Gird v. Bennett

108 P. 499, 157 Cal. 534, 1910 Cal. LEXIS 291
CourtCalifornia Supreme Court
DecidedApril 4, 1910
DocketS.F. No. 5399.
StatusPublished
Cited by68 cases

This text of 108 P. 499 (Gird v. Bennett) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gird v. Bennett, 108 P. 499, 157 Cal. 534, 1910 Cal. LEXIS 291 (Cal. 1910).

Opinion

ANGELLOTTI, J.

This is an appeal from a decree distributing all of the property of the estate of deceased to William Stephen Bennett and Nellie Florence Bennett, and from an order denying a motion for a new trial made by the administrator of said estate and two brothers and a sister of deceased. The application for distribution was' one made under section 1658 of the Code of Civil Procedure by said distributees, claiming to be adopted children of deceased under the provisions of section 230 of the Civil Code. This claim being opposed, the application was heard by the court and an advisory jury, and the latter found in response to questions submitted to them that deceased was the father of said petitioners, that he publicly acknowledged each during its minority as his own child, that he received each during its minority into his family as his own child, and that he otherwise treated each child during its minority as if it was his legitimate child. The trial court adopted these findings of the jury.

It is earnestly contended that the evidence is not sufficient to sustain these findings. All of them are essential to the affirmance of the decree, section 230 of the Civil Code, providing that i “The father of an illegitimate child, by publicly acknowledging it as his own, receiving it as such, with the consent of his wife, if he is married, into his family, and otherwise treating it as if it were a legitimate child, thereby adopts it as such; and such child is thereupon deemed for all purposes legitimate from the time of its birth.” Different views have *539 been entertained by justices of this court whether the existence of a family into which the child can be received is essential to an adoption under this section, but that question has been finally determined in the affirmative by this court in Estate of De Laveaga, 142 Cal. 158, 169, [75 Pac. 790].

Material facts of the case concerning which there is no dispute are as follows: Deceased was born July 29, 1837, and died intestate April 4, 1907, leaving an estate valued at about $21,000. He left two brothers and a sister, the brothers residing in Los Angeles County and the sister residing in the state of Illinois. In 1853 or 1854 he settled in Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, on what was thereafter known as the Gird Banch, and this continued to be his home until the time of his death. He was never married. No person claiming relationship to him ever resided there with him other than the petitioners here. About the year 1865 or 1866 Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher, husband and wife, came to this ranch, bringing with them a half Indian girl about three years old, called Alice. For a time Fletcher worked for the deceased on the ranch, but left the neighborhood within two or three years and never returned. Mrs. Fletcher and Alice remained on the ranch, Mrs. Fletcher doing the general housework, and Alice helping as she grew older until at the time of her marriage she was doing a great part of the housework and much farm work outside. During all of this time deceased, Mrs. Fletcher, and Alice lived in the same house and ate at the same table, Mrs. Fletcher and Alice sleeping in one room and deceased in another. Deceased was a highly educated man, and took an interest in teaching Alice to read and write. He always treated her kindly and much as any one would treat a child in his household. She finally married one Owen Bennett, and lived with him as his wife for a short time, when they separated and she resumed her life on the Gird Banch with Mrs. Fletcher and deceased, but the marriage between Bennett and herself was not dissolved until after the death of deceased. The manner of living was the same as before her marriage, she continuing to occupy a sleeping-room with Mrs. Fletcher, and deceased occupying another room. She worked about the ranch as before. She was never paid any wages. On May 22, 1885, she gave birth to William Stephen Bennett, one •of the petitioners. Deceased sent for and paid the doctor. *540 The boy was kept on the place, and there grew to manhood, being treated practically as any boy raised on a farm. As he grew older he worked on the ranch and attended the public school. Deceased always manifested a kindly interest in him and assisted him in his education. He always went by the name of Bennett, and was registered at school under that name. He was never paid any wages for his work. In the year 1895, Mrs. Bennett gave birth to the other petitioner, Nellie Bennett, who thenceforth was one of the household. This child was always known as Nellie Bennett. Deceased always treated her kindly. The evidence very clearly establishes that Mrs. Bennett’s husband was not the father of Nellie. It must also be taken as establishing that he was not the father of Stephen. The only evidence as to the year of the marriage was to the effect that it occurred in the year 1880, and there was no evidence to contradict that given to the effect that Bennett and Alice separated not later than the year 1881, and never thereafter cohabited or even saw one another until long after the birth of Nellie, except on one occasion when Alice saw him at a distance, saving and excepting evidence to the effect that Alice had on several occasions admitted to others that Stephen was Bennett’s child. The evidence was clearly of such a nature that we cannot say that the jury and court were not warranted in concluding that Stephen was not Bennett’s child.

