Estate of Allen v. Allen

25 N.W.2d 757, 147 Neb. 909, 1947 Neb. LEXIS 129
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 10, 1947
DocketNo. 32097
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 25 N.W.2d 757 (Estate of Allen v. Allen) 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
Estate of Allen v. Allen, 25 N.W.2d 757, 147 Neb. 909, 1947 Neb. LEXIS 129 (Neb. 1947).

Opinions

Yeager, J.

This is an appeal from the allowance of a claim in favor of appellee and claimant against the estate of Chauncey H„ [910]*910Allen, deceased, based upon an alleged verbal promise of the said deceased to pay $25 per month or see that that amount was paid if appellee would consent to the entry of an allowance and award of $25 per month for the support and maintenance of minor children of appellee, and Amos C. Allen in an action in the district court for Lincoln County, Nebraska, wherein appellee had obtained a divorce from Amos C. Allen. In the district court the claim was allowed and judgment rendered in favor of appellee. From this judgment the executor of the estate of Chauncey H. Allen has appealed.

It is disclosed by the record that on or about July 3, 1929, Jane Steen Allen and Amos C. Allen, a son of Chauncey H. Allen, were married. They were divorced in 1935 or 1936 and remarried on May 22, 1939. Appellee procured a second divorce from Amos C. Allen in the district court for Lincoln County, Nebraska, July 2, 1940. Three children were born of the first marriage. In the decree no alimony was awarded and no allowance made for. the support of the children.

By written stipulation' dated March 24, 1942, appellee and Amos C. Allen agreed that a judgment might be entered in the divorce action against Amos C. Allen for the support and maintenance for $25 per month beginning April 1, 1942, until the further order of court. An order was entered in conformity with the stipulation, which was filed on March 27, 1942.

Chauncey H. Allen died in March 1945. As already pointed out the action is against his estate.

The action was commenced by the filing of a claim in the county court of Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, by the appellee herein. The claim recited the details already herein set forth as to the marriages and divorces of appellee and Amos. C. Allen, the facts as to minor children, the stipulation for entry of award for support and maintenance of minor children, the entry of allowance and judgment, and charged that Amos C. Allen had failed to make payment of [911]*911any installments except the first of $25 and that all other installments were due and unpaid.

Appellee alleged that all of the due and unpaid installments and installments to become due were a charge against the estate of Chauncey H. Allen, deceased. Her pleaded contention in this respect was the following: "That prior to entering into said stipulation and prior to the entry by the court of the award of support money as aforesaid and as an inducement for this claimant to agree to accept said sum for the support of said children, the deceased, Chauncey H. Allen, promised, promised and agreed with this- claimant that he would personally pay or see that said installments were paid and represented that it would be an advantage to this claimant to accept a smaller amount than the court might award in case the" matter was contested and be certain of obtaining the amount of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) a month.”

To the claim objections were filed. The objections are five in number but for the purposes of this opinion it only becomes necessary to say that in them was contained a general denial and an allegation that the claim is void and unenforceable against the estate.

A trial was had in the county court which resulted in a denial of the claim. From the judgment of the county court an appeal was taken to the district court. The case was tried in the district court on the same pleadings as in the county court.

In the district court the case was tried to a jury. At the conclusion of appellee’s case the executor' moved for a directed verdict which was overruled. At the conclusion of all of the evidence the appellee moved that the court discharge the jury and that a judgment be rendered in her favor or in the alternative that the jury be directed to return a verdict in her favor for all amounts claimed to be due. Thereupon the executor moved for a dismissal of the action or in the alternative that a verdict be directed in his, favor. On this joinder of motions for directed- verdict tha [912]*912court properly discharged the jury and proceeded to a determination upon the issues presented.

“Where both parties at the close of all the evidence, without reservation, move for a directed verdict, each invites the court to discharge the jury, determine the facts, and apply the law thereto.” Fidelity & Deposit Co. v. B. Grunwald, Inc., 129 Neb. 749, 262 N. W. 831.

The district court determined the issues in favor of apr pellee herein and rendered judgment in her favor and against the estate for $1,156.93, and the executor was ordered and directed to retain sufficient funds to pay future monthly installments of $25 each beginning February 1, 1946, and ending when the youngest child shall become of age or self-supporting or the dependency for some other reason of all of the said minor children shall cease, whichever event occurs first, or until there has been such a change of conditions of the parties as would warrant a court of competent jurisdiction to relieve the estate of further future payments and until such order has been rendered and become final.

A motion for new trial was filed and overruled. It is from this judgment and the order overruling the motion for new trial that the executor has appealed.

In the executor’s brief are found nine assignments of error. Only a part of them require discussion. The first to be considered herein is one wherein it is contended that the court erred in entering a judgment in favor of the claimant which is wholly unsupported by the evidence.

As has been pointed out by quotation from the claim the action is predicated on an allegation that claimant was induced to agree to accept $25 per month under an order which was to be entered against Amos C. Allen in the divorce case by the promise of deceased that he would personally pay the installments or see that they were paid.

Although apparently the trial court decided the case on the assumption that there was an agreement entered into between deceased and appellee with respect to accept[913]*913anee of $25 per month for child support yet an examination of the bill of exceptions contains no evidence to support the assumption. The only evidence relating to any kind or character of agreement by Chauncey H. Allen to support or contribute to the support of the minor children of appellee and Amos C. Allen is found in the testimony of Dr. C. J. Steen, father of the appellee. There is no word therein to indicate that Chauncey H. Allen made any offer to contribute to the support of the minor children with reference to a stipulation signed or to be signed, or any hearing, or any proposed order to be entered in the district court for Lincoln County, Nebraska, or anywhere else. Furthermore, there is no direct evidence or evidence from which a legal inference could be drawn that Chauncey H. Allen ever at any time knew of any proposed stipulation or order, or the existence of either after they were respectively signed and entered. The evidence bearing on this subject is the following and it will be observed that nowhere in it is found any’ reference to a stipulation or other proposed agreement, or any kind or character of court order: “Q — Will you state as nearly as you.

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Bluebook (online)
25 N.W.2d 757, 147 Neb. 909, 1947 Neb. LEXIS 129, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/estate-of-allen-v-allen-neb-1947.