Dryden v. Burkhart

1946 OK 343, 177 P.2d 121, 198 Okla. 239, 1946 Okla. LEXIS 714
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedDecember 17, 1946
DocketNo. 32451
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 1946 OK 343 (Dryden v. Burkhart) 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
Dryden v. Burkhart, 1946 OK 343, 177 P.2d 121, 198 Okla. 239, 1946 Okla. LEXIS 714 (Okla. 1946).

Opinion

GIBSON, C. J.

This is an appeal by the plaintiff from an order of the district court of Oklahoma county vacating a judgment recovered by plaintiff in an action therein.

' The action was one to quiet title to several lots in an addition to Oklahoma City, of which plaintiff claimed to be owner through a tax deed issued under tax sale purchase certificates. Previously, the record title appeared in the name of P. S. White, and, of those made defendants in the action, appears “P. S. White, Luna White, if living, but if they, or either of them be deceased, the unknown heirs, executors, administrators, devisees, trustees and assigns of such deceased person.” The defendants were served by publication only and on default in appearance plaintiff was awarded judgment on January 22, 1945.

On June 1, 1945, upon her oral motion without notice to plaintiff the court entered an order recognizing Inez Burk-hart, administratrix with will annexed of Passmore S. White, deceased, as a party defendant in said cause, granting leave to movant to file therein her application to vacate judgment and her answer and cross-petition tendered therewith, and setting the application for hearing on June 14, 1945.

On June 11, 1945, plaintiff filed in the cause motion to vacate the order recognizing the applicant as a party defendant upon the ground same was entered without notice to plaintiff and upon the further ground that applicant had no interest in the subject matter because the appointment of applicant as administratrix was void for lack of jurisdiction in the court to make same. By consent of the parties, the hearing of the motion was deferred until hearing 'of the application to vacate the judgment where the same issue would be tendered by plaintiff’s response to the application.

The application to vacate the judgment, apart from averments not material here, alleged: that applicant was, by order of the county court of Oklahoma county, Okla., appointed adminis-tratrix, with will annexed, of the estate of Passmore S. White; that letters were issued to her on September 11, 1941, and that same are, and since date of issuance had been in full force and effect; that her decedent, Passmore S. White, was the same person as P. S. White, the owner of record of said lots, and that the fact of such identity was reflected in the probate proceedings.

The response of plaintiff, apart from averments not material here, alleged generally that the letters issued to said applicant were void for lack of jurisdiction in the county court to issué the same; that the property involved in the action wherein the judgment was rendered was in the name of P. S. White and that by reason of the void character of the probate proceedings plaintiff was not charged with notice of the proceedings in the estate of Passmore S. White; and that applicant, as such administra-trix, or otherwise, had no interest in the land involved.

As grounds for reversal of trial court’s order vacating the judgment argument is presented under the following proposition:

1. Inez Burkhart, administratrix with the will annexed, was not legally a defendant herein.

2. The court had no authority to vacate the judgment on the application of one not a party to the judgment.

3. The appointment of Inez Burk-hart as administratrix with the will annexed of the estate of Passmore S. White, deceased, was void for lack of jurisdiction.

4. The court did not adjudge that the applicant had a valid defense to the cause of action on which the judgment was based, and the answer filed was not a complete answer.

The substance of the argument made under the first and second propositions [241]*241is that the identity of P. S. White and Passmore S. White were unknown to plaintiff and not reflected in said probate proceeding; that the claimant against whom she was authorized to proceed under. Tit. 12, O.S. 1941 §1141, was P. S. White, in whose name the title stood, and hence in legal effect Passmore S. White or his representative was not a party to the proceeding nor bound by the judgment, and therefore could maintain an independent action; and that not being a party against whom the judgment was rendered, she was not authorized under Tit. 12, O.S. 1941 §176, to obtain a vacation of the judgment.

Upon the trial, the issue of the right to vacation of the judgment was expressly presented by counsel, and considered and determined by the court solely on the question whether the appointment of the applicant as adminis-tratrix was valid. Such being true, the theory advanced under, propositions 1 and 2 was not presented to the trial court and cannot for the first time be raised on' appeal. We have repeatedly held that parties will not be permitted to prevail in the Supreme Court on issues not. raised in the trial court. Starr v. Vaughn, 113 Okla. 247, 241 P. 152; Butterick Co. v. Molen, 192 Okla. 602, 138 P. 2d 89.

Pertinent to the, question of the jurisdiction of the county court to make the appointment, which is discussed under plaintiff’s third proposition, the evidence reflects the following facts:

Passmore S. White, then a resident of Jackson county, Arkansas, died testate on April 19, 1925, and his will was probated by the county court of Jackson county on April 27, 1925, and administration there had. On June 28, 1926, upon application of Luna A. White, widow of deceased, joined in by the foreign executor, the county court of Oklahoma county appointed as administrator of the Oklahoma estate one C. O. Fowler, who qualified and acted as such until July 21, 1941, when upon motion of Mrs. 'R. E. Eden, nee Luna A. White., daughter of deceased, the Oklahoma county court found that the administration had been granted without there having been presented and filed an authenticated copy of the Arkansas proceedings in the matter of the probate of the will of the deceased, that the proceedings had in the Oklahoma county court were without authority of law, and ordered the administrator to render an account and upon approval thereof that he be discharged and the records be expunged. Thereafter, on August 4, 1941, Mrs. R. E. Eden, a resident of Arkansas, filed in the county court of Oklahoma county her petition for letters of administration upon the estate of said Passmore S. White to be issued to Inez Burkhart, a resident of Oklahoma county. In the petition it is alleged, among other things, that White died seized of estate in Oklahoma county, consisting of certain lots; that he died a resident of Jackson county, State of Arkansas, and, pertinent to the issue here, it is therein further alleged as follows:

“That said deceased left a will which has been duly admitted to probate in the probate court of the county of. Jackson, State of Arkansas, ánd whiijh your petitioner alleges is the last will and testament of said deceased, a duly-authenticated copy of said will and testament, and the probate thereof in the probate court of the county of Jackson, State of 'Arkansas,. is hereto' attached, marked exhibit ‘A’ and made a part hereof.”

Attached to the petition and marked Exhibit “A” is a typewritten copy of what appears to be an authenticated-copy of the will, the probate thereof and proceedings in probate thereon. The petition bears an endorsement of filing and the filing thereof is noted upon the appearance docket of the court. There does not appear in the court files an authenticated copy of the will or probate thereof nor does there appear upon the appearance docket any record of the filing thereof.

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Bluebook (online)
1946 OK 343, 177 P.2d 121, 198 Okla. 239, 1946 Okla. LEXIS 714, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dryden-v-burkhart-okla-1946.