East Texas Savings & Loan Ass'n of Tyler v. Davis

346 S.W.2d 178, 1961 Tex. App. LEXIS 2285
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 11, 1961
DocketNo. 7289
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 346 S.W.2d 178 (East Texas Savings & Loan Ass'n of Tyler v. Davis) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
East Texas Savings & Loan Ass'n of Tyler v. Davis, 346 S.W.2d 178, 1961 Tex. App. LEXIS 2285 (Tex. Ct. App. 1961).

Opinion

DAVIS, Justice.

On January 3, 1953, L. L. Davis bought stock certificate No. 2755 from East Texas Savings and Loan Association. On February 13, 1953, L. L. Davis married Cora E. Ferguson. Prior to this marriage, L. L. Davis had been married twice, and had been divorced. By his first marriage he had a daughter, Rittia Lee Davis Venable, whose husband is Murray Venable. At the time of his last marriage, L. L. Davis [180]*180owned his home, some furniture, an automobile, and the stock certificate issued by East Texas Savings and Loan Association. On January 3, 1956, L. L. Davis and wife carried stock certificate No. 2755 to the Association, and at the request of L. L. Davis, the Association changed the name on the certificate from “L. L. Davis” to “L. L. Davis or Mrs. L. L. Davis”. At the same time, Mr. Davis and Mrs. Davis executed a signature card and contract furnished to them by the Association, which contract reads substantially as follows :

“Joint Savings Account. One signature only required for
“Withdrawal Account No. 6287
“No. of Shares-— 60 —
“L. L. Davis or Mrs. L. L. Davis “Type all Names:
“As joint tenants with right of survivorship and not as tenants in common, the undersigned hereby apply for a membership and for a joint savings account in the
“East Texas Savings & Loan Association
“Tyler, Texas
and for issuance of evidence of membership in the joint names of the undersigned as joint tenants with right of survivorship and not as tenants in common. The signatures of the undersigned are shown below, and the Association is hereby authorized to act without further inquiry in accordance with writings bearing any such signature; it being understood and agreed that any one of the undersigned who shall first act shall have power to act in all matters related to the membership and any savings account in said Association held by the undersigned, whether the other person or persons named hereon be living or not. Payment or delivery or a receipt or acquittance signed by any one of the undersigned shall be a valid and sufficient release and discharge of said Association from any and all claims, demands and obligations of every nature whatsoever by any or all of the undersigned. The undersigned herewith authorize the said Association to accept drafts, checks, money orders and other credit instruments for credit to this account, whether payable to either one or all of the undersigned, and if not endorsed to supply endorsement as may be required. “We hereby appoint Leo Chesley, Manager of the Association, or in his absence the person who shall then be the Chairman of the Board of Directors, our lawful attorney in fact, and hereby authorize him to vote our proxy upon all shares held by us in said Association at all regular or special meetings of the Association at which we may not be present in person.
“Dated at Tyler, Texas, this the 3rd day of January, 1956.
/s/ L. L. Davis “(1) Signature
“/s/ Mrs. L. L. Davis "(2) Signature”

On January 8, 1955, L. L. Davis and Mrs. L. L. Davis purchased from First Federal Savings and Loan Association Certificate No. 2086 for $1,000. On January 3, 1956 they purchased from First Federal Savings and Loan Association Certificate [181]*181No. 2765 for $1,000. Each of said certificates was issued in the name of L. L. Davis or Mrs. L, L. Davis. This was while they were married, and was issued on a joint savings account with the right of survivorship and not as tenants in common, the same way as the other stock certificate with East Texas Savings and Loan Association.

On May 7, 1956, L. L. Davis executed a Will. He appointed Cora E. Davis, his wife, as Independent Executrix. Omitting the caption and signature, the Will reads as follows:

“I.
"I direct that all expenses of last illness and funeral as well as estate and inheritance taxes he paid by my executrix hereinafter appointed.
“II.
“I give to my wife, Cora E. Davis, our homestead located at 905 North Bois d’Arc Avenue in the City of Tyler, State of Texas, and described as all that lot or parcel of land situated within the County of Smith, State of Texas, in the corporate limits of the City of Tyler, to-wit:
“A part of the Isaac Lollar Survey No. 134, Abst. No. 574, and being all of Lot No. 1 and the North 5 feet of Lot No. 2 of the ‘Fleishel and Goodman Addition’ to said City of Tyler, according to plat of said addition recorded in Vol. 34, page 345, Deed Records of Smith County, Texas. .
“Said Fleishel and Goodman Addition is a subdivision of Lot No. 17 of the ‘Ira Ellis 21 lots.’
“The Fleishel and Goodman Addition, according to the official map of the City of Tyler, is designated as New City Block No. 215;
as well as all of our household furniture, our automobile, all personal effects and belongings and other property of a similar nature used personally or in or about the home.
“HI.
“All the rest and residue of my estate consisting of cash, bonds, stocks, and personal property of a similar nature I give equally, share and share alike, to my wife, Cora E. Davis, and my daughter, Rittia Lee Venable, to he divided one-half (½) each at the earliest possible time after the payment of expenses as above provided.”

L. L. Davis died July 10, 1959. Mrs. Davis filed his Will for probate. Rittia Lee Venable, his daughter, filed a contest. The contest was withdrawn and the Will was admitted to probate on October 14, 1959. Immediately upon probation of the Will, Mrs. Davis proceeded to try to collect the money for the stock certificates that had been issued to her and her husband. Mrs. Davis collected $2,000 from First Federal Savings and Loan Association, but East Texas Savings and Loan Association refused to pay the money to Mrs. Davis, individually. Mrs. Venable took the position that she had been granted a one-half interest in the stock certificate, one-half the money in the bank, and one-half of a burial certificate by the Will of her father, L. L. Davis.

East Texas Savings and Loan Association had actual notice of the adverse claims and always admitted that the $6,000 belonged to either Mrs. Davis or to Mrs. Davis and Mrs. Venable. It was unable to get an agreement between them for the payment of the money, and was compelled to file an interpleader suit asking the court to decide the issue. In the suit the Association asked the court to allow it an inter-pleader fee for its attorneys in the sum of $450 and costs of court. It filed the suit on November 3, 1959, naming Cora E. Davis, individually, and as Independent Executrix of the Estate of L. L. Davis, deceased, and Rittia Lee Venable as de-[182]*182fcndants. At the time of filing the suit, it paid the $6,000 into the registry of the court. Mrs. Davis answered, whereby she claimed the entire sum of $6,000 under the joint tenancy agreement, with right of survivorship according to the contract that was entered into with L. L. Davis on November 3, 1956. Mrs.

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Related

Forehand v. Light
452 S.W.2d 709 (Texas Supreme Court, 1970)
O'Nan v. Commissioner
47 T.C. 648 (U.S. Tax Court, 1967)
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354 S.W.2d 926 (Texas Supreme Court, 1962)
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Bluebook (online)
346 S.W.2d 178, 1961 Tex. App. LEXIS 2285, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/east-texas-savings-loan-assn-of-tyler-v-davis-texapp-1961.