constant companionship, he would devise to plaintiff by his will so much of his property as she would be entitled to as his wife.
“Plaintiff accepted Marion Bennett’s promises and in reliance thereon and in consideration of Marion Bennett’s promise to provide for her by will as aforesaid, entered upon her duties in furnishing nursing care and domestic services and companionship. Plaintiff further alleges that in the performance of these duties she purchased, made, washed, ironed and repaired Marion Bennett’s clothing; that she purchased and saw to his needs for personal items of clothing, toiletries and health; that she arranged and prepared food for him; that she made available to him and he used her home and its facilities when he came from his home in Bart-lesville to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for medical care; that she arranged and made appointments with the doctors and took Marion Bennett to the doctors, and arranged and saw to his personal needs and comforts.
“Plaintiff alleges and states that she fully and faithfully performed all of the things requested of her by Marion Bennett, relying on his promise to provide for her by his will.
“Plaintiff further alleges that as a further consideration for her services and because of his professed love, Marion Bennett promised to marry the plaintiff and plaintiff accepted and stood ready at all times during the lifetime of Marion Bennett to marry him.”

Defendant contends that, the amendment to the petition substantially changes plaintiff’s claim and cause of action pleaded in her original petition and pleads in the *1113 amendment a new cause of action and that the amendment was not filed until the applicable statutory period of limitation had expired and such amendment is barred by limitation and the court therefore ruled correctly in striking the amendment.

Defendant does not cite the statute relied upon to sustain his contention. It, however, apparently relies upon Tit. 58 O.S. 1951 § 339. This section provides:

“When a claim is rejected, either by the executor or administrator, or the judge of the county court, the holder must bring suit in the proper court, according to its amount, against the executor or administrator, within three months after the date of its rejection, if it be then due, or within two months after it becomes due, otherwise the claim is forever barred.”

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

Related

Chandler v. Denton
741 P.2d 855 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1987)
Cartwright v. Atlas Chemical Industries, Inc.
1981 OK 4 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1981)
Travelers Insurance Company v. Leedy
1969 OK 34 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1969)
Weston v. Acme Tool, Incorporated
1969 OK 16 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1969)
Smith v. Miller
1961 OK 245 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1961)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1959 OK 42, 338 P.2d 1110, 1959 Okla. LEXIS 431, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dewailly-v-first-national-bank-of-coffeyville-okla-1959.