Gilmore v. Griffith

187 Iowa 327
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedOctober 16, 1919
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 187 Iowa 327 (Gilmore v. Griffith) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gilmore v. Griffith, 187 Iowa 327 (iowa 1919).

Opinion

Gaynor, J.

This action is brought by the widow of .one Wilder H. Gilmore, to partition certain real estate which she claims her husband owned at the time of his death. The defendants are the children of Wilder H. Gilmore. There is no controversy between the plaintiff and the defendants touching either the ownership of the property or the right to partition -it, so far as this record discloses. This suit was begun on the 24th day of October, 1914, and was still pending and undetermined when Jennie L. Smith, a sister of Wilder H. Gilmore’s, appeared and filed a petition of intervention, claiming that she had an interest in certain of the real estate involved in the suit, and asking that her interest be recognized and enforced in that suit. The petition of intervention was filed on the 5th day of December, and provokes the only controversy here for our consideration.

It is conceded that, on and prior to the 10th day of March, 1894, one Charles Gilmore was the owner of 1,320 acres of land, part of which is in controversy. He died on [329]*329the 22d day of March, 1894, leaving surviving him his widow, Elizabeth H. Gilmore, two sons, Charles Gilmore and Wilder H. Gilmore, and four daughters, Elinora Guerin, Alice L. Mendenhall, Eosetta Smith, and the intervener, Jennie L. Smith. On the 10th day of March, 1894, 12 days before his death, he executed certain deeds to his children: one deed of 200 acres to his son Charles; one deed of 1(50 acres to his son Wilder, as trustee (this deed purported to convey the title to Wilder for life, with the remainder over to the heirs of his body, reserving the use, rent, and possession to his father and mother, grantors in the deed) ; another deed to Wilder of 440 acres; one to Ellinora Guerin of 160 acres; one to Alice L. Mendenhall of 160 acres; and one to Eosetta Smith of 200 acres. At this time, all the children were of age. After the deeds were made, they did not come into the actual physical possession of the grantees named in the deeds until after the father’s death. They were recorded, however, on the 29th day of March, 1894, and were delivered soon thereafter to the grantees therein named. Each, upon receiving his deeds, entered into possession of the land described therein, and has occupied the same personally, or by grantee, ever since. The mother, Elizabeth, died in 1903. All these children are now living, except the son, Wilder; His death occurred in 1913. At the time of his death, he was, and ever since the delivery of the deeds to him has been, in possession of the land so deeded to him. The plaintiff, Jennie Gilmore, widow of Wilder, under the assumption that her husband, Wilder, owned this land at the time of his death, brought this action to partition. Jennie L. Smith, sister of Wilder, and-daughter of Charles, intervened, claiming that she is entitled, as daughter and heir of her father, Charles, to share in- so much of Wilder’s estate as is claimed under the deeds purporting to be executed by the father to Wilder on March 10, 1894. She predicates her right on the grounds: (1) [330]*330That her father, Charles, was the owner of this land at the time of his death; that the pretended deeds made on the 10th of March, 1894, are void, because the father, at the time, was mentally incompetent to make the deeds. (2-) The deeds were procured by undue influence. (3) They were never delivered. On this she predicates • the claim that no title ever passed to Wilder; that the title still remained in her father, and so remained at the time of his death; and that she, as one of his heirs, is entitled now to have her right, as such heir, recognized, and her share in this real estate, so attempted to be deeded, confirmed and enforced, as against the plaintiff and her children; that the only right that Wilder ever acquired in the land was a right in common with this plaintiff and the other children, as heirs of the father.

It being conceded that Charles Gilmore, the elder, was the owner of the land in controversy on and prior to the 10th day of March, 1894, and never parted with his title except by these conveyances, and that he died intestate on the 22d day of March, 1S94, it follows that, if the title did not pass to Wilder under these deeds, it passed immediately to the heirs, among whom is this intervener, Jennie L. Smith.

Before entering upon a consideration of the defenses which are urged against the intervener’s claim, it is proper that we first consider the claims upon which intervener bases her right to an interest in the property. If she fails in her claim, the defenses become immaterial.

It is apparent that, if the deeds made by Charles to his children were valid, and conveyed to them the interest therein described, the intervener has no case. It will be noted that these deeds were made and delivered, and grantees went into possession, more than 20 years before any claim was made by this intervener. It will be noted that the father attempted by those deeds to divide all his real [331]*331estate among these children. It will he noted that these deeds were placed on record 20 years before this suit was begun. It will be noted that all these children to whom deeds were made took possession of the property deeded, and have ever since occupied the same, either personally or by grantee, and that, at the time these dee&s were made, the father was about 75 years of age. His wife was. a few years younger. His children were all grown, married, and gone from home, except the son Wilder. Wilder married, and remained at home.

1. deeds: validity: mental incompetency: burden of proof.

2. deeds: vanaincapacity.

[332]*3323. deeds i vanaity: mental incapacity. [331]*331The first question for our consideration is the mental condition of Charles Gilmore at the time these deeds were made. The burden is on the intervener to show that he did not possess contractual capacity. The testimony is mainly directed to his physical condition, and to a showing that he was suffering from some physical disorder at that time, and for a few weeks prior to the making of the deeds. He was under a doctor’s care, and was being treated for stomach trouble. The record justifies us in saying that his trouble was purely physical, and that this produced in him physical disturbances which, at intervals, left him physically prostrated. At other times during the same sickness, though not physically well by any means, he was able to be up and about the house, conversing intelligently with those with whom he came in contact. There is no evidence of irrationality; no evidence that he possessed hallucinations; no evidence that the physical condition, reacting on his mind, had produced abnormal mental phenomena, or any disturbing influences producing irrationality. To justify the setting aside of the deeds, it must be made to appear, not only that the man was sick, but that this sickness produced mental disturbances to the extent that, at the time these deeds were made, he wo [332]*332incapable of understanding and appreciating the extent of his property, the objects of his bounty, and the disposition which he desired to make of his estate. Conceding his rationality, he evidently in- ’ J tended to dispose of his property to his children before his death, and this, according to his conception of the meritorious claims of each upon his bounty, and to make such disposition as was consistent with such thought and purpose.

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

Related

Milligan v. Milligan
74 N.W.2d 74 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1955)
Arias v. Springer
78 P.2d 153 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 1938)
Arndt v. Lapel
243 N.W. 605 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1932)
Blochowitz v. Blochowitz
240 N.W. 586 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1932)
McNeer v. Beck
217 N.W. 825 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1928)
Sutherland State Bank v. Furgason
192 Iowa 1295 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1922)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
187 Iowa 327, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gilmore-v-griffith-iowa-1919.