Glory v. Bagby

1920 OK 82, 188 P. 881, 79 Okla. 155, 1920 Okla. LEXIS 53
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedFebruary 24, 1920
Docket9577
StatusPublished
Cited by25 cases

This text of 1920 OK 82 (Glory v. Bagby) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Glory v. Bagby, 1920 OK 82, 188 P. 881, 79 Okla. 155, 1920 Okla. LEXIS 53 (Okla. 1920).

Opinion

McNEILL, J.

This proceeding was commenced April 22, 1915, in the district court of Washington county by Mose Glory, a minor, by his next friend, C. F. Bliss, to set aside a guardian’s deed and an order of the county court of Cherokee county confirming the sale of said minor’s land, for the reason the sale was void and fraudulent, and to recover possession of said land and for an accounting for oil and gas royalties taken from the land, situated in Washington county. The petition alleged that the plaintiff was a minor and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation; that Joe Glory was a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and was allotted the land in question, and died September 18, 1902; that he left as his sole and only heirs, Charley Glory, his father, and this plaintiff, his brother; that an administrator was appointed in the county court of Cherokee county of the estate of Joe Glory, deceased, and that in April, 1908, the estate was closed and the court determined the devolution of said estate and decreed a life estate to the father, to wit, Charley Glory, and the fee interest in the remainder to this plaintiff; that thereafter said Charley Glory was appointed guardian of said plaintiff’s estate and filed a petition to sell the plaintiff’s fee title in said land inherited from Joe Glory, subject, however, to the life estate of Charley Glory, which had been sold. The different proceedings of the county court of Cherokee county are set out in the petition, and the same disclosed that the interest of the plaintiff in said land, which was described as a fee estate, subject to the life estate of Charley Glory (who was 27 years of age), was duly appraised at $1,500; that the land was advertised to be sold at public sale, but that thereafter an order was made directing that the guardian sell said land at private sale, and that on the 15th day of June, 1909, Charley Glory, as guardian, sold the land at private sale to J. S. Thomason for $800; that a return was made of said sale, and the sale approved by the county judge of said county court on the 7th day of July, 1909; that on the 8th day of July, 1909, the guardian executed a deed to said land to J. S. Thomason, which deed was filed for record August 2, 1909.

*156 The petition alleges the sale was void for two reasons: First, because the land was sold at private sale and did not bring 90 per cent, of the appraised value. 'Second, the substance of the allegations is that John S. Thomason, who purported to purchase said land, practiced a fraud upon the court by not paying any of the purchase price, and that the appointment of Charley Glory as guardian was for the purpose of having the land sold with the intent to acquire the land without paying any of the purchase price of the same, thereby defrauding the minor out of his estate.

The defendants filed a demurrer. One of the grounds of demurrer was that the plaintiff’s cause of action was barred by the statute of limitations. The demurrer was overruled, and the defendants filed their answer and again pleaded the statute of limitations. Upon the trial of the case the court made no special findings of fact, but found the issues in favor of the defendants and against the plaintiff.

It appears from the record that there were two trials of the case. The case was first tried before District Judge R. H. Hudson, and after the case was submitted to him it was taken under advisement by the judge and, without rendering a decision in the case, said R. H. Hudson resigned as district judge. While the case was pending before Judge Hudson, and before a decision was rendered, J. S. Thomason died, and the case was revived in the name of his administratrix. By stipulation of the parties the case was submitted to Judge' Boone, the successor of Judge Hudson, upon the evidence taken before Judge Hudson.

Plaintiff in error, for reversal of said cause, argues that the case should be reversed for two reasons: First, that the finding of the court that the guardian’s deed was not obtained fraudulently is clearly against the weight of the evidence; second, that the land was sold at private sale 'by the guardian for less than 90 per cent, of the appraised value thereof, therefore said sale was void. In support of the contention that the sale was fraudulent, that no money was ever paid by the purchaser to the guardian, the plaintiff produced the guardian, Charley Glory, who was a three-quarters^Cherokee, as a witness, who testified in substance that he and his brother had sold the land in question in May, 1906, to Jesse T. Blair; that thereafter Jesse T. Blair sold the land to some party at Vinita, Oklahoma; that some one from Vinita, who purported to represent the party purchasing the property from Blair, called upon the witness Glory and told him they would have to straighten out the title to the land and for him to be appointed guardian of plaintiff; that witness and Blair went to Tahlequah and went to the oflice of Ewers and McKinley, attorneys, and they advised witness what would have to be done; that guardianship proceedings were started and witness was appointed guardian, and he,, as guardian, did what he was requested to, and signed whatever papers he was requested to sign; that at the date .the land was sold he was in Tahlequah and was advised that the minor, or plaintiff in this case, had no interest in the land; that at said time there was present the attorneys ■•a-nd Mr. Thomason, the purchaser, and they presented numerous papers for him to sign, all of which he signed, and Thomason gave him $20 and told him that would pay his expenses. Witness admitted on cross-examination that he had signed his name to a cheek in the sum of $720, but he stated positively that he never received any money on the check. The check was made payable to Charley Glory, guardian of Mose Glory, dated, as the record discloses, July 7, 1919 (but perhaps that date is an error and should be July 7, 1909), and was indorsed: “Paid July 10, 1909, First National Bank, Vinita, Oklahoma.”

It appears that Mr. Thomason was present at the time of the 'trial, and although the guardian testified that he never received any money except the $20 which was paid to him by Thomason for his expenses, this matter was not denied except by the introduction of the check on which the guardian stated that, although he indorsed the same, he never received any money. If this evidence is true, it is evidently a fact that Charley Glory was appointed guardian simply for the purpose of getting the title of the land out of the minor and into third persons without any intention of paying the purchase price thereof.

This court, in the case of Langley v. Ford, 68 Oklahoma, 171 Pac. 471, stated as follows:

“Where a guardian sells the lands of his ward on a secret understanding that the purchaser will not pay for same, and the sale is confirmed by the court, and deed executed and delivered to the purchaser, such facts constitute a fraud upon the estate of the ward, and the sale may be set aside in an action by the ward against the purchaser or any other person who acquires rights in said lands with knowledge or notice of such secret fraud.”

Such is the holding of 'this court in the following cases: Brown v. Trent, 36 Okla. 239, 128 Pac. 895; Elrod v. Adair, 54 Okla. 207, 153 Pac. 207; Johnson v. Filtsch, 37 Okla. 510, 138 Pac. 165.

The evidence in the case was sufficient to support the allegation of fraud.

*157

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Bluebook (online)
1920 OK 82, 188 P. 881, 79 Okla. 155, 1920 Okla. LEXIS 53, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/glory-v-bagby-okla-1920.