The only evidence that deceased was the father of these children was that given by Alice, and that afforded by the circumstances under which all the parties lived, certain alleged admissions of deceased, and his general treatment of Alice and the children. This evidence was of such a nature that an appellate court cannot hold, however much it may doubt the correctness of the conclusion of the trial court, that the conclusion of the trial court on the question of paternity is without sufficient support in the evidence. Alice testified positively that she commenced to have sexual relations with the deceased in the year 1884, and that he was the father of both Stephen and Nellie. There was evidence given of statements and conduct on her part that was inconsistent with her testimony, but the effect of this attempted impeachment was purely a question for the trial court. Non-access by the husband being clearly shown, or at least being shown to a reasonable certainty, *541 the positive testimony of Alice as to the paternity of her children was competent evidence, and, under the law, sufficient basis for a finding by the jury on the question of paternity. It may reasonably be argued that corroboration of her evidence is to be found in the fact that these children were apparently accepted by deceased without demur or objection as a part of his household, and were treated and brought up as his own children would have been, and that he, Alice, and the children all continued to live as members of one family ordinarily live. In addition to this, two witnesses testified positively that just after the birth of Nellie, deceased declared in their presence, another person also being present, when some question was suggested as to the paternity of Nellie, that Stephen and Nellie were his children, and one of these witnesses testified that he heard deceased say many times that Stephen was his son, and Stephen testified that deceased told him that he was his son.

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

Related

Westamerica Bank v. Morales CA1/1
California Court of Appeal, 2023
Estate of Griswold
24 P.3d 1191 (California Supreme Court, 2001)
Gonzales v. Harris
514 F. Supp. 995 (E.D. California, 1981)
In Re Richard M.
537 P.2d 363 (California Supreme Court, 1975)
In Re Lisa R.
532 P.2d 123 (California Supreme Court, 1975)
Adoption of Pierce
15 Cal. App. 3d 244 (California Court of Appeal, 1971)
Huntingdon v. Crowley
414 P.2d 382 (California Supreme Court, 1966)
Guardianship of Truschke
237 Cal. App. 2d 75 (California Court of Appeal, 1965)
Rossi v. Zappaterra
234 Cal. App. 2d 529 (California Court of Appeal, 1965)
Gallina v. Antonelli
220 Cal. App. 2d 63 (California Court of Appeal, 1963)
In Re Joyce Estate
183 A.2d 513 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1962)
Braly v. Midvalley Chemical Co.
192 Cal. App. 2d 369 (California Court of Appeal, 1961)
People v. Jackson
183 Cal. App. 2d 332 (California Court of Appeal, 1960)
Darwin v. Ganger
344 P.2d 353 (California Court of Appeal, 1959)
Cavanaugh Nailing MacHine Co. v. Cavanaugh
334 P.2d 954 (California Court of Appeal, 1959)
Estate of Abate
333 P.2d 200 (California Court of Appeal, 1958)
Jue v. San Tong Jue
329 P.2d 560 (California Court of Appeal, 1958)
Kessler v. Loers
74 N.W.2d 599 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 1956)
In Re Kessler's Estate
74 N.W.2d 599 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 1956)
People v. Baker
286 P.2d 510 (California Court of Appeal, 1955)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
108 P. 499, 157 Cal. 534, 1910 Cal. LEXIS 291, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gird-v-bennett-cal-1910.