Halfmoon v. Moore

291 P.2d 846, 77 Idaho 247, 1955 Ida. LEXIS 344
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 13, 1955
Docket8331
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 291 P.2d 846 (Halfmoon v. Moore) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Halfmoon v. Moore, 291 P.2d 846, 77 Idaho 247, 1955 Ida. LEXIS 344 (Idaho 1955).

Opinions

PORTER, Justice.

No evidence was introduced in this cause. The matter was submitted to the trial court upon a stipulation of facts. The question for decision on this appeal is whether the trial court made the proper conclusions of law and judgment from the facts submitted to it.

On October 7, 1948, Jeanette Halfmoon, an Indian woman, duly made and executed her last will and testament. The will contained the following provision:

“Second. — I give, devise, and bequeath to my granddaughter, Dorothy Halfmoon, Age 17, an unallotted Nez Perce Indian, my own Nez Perce Allotment No. 663 described as Lots 9 and [249]*24924, Sec. 15, Lots 13, 14, 15, and 16, Sec. 16 Twp. 35, R. 3 W, B. M., containing 120 acres, subject to a lifetime interest of my son, William (Willie) Halfmoon, age 53, and upon the decease of said son, the lifetime interest shall continue to my grandson, Joseph Halfmoon. Upon the decease of both William and Joseph Halfmoon the property mentioned herein shall be taken and inherited by my granddaughter, Dorothy Halfmoon.”

The will named Mary Halfmoon Moore as residuary devisee and legatee of the estate. Thereafter, and prior to her death, Jeanette Half moon sold and conve yed the land contained in her Allotment No. 663 mentioned in the will. Testatrix died on December 20, 1951, and left surviving her a son, William Halfmoon, a daughter, Mary Halfmoon, and a granddaughter, Dorothy Halfmoon, daughter of a deceased son. Joseph Halfmoon, the son of William Half-moon, mentioned in the will, died prior to the death of testatrix.

Testatrix was a resident of Nez Perce County. Her last will and testament was duly probated in the probate court of such county. Appellant herein filed in such court a petition to determine heirship. Appellant claimed that the will having been revoked as to him by the sale of the land in which he was devised a life estate, he was therefore entitled to share in the estate of his mother as a pretermitted heir. Respondents denied the claim of petitioner of a right to share in the estate as a preter-mitted heir and alleged that all of the estate should be distributed to the residuary devisee and legatee, Mary Halfmoon Moore.

The probate court decided the cause against appellant who thereupon appealed to the district court. The district court likewise decided the cause against appellant. Dorothy Halfmoon did not participate in the trial in the district court. Appellant has appealed to this court from the judgment of the district court.

The trial court in its memorandum opinion stated as follows:

“It appears to the Court that a will is not revoked even in part by the sale of property given but that the devise fails because the testator has no property within the terms of the gift.
“Appellant is specifically mentioned in the will but since the conveyance eliminates his gift it must be assumed that the intention of the testator was that he was to receive none of her property.”

In accordance with such memorandum opinion, the trial court made Conclusions of Law Nos. Ill and IV as follows:

“III.
“That the sale by the testatrix of the property theretofore devised to appellant and others, after the execution of her will and prior to her death, does [250]*250not revoke her will, but the said devise to appeallant, William Halfmoon, and others fails because at the time of testatrix death there was no property in her estate upon which said devise can operate.
“IV.
“By selling the said property, theretofore devised to the appellant, William Halfmoon, the testatrix manifested an intention that said appellant receive none of her property.”

The trial court further concluded that appellant is not a pretermitted heir and that respondent, Mary Moore, the residuary legatee, is entitled to have all the property of the estate within the jurisdiction of the probate court of Nez Perce County distributed to her. Appellant contends that the trial court erred in making such conclusions of law and in entering a decree in accordance therewith.

The cases dealing with pretermitted heirs are numerous. Many of the authorities are cited in the case of In re Fell’s Estate, 70 Idaho 399, 219 P.2d 941. Two additional annotations on the subject are contained in Annotation 94 A.L.R. 26 and Annotation 170 A.L.R. 1317. Many of the cases are not authoritative in this jurisdiction as they are decisions under “Missouri type” statutes which provide that if the heir is not mentioned or provided for in the will, he may take as a pretermitted heir under the statute. The other type of statute is the so-called “Massachusetts type” which provides-generally that if a testator omits to. provide-in his will for a child, such child shall take the same share of the estate that he would, have been entitled to if the testator had died intestate unless it appears that the-omission was intentional and not occasioned by accident or mistake. Decisions-under this type of statute are not always in point in this jurisdiction as our statute does-not contain the words “and not occasioned, by accident or mistake.”' Our statute, Section 14-320, I.C., is as follows:

“When any testator omits to provide in his will for any of his children, or for the issue of any deceased child, unless it appears that such omission was intentional, such child, or the issue of such child, must have the same share in the estate of the testator as if he had died intestate, and succeeds thereto as provided in the preceding section.”

Dealing with the effect of the subsequent, transfer of property after testamentary disposition of same, we have Section 14 — 317,. I.C., reading as follows:

“If the instrument by which an alteration is made in the testator’s interest in a thing previously disposed of by his will expresses his intent that it shall be a revocation, or if it contains provisions wholly inconsistent with the terms and nature of the testamentary-disposition, it operates as a revocation thereof, unless such inconsistent provi[251]*251sions depend on a condition or contingency by reason of which they do not take effect.”

The word “revoke” is defined by Funk & Wagnalls New Standard Dictionary as meaning “To annul or make void by recalling or taking back; cancel; rescind; repeal; reverse; as to revoke a license.”

In Stone v. Fisher, 65 Idaho 52, 139 P.2d 479, we held that a voluntary alienation by deed of property was wholly inconsistent with the prior disposition of the same in a will and operates as a revocation of the testamentary disposition of such property under the provisions of Section 14-317, I.C.

In the case of In re Fell’s Estate, supra, we stated the rule under our statutes with reference to pretermitted heirs to be as follows [70 Idaho 399, 219 P.2d 942]:

“In order for it to appear that the pretermitted heir was intentionally not provided for, it must appear from the words of the will that the testator had the omitted heir in mind at the time the will was drawn and intentionally omitted such heir from the will.

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Halfmoon v. Moore
291 P.2d 846 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1955)

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Bluebook (online)
291 P.2d 846, 77 Idaho 247, 1955 Ida. LEXIS 344, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/halfmoon-v-moore-idaho-1955.