Garvin v. Stone

116 N.W. 368, 152 Mich. 594, 1908 Mich. LEXIS 896
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedMay 1, 1908
DocketDocket No. 42
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 116 N.W. 368 (Garvin v. Stone) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Garvin v. Stone, 116 N.W. 368, 152 Mich. 594, 1908 Mich. LEXIS 896 (Mich. 1908).

Opinion

Blair, J.

This suit was instituted in justice’s court by the widow of Jay Garvin, who died intestate March 16, 1905, against Kittie G. Stone, his daughter, who, with her brother, Leon E. Garvin, comprised his surviving heirs at law. The declaration was on the common counts in assumpsit with notice “ that this action is based on a certain written instrument, a copy of which is hereto attached.” A bill of particulars was filed, as follows:

“$110.00. due and owing the plaintiff under and by virtue of a certain agreement made and executed by the defendant and her brother, Leon E. Garvin, on or about December 1st, 1905.”

The defendant pleaded the general issue, with notice denying the jurisdiction of the justice’s court over the subject-matter of the suit because said subject-matter had been involved in a certain suit in the circuit court, in chancery, in Macomb county, and in the probate court for Oakland county, in which courts final decrees had been rendered, adjudicating said subject-matter, which constituted a bar to the present suit.

The case was appealed from the justice’s court to the circuit court for Macomb county, where it was tried before a jury upon the same pleadings.

The agreement of December 1, 1905, contained, among other clauses, the following:

“State of Michigan. — The Probate Court for the

County of Oakland.

“In the matter of the estate of Jay Garvin, deceased.

_ “For the purpose of avoiding controversies as to the rights of Kate Garvin, widow, and Leon Garvin and Kit-tie Stone, children and heirs at law of said Jay Garvin, deceased, and for the further purpose of settling and adjusting all rights and controversies relative to the respective rights and claims of said Kate Garvin, on the one hand, and of Leon Garvin and Kittie Stone, on the other hand, in and to the certificates issued to said Jay Garvin [596]*596in his lifetime by the Knights of the Modern Maccabees, said certificates numbered respectively No. 1313 and No. 6380 for the sum of $1,000 each and relative to which a bill of interpleader has been filed by the said Knights of the Modern Maccabees, making said Kate Garvin and Leon Garvin and Kittie Stone defendants and , which said cause is now pending in the circuit court for : the county of Macomb in chancery.

“ It is hereby agreed by and between the said Kate Garvin, widow, and said Leon Garvin and Kittie Stone, as follows:

“1. That the said Kate Garvin shall receive as her share and portion of the said estate of Jay Garvin, both real and personal, a deed from the said Leon Garvin and Kittie Stone conveying to her in fee the home on Burdick street in the village of Oxford, that she shall further receive her selections of $200 and household goods as already selected by her amounting to $400 as appears by the order of said court directing the same to be turned over to her; that she shall further receive the full allowance of $6 per week for 52 weeks, to wit: $312; that she.shall further receive and have paid over to her attorney out of the proceeds of said certificates the sum of $1,065 net; and that she shall also receive and have $110 deposited by Leon Garvin in the Oxford Bank in her name and also have and receive the certificates of oil stock issued to said Jay Garvin and Kate H. Garvin.

“In consideration of the conveyance of said home and of receiving said selections and allowances and the said sum of $1,065, said $110, and other sums before mentioned, together with said deed of said house and lot, the said Kate Garvin agrees to execute a proper quitclaim deed releasing all her interests in all of the lands of said Jay Garvin to said Leon Garvin and Kittie Stone, and to release all other or further claim to the rest of the estate of said Jay Garvin, hereby assigning all right and claim of, in and to the rest of said estate, other than as herein specified to be conveyed to her, to the said Leon Garvin and Kittie Stone, and authorizing and directing such residue of said estate to be turned over to said Leon Garvin and Kittie Stone.

“It is further understood and agreed that at the time of executing said conveyances the said Kate Garvin shall execute a release of all rights or claims to the rest of the estate of Jay Garvin to Leon Garvin and Kittie Stone [597]*597and on the making and allowance of the final account shall receive the balance of the said weekly allowance, which, if not sufficient estate to pay, the said Leon Garvin and Kittie Stone agree to brake good to her in cash.

“ It is further understood and agreed that the proceeds of said certificates of insurance after deducting $35, cost of filing bill of interpleader, shall be paid over to William T. Hosner, attorney for said Kate Garvin, $1,065, and to Dwight N. Lowell, attorney for Leon Garvin and Kittie Stone, $900, and that receipts therefor respectively shall be executed by said Kate H._ Garvin,' Leon Garvin and Kittie Stone, with orders to said Knights of the Modern Maccabees to pay said amounts over respectively to said William T. Hosner and Dwight N. Lowell for their respective clients.”

The administrator’s inventory with the appraisal, filed April 26, 1905, shows, among other items: 1 bay mare appraised at $150; household goods, furniture, bedding, etc., appraised at $200; cash on hand, $120.

The plaintiff made her selection in writing on April 29, 1905, of household furniture, etc., and “the following articles from the said inventory at their appraised value, to the amount of two hundred dollars, to wit: 1 bay mare, $150, cash, $50.”

On May 2, 1905, plaintiff receipted to the administrator for “household goods, two hundred dollars.” On May 29, 1'905, she gave to the administrator the following receipt:

“Received of H. S. Elliott, Jay Garvin estate, two hundred dollars, the same being on account of widow’s allowance. $200.”

January 23, 1906, the administrator filed his final account, in which he credited himself with the following items, viz.:

“Widow’s allowance, Kate Garvin, $200; household goods, Kate Garvin, $200.”

On March 3,1906, the administrator’s final account was allowed, and it was further ordered:

“ That the real estate of which said deceased died seised [598]*598be and the same is hereby assigned to Kittie G. Stone, Leon E. Garvin, subject to the dower interest of Kate H. Garvin, widow of said deceased, and it is further ordered that the personal property on hand, together with the legacy from the estate of John Garvin above referred to, be and the same is hereby distributed, as follows: To Kittie G. Stone, one-half and Leon E. Garvin, one-half, according to the terms of an agreement on file in said court.”

The undisputed testimony shows that the sum of $110 referred to in the agreement was money which plaintiff’s husband had on hand at the time of his death, which the said Leon Garvin took to the bank and deposited in plaintiff’s name and it was used by her; that the administrator sold the horse selected by.plaintiff for $150 and put the money ‘ ‘ in the Oxford Savings Bank to the credit of the Jay Garvin estate” and, so far as he knew, “that money remained in the estate;” that the $200 for the widow’s statutory selection of personal property was paid by the administrator by giving Mrs. Garvin credit for the $110 used by her and $90 in cash. It was conceded that plaintiff had fully complied with the agreement.

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Related

In Re Estate of Meredith
266 N.W. 351 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1936)
Campbell v. Detroit Trust Co.
275 Mich. 278 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1936)
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172 N.W. 577 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1919)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
116 N.W. 368, 152 Mich. 594, 1908 Mich. LEXIS 896, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/garvin-v-stone-mich-1908.