Harding's Admr. v. Harding

116 S.W. 305, 132 Ky. 133, 1909 Ky. LEXIS 98
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedFebruary 18, 1909
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 116 S.W. 305 (Harding's Admr. v. Harding) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Harding's Admr. v. Harding, 116 S.W. 305, 132 Ky. 133, 1909 Ky. LEXIS 98 (Ky. Ct. App. 1909).

Opinion

Opinion of the Court by

Judge Lassing

Reversing.

Samuel Harding died in January, 1903, leaving a will, in which he named' his wife, Lucy W. Harding, as executrix. The will was, in due time, probated, but his widow declined to qualify, and J. L. Bruce was appointed administrator with the will annexed. He proceeded to settle the estate, and in the course of time brought a suit for that purpose. In his suit for settlement, the administrator, among other things charged that he was advised that the widow was claiming large sums of money from the estate, and he asked tliat,she be required' to make out and prove her claims. Likewise that her brother, John G-. Weisiger, be required to prove and set up any claim which he was asserting against the estate. Thereafter the widow filed her answer, in which she claimed that her husband owed' her $13,000, with interest from November [138]*13827, 1894, as evidenced by a- clause in his will, and, in addition thereto, that he owed her $10,470, with interest, and also $1,199.80. The particular items which go to make up these last two claims are fully set out in the answer. A motion was made by the administrator that the widow be required to make her answer' more specific and definite as to the history of the transactions which went to make up the different items of account set out in her answer. This motion was overruled. The administrator filed a reply, controverting the material allegations of the answer, and in this reply plaintiff denied that decedent was indebted to his widow in any sum whatever, save and except the $13,000 mentioned in his will, and that there should be .credited on this claim the sum of $6,803.36, the amount which the widow admitted in her answer that she had received, in notes from her said husband. The administrator also pleaded that the decedent had paid, in taxes for his wife upon her property, $1,777.42, and that this sum, less a credit of $389 which had been refunded to- Mm, should go as a credit upon the $13,000. The case was referred to the master commission to hear proof on, and report all claims against, the estate of Samuel Harding. He advertised his sittings, heard proof on all claims that were presented, and at the April term, 1904, filed his report.

In this report he allowed to the widow, Lucy W. Harding, as valid claims against the estate, the following : Thirteen thousand dollars, with interest to April 18, 1904, making $20,325.50; a claim of $10,470, with' interest to same date,- making $15,734.43, and $1,199.80, with interest to same date, amounting to $1,956.66. He also allowed to the widow her claim amounting to $3,270.69; this last claim being the guar[139]*139anty which her husband had given to her at the time he had indorsed the notes making up' this sum to her. No' loss had at this time been sustained by the widow upon these notes; but, inasmuch as her husband had guaranteed their payment, this fact was reported to the court. It appears that when these claims were presented, no proof was taken by either side, and therefore the master allowed them as presented. Exceptions were filed to the report allowing each of these claims, and the case was again referred to the master commissioner, with directions to hear proof and' re1port on the exceptions filed to said- claims. This was in May, 1904. The commissioner heard proof, and reported to court, at the April term, 1906, that after a lapse of two years, in which time he had expended more than 200 days in taking proof, he found it impossible to report on the claims of the widow separately with any degree of accuracy, and that, considering all of her claims together, if the $13,000 named in the will should be treated as a bequest, and not as an evidence of indebtedness, then the estate of decedent was indebted to Lucy W. Harding in the sum of $31,117.89, while if, on the other hand, the $13,000 named in tire will should be treated as an evidence of indebtedness, then the $31,117.89 should be credited by the $8,145.27, the amount of the notes with their interest,' which the said widow admitted having received from her husband,, in which last-named event the estate would be indebted to Lucy W. Harding in the sum of $23,032.62. The $8,145.27, referred to by the commissioner as notes which should be deducted from the sum total of appellee’s claim, evidently should be $6,803.36, as this is the amount which she admitted she had, so that, deducting this from the $31,117.89 would leave $24,214.53, which sum he evi[140]*140dently intended to report. All of the evidence heard by the commissioner was reduced to writing, and filed with and made a part of his report. Exceptions were filed by both' the administrator and the widow to this report.

The case was submitted for judgment upon the pleadings, exhibits, commisisoner’s report, and exceptions filed thereto, and the court found in favor of the claimant, Lucy W. Harding, in the sum of $29,498.78, as of • September 27, 1906, subject to a credit of $6,803.36; this being the amount of the notes which she held in her hands as shown by her. answer, with the interest on said notes calculated to September 27, 1906. A judgment was accordingly entered in favor of Lucy W. Harding for said sum. It was further provided in the judgment that she might return the notes, above referred to, to the administrator on or before the 1st day of January, 1907, in which, event they would not be credited upon the judgment entered in her favor. The judgment also provided that if the claimant had collected any money on any of said notes, the sums so collected should be entered as a credit upon her claim. All of the exceptions filed to the depositions were overruled, except the exceptions to the deposition of the claimant relating to transactions between herself and her husband, and these were sustained. On proof heard the court fixed the allowance of the plaintiff, administrator-, at $3,500, and that of his attorney at $4,000, and he allowed the commissioner, for his services, the sum of $3,000. With the judgment and orders fixing the allowance of the commissioner, plaintiff, and his attorney, both, plaintiff and claimant,Lucy W. Harding, are dissatisfied, and they have each prayed, and been granted, an appeal to this court.

[141]*141The will under consideration, which is a model for brevity and simplicity is as follows:

“I, Samuel Harding, do make this my last will and testament written wholly by my own hand, revoking all other wills made by me.
“Item First. I have in my hands belonging to my wife thirteen thousand dollars in notes and1 contracts shewing indebtedness to me or her from others, whether in my own name or hers this is nevertheless the property of my wife to the extent of thirteen thousand dollars, exclusive of some notes she holds in her possession, and I recognize this indebtedness to her with interest from this date, and it is my will that my estate guarantee and pay the whole sum as though it was a debt due from me to her as indeed it is.
“Item Two. I give to my beloved wife, Lucy W. Harding, one-third of all the remainder of my estate after my debts (including the above to her) are paid absolutely and unconditionally, and I give the remaining two-thirds to her for and during her natural lifetime, the remainder interest to. go as though I had died intestate t.o my brothers and sisters or their descendants should I survive them.
“Item Three. I appoint my wife, Lucy W.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
116 S.W. 305, 132 Ky. 133, 1909 Ky. LEXIS 98, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hardings-admr-v-harding-kyctapp-1909.