Evans v. Pettus

166 S.W. 955, 112 Ark. 572, 1914 Ark. LEXIS 272
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedApril 27, 1914
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 166 S.W. 955 (Evans v. Pettus) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Evans v. Pettus, 166 S.W. 955, 112 Ark. 572, 1914 Ark. LEXIS 272 (Ark. 1914).

Opinion

McCulloch, C. J.

Appellants, Mary E. Evans and her two children, John Cecil Blanton and Annie Mabel Blanton, the latter being infants, suing by their next friend, the said Mary E. Evans, instituted this action in the chancery court of St. Francis County against appellee, Jennie Lou Pettus, to restrain the latter from using a certain brick wall constituting- a part of a building situated on a lot owned by appellants in Forrest City and requiring appellee to cut loose from said wall, and to recover damages alleged to have been sustained by use of the wall by appellee. It is alleged in the complaint that appellants are the owners of the building and lot on which it is situated, under the will of James P. Blanton, a half interest therein being devised to Mary E. Evans, the widow of James P. Blanton, and an undivided fourth interest therein to each of said children, John Cecil Blanton and Annie Mabel Blanton; that on March 2, 1909, said Mary E. Evans entered into a written contract with appellee whereby she agreed to execute a deed to appellee conveying a half interest in the east wall of the building on'said lot, the same to be used by appellee as part of a brick building she was then about to construct on an adjoining lot owned by her, and also undertook to obtain the interests of said infant owners and procure an order of the probate court authorizing the conveyance of the interests of said infants. It is further alleged that the signature of Mrs. Evans to said contract was procured by appellee and her agents “by misrepresentation as to the value of said wall and as to the nature of the contract,” and that the consideration named therein was grossly inadequate. It is also alleged that plaintiff had no power or authority to convey the interests of said infants or to contract with reference thereto, and that the contract was void as to their interests. The complaint .also contains an allegation that immediately after the execution of said contract on March 2, 1909, appellee “took possession of the east half of said brick wall of plaintiffs along the east line of their said lot 9 in block 16 aforesaid, and attached, a building thereto, making plaintiffs’ said wall a part thereof; that the said defend-' ant cut into plaintiffs’ wall and put her joists and sleepers therein so as to support the upper and lower floors of her said building, and also attached her roof thereto, and has been so using plaintiffs’ said Avail from the date of said pretended contract hitherto; that said defendant has attached her said building to and used plaintiffs’ said wall in such a manner and so unskillfully as to greatly damage plaintiffs ’ said Avail and their said building, and so as to cause said wall to spring and to be out of plumb, and so as to cause the roof on their said building to leak, and so as to break the windows and otherwise damage their said brick building, and they aver that if said defendant is permitted to continue to so use said wall that plaintiffs’ said wall and building will be still further and more greatly damaged thereby. ’ ’

Damages are laid in the sum of $1,000, and recovery of that amount is sought in addition to the other relief.

A copy of the Avill of James P. Blanton is exhibited with the complaint, and, after making certain minor bequests in money, the bulk of the estate is devised and bequeathed as follows:

“Fourth. I give, devise and bequeath to my wife, Mary Elizabeth Blanton, one-half (%) of all the residue of my estate, real, personal, or mixed and wherever situated, to my son, John Cecil Blanton, one-fourth (14) of the said residue of my estate, and to my daughter, Annie Mabel Blanton, one-fourth (14) of said residue of my estate.
“Fifth. It is expressly understood that my wife, Mary Elizabeth Blanton, shall have the use and control of such portion of said estate that I have hereinbefore bequeathed to my said son, John Cecil, and my said daughter, Annie Mabel, until said son and daughter become of age respectively, at which time my said wife shall pay to my said son his portion of said estate and to my said daughter her portion of said estate.
“Sixth. I hereby direct that the homestead (residence property) located in Forrest City, County of St. Francis and State of Arkansas, shall be included as a part of said one-half of my estate bequeathed to my said wife.”

A copy of the .aforesaid contract entered into between Mrs. Evans and appellee is also exhibited. The contract provided, in substance, that Mrs. Evans sold to appellee a half interest in the afore-described brick wall for the sum of $353, payable when she should deliver a warranty deed for her individual interest in said wall, and also her deed as guardian for her two children, Annie Mabel Blanton and John Cecil Blanton, which said deed was to be approved by the probate court of St. Francis County. The contract also provided that appellee could at the time of the execution of the contract, take possession of said half interest in said wall and proceed with the work of joining her building thereto.

.The court sustained a demurrer to the complaint, holding that it failed to state a cause of action of equitable cognizance, but that a cause of action at law for recovery of damages was stated. Appellants declined to plead further, and the court dismissed the complaint for want of equity.

This being a suit in equity, the exhibits may be looked to on demurrer for the purpose of testing the sufficiency of the allegations of the complaint.

It appears that James P. Blanton owned a lot in Forrest City, on which there was a brick store building, and appellee, Mrs. Jennie Lou Pettus, owned an adjoining lot, which was vacant. Blanton died, leaving a last will and testament, a copy of which is exhibited with the complaint, whereby he devised all of his property, one-half to his wife, Mary E. Blanton (now Evans), and the other half equally between his two children, who are still minors. The will provides that the widow “shall have the use and control” of the portion of the estate devised to the children until each should become of age, and then his or her portion should be set aside and paid over.

After the death of Blanton appellee decided to construct a brick building on her lot and obtained from Mrs. Evans the contract set out above in which she agreed to sell her a half interest in the brick wall and undertook to procure an order from the probate court directing her, as guardian, to convey the interest of the children in the brick wall. It is not alleged that Mrs. Evans had ever been appointed as guardian. In fact, the complaint alleges affirmatively that the children have no regular guardian, and they sue by their next friend.

Mrs. Evans seeks relief on the ground of fraudulent misrepresentation on the part of appellee, or her agents, in procuring the contract, and gross inadequacy of consideration, and she also seeks to recover damages for negligence in construction of appellee’s building and cutting into the wall, whereby the building of appellants was damaged.

The other two appellants seek relief on the ground that. said contract did not affect their interests in the building or wall, their mother having no authority to convey their interests, and that the use of the wall constituted an encroachment upon their rights which equity should restrain.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Bryant v. Lemmons
598 S.W.2d 79 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1980)
Ryall v. Waterworks Improvement Dist. No. 3
447 S.W.2d 341 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1969)
St. Paul-Mercury Indemnity Co. v. City of Hughes
331 S.W.2d 106 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1960)
Askew v. Murdock Acceptance Corporation
279 S.W.2d 557 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1955)
Fulks v. Fredeman
273 S.W.2d 528 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1954)
Leffingwell v. Glendenning
238 S.W.2d 942 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1951)
Burns v. Burns
135 S.W.2d 670 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1940)
Smith v. Garretson
4 S.W.2d 520 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1928)
Newport v. Hatton
231 P. 987 (California Supreme Court, 1924)
Ivey v. Lewis
112 S.E. 712 (Supreme Court of Virginia, 1922)
Cunningham v. Dellmon
237 S.W. 450 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1922)
Flanagan v. Ray
232 S.W. 600 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1921)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
166 S.W. 955, 112 Ark. 572, 1914 Ark. LEXIS 272, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/evans-v-pettus-ark-1914.