Guy v. Guy

1951 OK 187, 233 P.2d 266, 204 Okla. 642, 1951 Okla. LEXIS 540
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJune 26, 1951
Docket34167
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 1951 OK 187 (Guy v. Guy) 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
Guy v. Guy, 1951 OK 187, 233 P.2d 266, 204 Okla. 642, 1951 Okla. LEXIS 540 (Okla. 1951).

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

In this case it appears that on the 23rd day of January, 1929, Frances Guy brought an action against her husband, Allen Earl Guy, an incompetent, and his guardian for a divorce, alimony and custody of two minor children, daughters of the parties, and for an allowance for their support.

On June 1, 1929, the court entered a decree granting plaintiff a divorce, awarding her alimony and custody of the minor children and setting apart 40 acres of land belonging to defendant in trust for the use, benefit and support of the minor children until the youngest attained her legal majority, which, under stipulation of the parties, occurred on the 22nd day of August, 1944. Plaintiff was designated as trustee of the trust. The decree further provided:

“It Is Further Ordered and Decreed by this Court that in the event the rents, revenues and profits emanating from said land prove insufficient for the support, maintenance and education of said minor children, or either of them, then and in that event the said Frances Guy, trustee, is hereby authorized and empowered to mortgage, sell and convey said land, or any part thereof, when, in her judgment, such rent, revenues or profits are deemed insufficient to so support, maintain and educate said minor children; and in the event the revenues derived from such land is sufficient for the support, maintenance and education of said minor children to and until such time as they reach their majority, then and in that event the title and right of possession to said land reverts to the defendant herein, Allen Earl Guy, or his legal representative.”

No' question is raised as to the validity of that decree. The parties treated ■it as wholly valid and acted pursuant thereto.

On October 8, 1947, defendant through his guardian filed in the divorce action an application for a writ of possession in which he pleaded the terms of the decree and specifically the trust provisions thereof and alleged that he is the owner of the 40' acres of land referred to in the decree; that plaintiff as trustee did not sell or mortgage the land as authorized by the decree; that when the younger of the minor children attained her legal majority the trust had terminated and plaintiffs right of possession then ceased and he thereupon became entitled to the possession of the land; that in the meantime plaintiff married Raymond Clark; that she and her husband continued in possession of the land and have continued to use the land, collect the income therefrom, have failed to pay the taxes, and have permitted the improvements to depreciate beyond repair and have refused on frequent demands to surrender the possession of the land to defendant, and continue to hold and use the land without color of right or title and he prays that a writ of posses *643 sion issue placing him in possession of the land.

On October 18, 1947, plaintiff and her husband, Raymond Clark, filed a joint answer and response to defendant’s application or motion challenging the jurisdiction of the court and denying defendant’s ownership of the land. Thereafter, on December 18, 1948, Raymond- Clark filed his separate response and cross-petition to movant’s motion wherein he challenges the jurisdiction of the court over the person of this respondent and the subject-matter of the action and specifically denies that movant is entitled to possession of the land. In his cross-petition he pleads and sets out the terms and provisions of the divorce decree, and, in substance, alleges: Some time in April, 1930, immediately prior to his marriage he entered into an oral agreement with Frances Guy, trustee, that after the marriage they would move upon the land; that he was then to tend and farm the land and attempt to make it produce sufficient income to support the minor children. In the event it could not be made to produce an amount sufficient for that purpose he would contribute a sufficient amount from his own funds; and in the event the trustee, Mrs. Guy, sold or mortgaged the land as authorized by the decree, she was to reimburse him for the amount expended out of the proceeds thereof; that in the event the land was neither mortgaged nor sold during the term of the trust, he would continue to contribute from his own funds sufficient amount for the support and maintenance of the minors until they reached their legal majority, and Mrs. Guy, as trustee, was then to execute and deliver to him a deed to the land; that he did support the minor children during their minority from his own funds and thereby paid the consideration he had agreed to pay for the land, and that he fully complied on his part with the conditions and terms of the oral contract and he is therefore entitled to have the land conveyed to him by proper, legal and sufficient conveyance. He prays the court to decree specific performance of the contract and that Frances Guy Clark be ordered to convey the property to him by good and sufficient legal conveyance.

The case was tried to the court on the issues raised by the motion and separate answer and cross-petition of Raymond Clark. As before stated, the joint answer and cross-petition filed by Mr. and Mrs. Clark was abandoned and was not referred to or mentioned at the trial, nor referred to, discussed or relied upon on appeal by counsel in their brief.

The trial court found the issues in favor of movant and against cross-petitioner, sustained the motion and issued the writ placing movant in possession of the land.

Cross-petitioner, Raymond Clark, joined by his wife, Mrs. Clark, have appealed and rely for reversal, first, upon the ground that the trial court had no jurisdiction over the person of this respondent and the subject-matter of the proceeding, and erred in overruling his challenge to the jurisdiction. This assignment is obviously without merit and requires no further discussion.

Appellants further contend that the judgment of the trial court is not supported by the evidence and is contrary to law. This assignment requires a review of the evidence.

It was stipulated that the older of the minor chlidren was born September 18, 1924, and the younger August 22, 1926; that both were girls and have reached their legal majority and the property in controversy, or the possession thereof, has not been returned to movant. Movant introduced the divorce decree in evidence and rested.

Raymond Clark and his wife Mrs. Clark both, in substance, testified they were married in the month of April, 1930; immediately prior to their mar *644 riage they discussed the problem of the support of the minor children of Mr. and Mrs. Guy. Mrs. Guy informed him that she was awarded a tract of land to be used for the support and education of the minor children. It was then agreed that after the marriage they would move upon the land and if it did not produce sufficient income for the support of the minor children it was agreed that Mr. Clark would contribute a sufficient amount from his own private funds for that purpose, and in the event Mrs. Guy as trustee either sold or mortgaged the property as authorized by the trust provisions of the decree, she would reimburse him for the amount expended; but in the event the property could not be sold or mortgaged, then it was agreed that Mr. Clark would continue to support the minor children until the younger child attained her majority and that Mrs.

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

Related

Olinghouse v. Olinghouse
1954 OK 2 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1954)
McKenna v. Lasswell
1952 OK 393 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1952)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1951 OK 187, 233 P.2d 266, 204 Okla. 642, 1951 Okla. LEXIS 540, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/guy-v-guy-okla-1951.