Draughon v. Wright

1948 OK 81, 191 P.2d 921, 200 Okla. 198, 1948 Okla. LEXIS 324
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedApril 6, 1948
DocketNo. 32947
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 1948 OK 81 (Draughon v. Wright) 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
Draughon v. Wright, 1948 OK 81, 191 P.2d 921, 200 Okla. 198, 1948 Okla. LEXIS 324 (Okla. 1948).

Opinions

HURST, C.J.

This action was brought by the plaintiffs, John A. and Emma Draughon, parents of Mildred W. Walker, to recover an undivided one-half interest in a tract of real property and to recover an undivided one-half interest in certain personal property as sole heirs of their deceased daughter. A receivership was also sought. From the judgment sustaining the demurrer to the petition, this appeal was taken by plaintiffs.

The petition states two causes of action. The first is in connection with the real property; the second, the personal property.

In the first cause of action, plaintiffs alleged that both Mildred W. Walker and A. O. Walker, her husband, died as the result of an accident from a common cause, the wife dying approximately one hour before the death of the husband; that there was no issue of the said marriage and that the plaintiffs are next of kin of Mildred W. Walker; that both decedents died intestate; that on the 29th of March, 1943, the real property herein considered was conveyed to the two decedents by warranty deed, a copy of the deed being attached, and that this property was jointly accumulated property; that on the 15th day of April; 1946, an inventory in the A. O. Walker probate case was filed showing that the real property herein considered was listed as part of his estate; and that A. O. Walker had issue by a former wife.

For their second cause of action, the plaintiffs alleged that at the time of the death of Walker, there was jointly accumulated with his said wife certain personal property and the proceeds of an accident insurance policy issued by the Massachusetts Protection Association, worth $5,000, the proceeds of an insurance policy on the life of Mildred M. Walker, $2,000, and proceeds of an [200]*200insurance policy issued by National Life Insurance, $1,000.

The plaintiffs asked to quiet title in and to an undivided one-half of the real property subject to an existing mortgage, and for determination of the ownership of one-half of the personal property, quieting title therein against the administratrix, and for the appointment of a receiver to take possession of the personal property.

1. We first consider the cause of action relating to the real property. The deed under which title was taken to the real property, in the granting clause, conveys the property to A. O. Walker and Mildred M. Walker “as joint tenants with right of survivor-ship”, and the habendum clause directs that the property shall be held “unto the said A. O. Walker and Mildred M. Walker, husband and wife, and the survivor as joint tenants and not as tenants in common, their heirs, successors and assigns.”

The defendant contends (1) that the real property, being held in joint tenancy, upon the death of Mrs. Walker the whole estate remained in Mr. Walker under the deed and that consequently Mrs. Walker owned no interest in the property that descended to her heirs; (2) that since Mr. Walker left issue by his first marriage, the proviso to 84 O.S. 1941 §213(2) does not apply; and (3) that the estate of Mr. Walker was being administered in the county court of Muskogee county and that court had exclusive jurisdiction of .the matter in controversy and, consequently, the district court was without jurisdiction.

The plaintiffs contend (1) that, if 60 O.S. 1945 Supp. §74 creates a statutory joint tenancy, survivorship is not included since that doctrine is in disfavor in the American courts and is not mentioned in the statute; (2) that the use of the words, “their heirs, successors and assigns” in the habendum clause negatives the idea of a joint tenancy; and (3) that the burden was upon the party asserting that the property was held in joint tenancy to plead and prove that the joint tenants agreed to the joint tenancy and that the spouse whose property is sought to be brought within its terms accepted the deed knowing of such joint tenancy clause, which facts are not established. They conclude that no joint tenancy is shown and that Mrs. Walker owned a half interest in the property as a tenant in common, and that the property, being acquired during coverture by the joint industry of husband and wife, descended to Mr. Walker upon the death of Mrs. Walker, intestate and without issue, and that upon the death of Mr. Walker one hour later, such property not being disposed of by grant or will, descended one-half to plaintiffs as sole heirs of Mrs. Walker and one-half to the heirs of Mr. Walker under the proviso to 84 O.S. 1941 §213 (2).

a. We cannot agree that 60 O.S. 1945 Supp. §74 creates a statutory joint tenancy without survivorship because sur-vivorship is not mentioned in that statute. The term “joint tenancy” had a well defined meaning at common law, and, since the Legislature did not define the term or use language indicating a contrary intention, we must presume that it used the term in its technical common law sense. 50 Am. Jur. 266. Survivorship is the distinguishing characteristic of a joint tenancy. 48 C.J.S. 910. And it is this distinctive characteristic of survivorship which, on the death of one of the joint tenants, precludes the devolution upon his heirs of any interest in the estate held in joint tenancy. As to property held in joint tenancy, there is nothing to inherit from the one dying first. The survivor takes under the original grant (48 C.J.S. 911), his estate being simply freed from participation by the death of his former joint tenant. The survivor takes the entire estate to the exclusion of the heirs of the deceased. 7 R.C.L. 812; 33 C.J. 903 and 915; 14 Am. Jur. 79, 80.

[201]*201b. Nor do we find merit in plaintiffs’ contention that the use of the term “their heirs” in the habendum clause of the deed was a limitation and created a tenancy in common. The granting clause clearly creates a joint tenancy. It is within the habendum clause itself, above quoted, that the conflict occurs. Down to the term “their heirs”, a joint tenancy is clearly shown. From the four corners of the instrument, the intention of the parties is clear. The use of the term “their heirs”, under the circumstances, can be considered to be no more than a scrivener’s mistake.

c. The argument presented by appellants, under their third contention, based upon the Arizona case, Baldwin v. Baldwin, 50 Ariz. 265, 71 P. 2d 791, is not tenable in the instant case for two reasons.

In the first place, the. Arizona court views the doctrine of survivorship with disfavor. The community property principle, rooted in that state since 1865, is the basis for the rule announced in that case. That rule, it appears, is but an extension even to property conveyed to two spouses as joint tenants of the presumption that all property taken in the name of the husband or wife, or both of them, is community property. In our state, on the other hand, the history of our community property doctrine goes back only to 1939 (32 O.S. 1941 §§51-65) when it was a voluntary matter requiring election by both spouses. The new compulsory community property law (32 O. S. Supp. 1945 §§66-82) became effective in 1945. Furthermore, by statute prior to 1945, a husband and wife were permitted to hold real or personal property either as joint tenants or as tenants in common. 32 O.S. 1941 §8. In 1945, this section was amended to provide that spouses could hold property as joint tenants, tenants in common, or as community property. In the instant case the deed to Mr. and Mrs. Walker was executed and delivered in 1943, before the compulsory community property law became effective.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1948 OK 81, 191 P.2d 921, 200 Okla. 198, 1948 Okla. LEXIS 324, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/draughon-v-wright-okla-1948.