Estate of Brown v. Fulp

718 S.W.2d 588, 1986 Mo. App. LEXIS 4602
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedAugust 28, 1986
Docket13966
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 718 S.W.2d 588 (Estate of Brown v. Fulp) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Estate of Brown v. Fulp, 718 S.W.2d 588, 1986 Mo. App. LEXIS 4602 (Mo. Ct. App. 1986).

Opinions

HOGAN, Presiding Judge.

Bessie L. Brown, to whom we shall refer as Bess, was adjudged incapacitated and disabled within the intent of § 475.050, RSMo Supp.1984. Harold Merritt was appointed Guardian of Bess’ person and Conservator of her estate. As such, Merritt brought this action to discover assets under the provisions of § 475.160, RSMo Supp.1984, naming Wanda and Harold Fulp as respondents. Upon motion, the trial court added petitioners Ferguson, Cowan, Smith, Meese and Williams as parties because they, together with Harold Merritt, are legatees under Bess’ will dated July 16, 1981.1 The primary object of this action was to determine the title and right to possession of personalty in the form of certificates of deposit issued by the United Missouri Bank of Monett to “Bess Brown or Wanda Fulp or survivor.” The face value of these certificates was $65,300.00. After hearing evidence and receiving more than 64 exhibits the trial court ordered: 1) that the certificates (which Wanda cashed out and had reissued in her own name) be retitled in the names “Wanda Fulp or Harold L. Merritt as Conservator of the Estate of Bessie L. Brown”; 2) that ownership of the retitled certificates should be in joint form in compliance with the statutes pertaining to joint bank accounts “so that upon the prior death of Wanda Fulp the entire proceeds of [the] said certificates shall be paid to the protectee’s estate; or upon the prior death of Bessie L. Brown, the entire proceeds shall be payable to Wanda Fulp”; 3) that the protectee’s estate be reimbursed from the retitled certificates in an amount equal to one-half the expenditure made from the protectee’s estate for the protectee’s care, support and maintenance from November 15, 1983, (the date [590]*590of the conservator’s appointment) to the date of judgment; 4) that the protectee’s estate be reimbursed from the retitled certificates in the amount of $4,720.35, representing penalties incurred by Wanda for early withdrawal of the original certificates; 5) that the retitled certificate or certificates be subject to withdrawal pursuant to § 475.322, RSMo Supp.1984, for one-half the future expenditures incurred for the care, support and maintenance of Bessie L. Brown. All other issues tendered or tried by consent were found against the petitioners.

The cause was tried to the court. No findings of fact were requested and none were volunteered. We review this case in accordance with the provisions of Rule 73.-01, as construed in Murphy v. Carron, 536 S.W.2d 30, 32 (Mo. banc 1976). Rule 73.01.-1(b) requires us to consider all the controverted facts as found in accordance with the result.

I

The briefs raise one preliminary issue without resolving it and it must be addressed by the court preliminarily. Both parties suggest that former § 491.010, RSMo Supp.1984 (now repealed), was applicable to this case, but the point is not developed. Both Wanda and Harold Fulp testified on behalf of respondent Wanda, over petitioners’ objection that both were incompetent witnesses under the provisions of the Dead Man Statute, § 491.010. Petitioners’ objection was not only that § 491.-010 applied, but that the so-called “administration proviso” applied. Respondents’ testimony was received as a tender by question and answer as permitted by Rule 73.-01(a)(1).2 It is necessary for us to consider the applicability of § 491.010 because in a court-tried case, an appellate court considers such of the evidence in the record as it deems admissible and excludes from consideration that evidence it deems inadmissible, Butcher v. McClintock, 373 S.W.2d 917, 922[4] (Mo.1963); Kinsella v. Gibson, 307 S.W.2d 491, 492[1] (Mo.1957), provided, of course, the evidence is in the record to consider. In this case, the trial court fore-sightedly permitted all the evidence it considered admissible for any purpose to be made of record.

The 1983 revision of the Dead Man Statute merely substituted several words for others; the word “insane” was amended to read “mentally incapacitated,” and the words “executor or administrator” were amended to read “personal representative.” Section 472.010(26), RSMo Supp.1983, defines personal representative to mean executor or administrator. The amendment of § 491.010 made no substantive change in the law.

When it was in existence, § 491.010 was considered to be a qualifying enactment in that it first removed the common-law disqualification of witnesses by reason of interest, and the statute was also considered a disqualifying statute explicitly recognizing and imposing disqualification under two provisos, usually described as the “transactions proviso” and the “administration proviso.” The “transactions” proviso did not impose a general disqualification and did not make the surviving party an incompetent witness for all purposes. The witness was disqualified only to the extent that his testimony might be subject to question by the other party if living and in respect to the transactions between the witness and the party then dead or incompetent. Fellows v. Farmer, 379 S.W.2d 842, 849-50 (Mo.App.1964). The “administration” proviso applied to actions in which a personal representative (executor or administrator) was a party. It was limited to actions ex contractu, but when it applied, all testimony by the survivor was excluded except as to acts which occurred subsequent to the probate of the will or appointment of the personal representative. Flanagan v. DeLapp, 533 S.W.2d 592, 597 (Mo. [591]*591banc 1976); Fellows v. Farmer, 379 S.W.2d at 849.

As to Wanda Fulp’s evidence, § 475.020, RSMo Supp.1984, in very general terms makes the provisions of the probate code applicable to guardianships and conserva-torships. While this section might be construed to make the “administration proviso” applicable to an action to which a guardian or conservator is a party, such construction is not justified in view of the fact that the 1983 amendments to § 491.-010 did not specifically include “guardian” or “conservator.” A meticulous construction of former § 491.010 is in any case unnecessary for even if the total bar of the “administration proviso” is not applicable to Wanda Fulp's testimony, most of her evidence is inadmissible under the first, or “transactions proviso,” as being subject to question or contradiction by Bess Brown if Bess were competent to testify. See again Fellows v. Farmer, 379 S.W.2d at 849-50.

Neither of the disqualifying provisos of former § 491.010 was efficient to bar the testimony of Harold Fulp. The fact that he was made a party respondent is of no consequence. The language of the first proviso disqualifies only the surviving party to the contract or cause of action in issue and on trial. Under the second proviso “the other party” has been read to mean “party to such contract or cause of action” as in the first proviso. Davis v. Robb, 10 S.W.2d 680, 682[4] (Mo.App.1928); Atkinson v. Hardy, 128 Mo.App. 349, 353, 107 S.W. 466, 467 (1908). Under the Dead Man statute, a witness was incompetent only when he was the surviving party to the contract or cause of action in issue and on trial. Being a party of record did not of itself disqualify him. McClure v. Clements, 161 Mo.App. 23, 25-27, 143 S.W. 82, 83[1] (1912).

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Estate of Brown v. Fulp
718 S.W.2d 588 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1986)

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Bluebook (online)
718 S.W.2d 588, 1986 Mo. App. LEXIS 4602, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/estate-of-brown-v-fulp-moctapp-1986.