Foley v. Sellers

1974 OK CIV APP 38, 531 P.2d 1075, 1974 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 159
CourtCourt of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedJuly 23, 1974
DocketNo. 46566
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 1974 OK CIV APP 38 (Foley v. Sellers) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Foley v. Sellers, 1974 OK CIV APP 38, 531 P.2d 1075, 1974 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 159 (Okla. Ct. App. 1974).

Opinion

ROMANG, Judge:

The sole beneficiary under the deceased’s will was Normajean Sellers. The will was upheld following a contest on [1077]*1077grounds of lack of testamentary capacity of the deceased and undue influence by the beneficiary. Salient parts of the findings of facts adopted by the trial court present the aspects of this case significant to this appeal:

“1. Connie E. Foley, Jr., hereinafter referred to as testator, died in Eufaula, Oklahoma on October 14, 1972 at the age of 69 years without . . . wife or issue. Prior to September, 1971 he was physically active and a mentally competent businessman whose principal business activities concerned the management of farms and rental properties in the town of Eufaula. In September, 1971, while in Houston, Texas, testator suffered a stroke that paralyzed the right side of his body and impaired his speech. Shortly thereafter, when he was able to travel, he was flown back to Eu-faula where he entered a nursing home on October 21, 1971.
“2. For many years Normajean Sellers, the daughter of a brother of testator, was a favored niece of her uncle Connie; through the years they had a warm, close, wholesome relationship as uncle and niece . . . During the last 4 or 5 years of his life testator told two of his closest friends that he was going to leave all of his estate to his niece, Normajean Sellers. Some witnesses testified that he said he was only going to leave her part of his estate. Several witnesses testified that testator stated that he did not want any of his estate to go to his brother, Marshall R. Foley or his half brother, Leo G. Whit-low. Testator told A. W. Tolleson a number of times during the last few years of his life that he planned to leave his entire estate to his niece, Normajean Sellers. Testator also told A. W. Tolle-son and Judge Kirksey Nix that he had decided to leave out of his will two daughters of his half brother, Ralph Whitlow, for the reason that they had not visited at any length with him when in town and had failed to return some papers that he had mailed to them. Nor-majean Sellers was the natural object of testator’s bounty. The will offered for probate was the natural will of the testator in consideration of testator’s known views, feelings and intentions, expressed many times, and it is the will that his friends would have expected him to make. Marshall Foley and testator had been at odds for many years, having been in litigation against each other and refusing to speak when they met on the street. There was some evidence that this animosity and hostility between testator and Marshall Foley mellowed during the last year or two of testator’s life.
Hi * * * * *
“4. . . . [Tjhis will was prepared by an attorney in McAlester, Oklahoma, designated by testator. Norma-jean Sellers was also present and assisted testator in signing his name, at his request. The will of testator offered for probate was duly executed and witnessed on March 8, 1972. Before the witnesses signed, each witness read the will to testator and asked testator if the will was as testator desired, and was assured the will was the testator’s wishes. Testator, later . . . was visited by Robert L. Long, an Assistant Vice President of the Farmers and Merchants Bank of Eufau-la, who had known and done business with testator for many years, and who was also a notary public. Mr. Long read the entire will to testator and asked if the will was as he wanted and was told that it was, and satisfied himself that testator understood the will and that it represented testator’s wishes.
“5. Testator, when he executed the will on March 8, 1972, had testamentary capacity and was not acting under undue influence .
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“8. . . . The court finds that testator was not a person susceptible to the domination of another; that no person, including Normajean Sellers, was capable of controlling testator’s mind and/or [1078]*1078actions. There is no evidence that anyone coerced testator into making a will contrary to his desires. Moreover, the whole tenor and thrust of the evidence was that the long-time associates and friends of testator were aiding and assisting him in doing what he desired to do in carrying out his testamentary intentions and desires.
“ . . . If Normajean Sellers had the burden of proving ‘no undue influence’ she has carried that burden and the evidence and circumstances surrounding the execution of the subject will are sufficient to rebut the presumption, if there is such a presumption in the subject case, of ‘undue influence’. ...”

In a will contest it is the duty of this court, in considering the matter on appeal, to examine the entire record and weigh the evidence for the purpose of determining whether the judgment of the trial court was against the clear weight of the evidence. Hubbell v. Houston, 441 P.2d 1010 (Okl.1967); In re Harjoche’s Estate, 193 Okl. 631, 146 P.2d 130 (1944).

First, the verdict and judgment of the trial court that the testator had testamentary capacity was not against the clear weight of the evidence. Contestants argue that the trial court failed to consider certain findings relative to the incompetency of the deceased made in a prior judicial proceeding in which conservators were appointed to manage his property. Since these findings and the proceedings were admitted into evidence when offered by the contestants, it appears that the thrust of the objection is that the trial judge did not give as much weight to these findings as the contestants felt should have been given. It is well established in Oklahoma that a person does not lack testamentary capacity merely because he has been declared incompetent to handle his affairs since the degree and kind of competency required in each instance is different. Moore v. Glover, 196 Okl. 177, 163 P.2d 1003 (1945). Evidence of such an adjudication of incompetency therefore is not conclusive on the issue of testamentary capacity but is merely to be considered. In re Shipman’s Estate, 184 Okl. 56, 85 P.2d 317 (1938). While the evidence was in conflict, numerous witnesses gave opinion evidence supportive of the testamentary capacity of the deceased. The finding of. the probate court was not against the weight of the evidence.

Second, the finding by the trial court that there was no undue influence by the beneficiary is not against the clear weight of the evidence. The gist of undue influence is the destruction of the free agency of the testator so that his will is not his own but that of another. In re Cook’s Estate, 71 Okl. 94, 175 P. 507 (1918). We have carefully reviewed the evidence in its entirety and are convinced as was the trial court that the testator did what he wished and not what someone else wanted.

The contestants assert that a presumption of undue influence by the beneficiary arose when it appeared from the evidence that she was in a confidential relationship with the testator and that she had participated actively in the preparation of the will, and that the burden was on the proponent to rebut this presumption, citing Anderson v. Davis, 208 Okl. 477, 256 P.2d 1099 (1952). It appears to us that this is too narrow a reading of the Anderson case. In addition to the above factors, that case requires that the devisee be someone not within the ordinary circle of expected beneficiaries of the testator’s bounty for the presumption to arise. In Hubbell v. Houston, supra, 441 P.2d at 1016, the Oklahoma Supreme Court stated:

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Related

In Re Estate of Foley
1974 OK CIV APP 38 (Court of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma, 1974)

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Bluebook (online)
1974 OK CIV APP 38, 531 P.2d 1075, 1974 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 159, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/foley-v-sellers-oklacivapp-1974.