Hamilton v. Keller

148 S.W.2d 1011
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 21, 1941
DocketNo. 2105.
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 148 S.W.2d 1011 (Hamilton v. Keller) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hamilton v. Keller, 148 S.W.2d 1011 (Tex. Ct. App. 1941).

Opinion

FUNDERBURK, Justice.

By the will of Barbara Hamilton, subject to prior payment of debts and two $5,000 legacies, one-third of her property was devised to Harvey Hamilton and one-third to Eva Burleson (Eva Pike). The remaining one-third was devised to Eva Burleson (Eva Pike) during the life of Tom Hamilton in trust for the use and benefit of the latter, the income of the said one-third being specifically devised to said Tom Hamilton. ■ The remainder, or reversion, of the one-third so devised in trust for Tom Hamilton was devised to the sons of the latter, Louie Hamilton and Stanley Hamilton. The term of the trust was limited to the life of Tom Hamilton, unless at his death said remaindermen, Louie and Stanley Hamilton, were under 21 years of age, in which event the trust was to continue as before until they became 21 years of age.

Tom Hamilton died May 15, 1935, at which time both Louie and Stanley Hamilton w'ere over 21 years of age. (Hence, the trust created by the will ended upon the death of Tom Hamilton.)

Following the death of Barbara Hamilton on April 16, 1923, and the subsequent due probate of her will, Eva Pike qualified as independent executrix and trustee under her said will. By written agreement dated March 31, 1928', Harvey Hamilton, Tom Hamilton and Eva Pike partitioned between themselves the lands belonging to the estate of Barbara Hamilton. In such partition the lands were awarded in sev-eralty as follows:

*1013 To Eva Pike Surveys (Sections) 341 and 476 Block D, John H. Gibson Survey. Also Block 146 in town of Plains.

To Tom Hamilton Surveys (Sections) ' S/2 of 364; all of 339; W ⅞⅛ of 541, Block D, John H. Gibson Survey. Also Block 44 in town of Plains.

To Harvey Hamilton Surveys (Section) N ½ of 364, all of 365, and E ½ of 541, Block D, John H. Gibson Survey. Also Lots 5 and 6 Block 67, and Lots 5 and 6, Block 99, in town of Plains.’

By deed dated August 30, 1928, Tom Hamilton conveyed to Eva Pike the same lands awarded to him in said partition agreement. By deed dated July 4, 1928, Louie Hamilton, for a consideration of $250, conveyed to G. T. Hall all his right, title and interest in said Surveys (Sections) 339, 341, 364, 365, 476 and 541. Likewise by deed dated September 6, 1928, Stanley Hamilton, for a consideration of $25o, conveyed to G. T. Hall all his right, title and interest in said Surveys (Sections) 339, 341, 364, 365, 476 and 541. By deed dated January 20, 1931, G. T. Hall, for a consideration of $500, recited to have been paid by grantee “out of her separate and individual funds”, conveyed to Eva Pike all his right, title and interest in said Surveys (Sections) 339, 341, 364, 365, 476 and 541. By deed dated March 5, 1936, Eva Pike, for a consideration of $4,560, conveyed, or quitclaimed, to J. C. Keller said Surveys (Sections) 339, W ½ of 541 and S ½ of 364; or, in other words, the same land, except Block 44 in town of Plains, awarded to Tom Plamilton in said partition agreement. By mineral deed dated March 12, 1936, J. C. Keller, for a nominal consideration, reconveyed to Eva Pike, a ¾8 interest in the minerals in the same land.

By two deeds dated respectively March 28, 1936, and December 24, 1936, Louie Hamilton and Stanley Hamilton, for a consideration of $1,500 paid to each, quitclaim-ed to Eva Pike, as declared in said deeds, “all their right, title, interest, claim and demand of every kind and character whatsoever in and to all the property of the said [before mentioned] Barbara Hamilton in which we had interest under the provisions of said will.” Each of said deeds further declared that the grantors “do hereby release the said Eva Pike, her heirs and- assigns, from every claim and demand whatsoever in matter of said property so that hereafter neither we * * * nor our heirs, nor the heirs of either of us, shall have claim or demand any right, title or interest in and to said property, or have any claim or demand against the said Eva Pike, her heirs and assigns, by reason of, or growing out of our interest in said property or any part thereof.” Each of said deeds recited the trust provisions of the will of Barbara Hamilton; the devise of the remainder or reversion to Louie and Stanley Plamilton; named all the property, of which said estate consisted; recited the fact of the partition agreement, and named the lands thereby awarded to each of the participants in such agreement. Each deed also recited that Mrs. Eva Pike had sold to J. C. Keller land described as the same land awarded to Tom Hamilton in said partition agreement. A particular recitation in each of said deeds was as follows: “While the said Stanley and Louie Hamilton have heretofore conveyed all of their right, title and interest in and to all of the aforesaid property in which they has [have] an interest, the said Mrs. Eva Pike has realized a profit over and above the amormt she paid for said property together with the cost and expenses paid by her in connection with the handling by her of said property, which profit amounts to $3,000, and which sum she is willing to divide equally between the said Stanley Hamilton and Louie Hamilton.”

This suit was brought by Louie and Stanley Hamilton, being joined by their two brothers, Millard and Leroy Hamilton, as plaintiffs, naming as defendants J. C. Keller, and others to whom he had conveyed interests in the lands. Also, named as defendants were Harvey Hamilton, Rowland Plamilton, Mrs. Eva Pike and husband, Walter Pike, Mrs. Ethel Cren-shaw and husband, W. W. Crenshaw.

The first three paragraphs of plaintiffs’ third amended original petition (trial pleading) contained the formal allegations of a statutory action of trespass to try title, wherein the land sued for was all the land of the Barbara Hamilton estate. By subsequent averments of said pleading, however, the true nature of the action is shown to be one to have decreed a trust in lands and to cancel certain conveyances, or, at any rate, the allegations show that the plaintiffs have no title or interest in the land, unless certain conveyances be canceled.

*1014 The trial was by jury. At the conclusion of the introduction of evidence, the court peremptorily instructed a verdict in favor of the defendants, and from the judgment rendered in accordance therewith, the plaintiffs have appealed.

The case, as it is presented to this court, is complicated by many matters which we deem to be irrelevant. For example, plaintiffs’ pleadings contained allegations of fraud claimed to have induced the conveyances by Louie and Stanley Hamilton to G. T. Hall of their re-versionary interests in land as devised to them by the will of Barbara Hamilton. Later allegations showed no cause of action was based upon such fraud, if any, since it was further averred that the later conveyance by Hall to Eva Pike was in trust for the plaintiffs, thereby rendering immaterial, except, perhaps, as mere matter of argument; and therefore having no proper place in pleadings whether the conveyances by plaintiffs to Hall were fraudulent or not.

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Bluebook (online)
148 S.W.2d 1011, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hamilton-v-keller-texapp-1941.