Goodwin v. Thomas

232 F. Supp. 193, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6521
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Oklahoma
DecidedAugust 8, 1964
DocketCiv. A. No. 64-70
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 232 F. Supp. 193 (Goodwin v. Thomas) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Goodwin v. Thomas, 232 F. Supp. 193, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6521 (W.D. Okla. 1964).

Opinion

BOHANON, District Judge.

In this diversity action, plaintiff seeks to quiet title to certain real estate located in Grant County, Oklahoma, and hereinafter described. The plaintiff is a citizen of the state of Oklahoma, and all of the defendants are citizens of other states. The amount in controversy meets the jurisdictional requirements of the Federal Courts.

The facts are that in 1907 Dr. Edward B. Miller, of Wakita, Oklahoma, married his first wife, Pat. In 1908 a daughter was born of this marriage, who was named Evelyn E. Miller. Shortly thereafter Dr. Miller and his wife were divorced. Evelyn E. Miller and her mother thereafter moved to Missouri. After the formal education of Evelyn E. Miller, she moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she practiced medicine until the time of her death on December 23, 1962.

Sometime in 1914, Dr. Miller married the plaintiff. No children were born of this marriage. Dr. Miller died testate in 1948, and his second wife, Rachel, remarried, and her name is presently Rachel M. Miller Everett. After the institution of this action, Rachel M. Miller Everett was declared an incompetent person, and on the 23rd day of April, 1964, Glen-C. Goodwin was appointed Guardian of her person and estate, and the Guardian appears as the plaintiff here.

At the time of his death, Dr. Miller left as a part of his estate real estate described below.1 In Dr. Miller’s Will, [194]*194about which there is no dispute, he provided :

“2. I give, devise and bequeath to my wife, Rachel M. Miller, a life estate in the following described real estate, to-wit:
(Being the property described in footnote #1.)
“At the death of my wife, Rachel M. Miller, the above described real estate shall go in fee simple to my daughter, Evelyn E. Miller. * *
“4. All of the rest and residue of my property, real and personal, of every kind, and wherever situated, whether vested or contingent at the time of my death, I devise and bequeath to my wife, Rachel M. Miller, absolutely free and clear of any restrictions whatsoever.”

The estate of Dr. Miller was duly probated in the County Court of Grant County, Oklahoma, and there is no question concerning the validity of the probate proceedings. The Final Decree of the County Court provided:

“The Court further finds that the following described real estate belonging to the deceased at the time of his death, remains undisposed of, and that it is not necessary to dispose of the same to pay any debts of the deceased, special bequests, family allowances, or costs of administration, to-wit:
(Here is described the four quarter sections of land as set out under footnote #1.)
“which go in accordance with the terms of the will of said deceased, a life estate to Rachel M. Miller, widow of said deceased, and at the death of Rachel M. Miller, in fee simple, to Evelyn E. Miller, daughter of said deceased. * * * ”
* * *
“The Court further finds that the deceased died testate and the property of said estate should descend according to the Will, and under the provisions of the same all of the property belonging to said estate, which is not heretofore specially disposed of, is the property of the following named persons, and to be taken by them in the proportions hereinafter specified, to-wit: Rachel M. Miller, widow of said deceased, all of said property.”

Under the law of succession of the State of Oklahoma, the deceased left as his sole and only heirs Rachel M. Miller, his widow, and Evelyn E. Miller, his daughter.

On or about December 23, 1962, Evelyn E. Miller died at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The widow of Dr. Miller, Rachel M. Miller Everett, now an incompetent person, is still living. Evelyn E. Miller died testate, and under the terms of her Will the defendants in this case are and were named as her devisees. Only one of these devisees, Ruth Tate, was related to Evelyn. There is no question relating to the validity of the Will of Evelyn, which is in the process of being probated in the County Court of Grant County, Oklahoma. Evelyn, in her Will, whatever significance it may have, devised the specific property here in question to the defendants. She at least felt that she was the owner of this land, subject to the life estate of Rachel.

Dr. Miller, as revealed by the Final Decree of the County Court of Grant County, in his estate, left considerable property to his wife, other than the life estate of the property involved in this case.

It should be noted that the Court granted, at the request of the plaintiff, the right to produce competent oral testimony as to the intention of the testator, Dr. Miller, at the time of the execution of his Will. Evidence was introduced directed to this question, but at best this testimony shows only that Dr. Miller and his daughter, Evelyn, had little or no contact after her early infancy.

The contentions of the parties are clearly stated in a Pretrial Order filed May 6, 1964. The plaintiff’s contentions are as follows:

[195]*195(a) The intention of the testator Dr. Ed. B. Miller when he executed the will in question was to vest a life estate in the four (4) farms described in the petition herein in his wife, Rachel M. Miller, and that at the death of Rachel M. Miller the said farms would then go in fee simple to the daughter, Evelyn E. Miller, if she survived Rachel M. Miller, now Everett.

(b) In the next paragraph in the will he did give, devise and bequeath to Evelyn E. Miller, “absolutely free and clear of any restrictions whatsoever,” two quarter sections of land.

(c) In the next paragraph in the will the testator provided all the rest and residue of his property, real and personal, “whether vested or contingent at the time of my death, I devise and bequeath to my wife, Rachel M. Miller,” and this included the Base and Remainder estate after the life estate of Rachel M. Miller.

(d) The provisions in the will placing the title to the said four (4) farms in Rachel M. Miller during her lifetime still exists and now that Evelyn E. Miller departed this life December 23, 1962, she having received a contingent interest, which ceased to exist at her death.

(e) It was the intention of the testator that the farms would go only to Evelyn E. Miller, and to her only, if she survived Rachel M. Miller, in the will by which the farms could pass to any heirs, devisees or representatives of Evelyn E. Miller.

(f) That the devise as contained in paragraph 2 of the will concerning the four (4) farms stated that “the above described real estate shall go in fee simple” which would only have been possible at the death of Rachel M. Miller since a “fee simple” title cannot be held at the same time that a life estate is outstanding.

(g) That the contingency as set forth by the testator never occurred and that no estate in the four (4) farms ever vested in Evelyn E. Miller.

(h) That three of the four defendants claiming title under the terms of the will of Evelyn E. Miller, are complete strangers to the testator, and the law favors vesting of title in the widow of the testator in preference to complete strangers to the testator.

The defendants’ contentions are as follows:

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Related

Goodwin v. Thomas
346 F.2d 40 (Tenth Circuit, 1965)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
232 F. Supp. 193, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6521, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/goodwin-v-thomas-okwd-1964.