Harmston v. Calder

221 P.2d 586, 118 Utah 220, 1950 Utah LEXIS 149
CourtUtah Supreme Court
DecidedAugust 22, 1950
DocketNo. 7362
StatusPublished

This text of 221 P.2d 586 (Harmston v. Calder) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Utah Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Harmston v. Calder, 221 P.2d 586, 118 Utah 220, 1950 Utah LEXIS 149 (Utah 1950).

Opinion

PRATT, Chief Justice.

This is an appeal from a decree in probate allowing the account of an administrator de bonis non in a contest initiated by a petition by the beneficiaries of the estate involved, seeking the revocation of the letters of administration of that administrator de bonis non. As the whole estate matter involves a period of many years and many ramifications, it will probably simplify a consideration of the issues if the estate is followed through step by step.

Marion Eugene Harmston, a resident of Duchesne County, Utah, died April 13, 1922; and left surviving him as heirs at law, Isabelle Thurston Harmston, his widow; Marion Eugene, Roger T. and Carl Frederick, sons; and one daughter, Helene E. Harmston.

The widow was appointed administratrix of the estate on June 10, 1922. Notice to creditors was published in [223]*2231922, and the time for presentation of claims expired in that year. She filed an inventory and appraisement June 14, 1926. One tract of land in South Dakota had previously been sold by court order. She reported the following property which was appraised as indicated:

Lots 29, 30, 31 and 32 in Block nine, Plat “A”, Roosevelt, Utah with a story and a half frame building. Appraised at $1,600.00
Lots number 5 to 12 inclusive in Block 16, Plat “A”, Roosevelt, Utah, frame residence and improvements thereon. Appraised at $2,000.00
Lots 8, 9, 10 in Block 32, Plat “A”, Roosevelt, Utah, with frame buildings thereon. Appraised at $ 350.00
Cash in Roosevelt State Bank $ 200.00
Three Cows and One Calf Appraised at $ 150.00
Three hundred Shares of stock in Texas Standard Oil Company (half interest) and Ten Shares of stock in Texas Standard Oil Company. Appraised at $ 150.00
$4,950.00

On July 31, 1937, Isabelle Harmston borrowed $4,500 from the Farmers and Merchants Bank, and executed a note and mortgage to that bank. The mortgage covered lots 29, 30, 31, and 32. She signed the note and mortgage in her individual capacity, and also as administratrix of the estate. No approval of the court to mortgage the property was ever secured.

On August 18,1937, she filed an accounting and a petition for partial distribution to herself of these same lots. In the petition it was alleged that the other heirs had quit [224]*224claimed all their interest in the lots to her. It was also alleged in the petition that all the obligations against the estate, except administratrix’s fees and attorney’s fees had been fully paid. A decree was entered August 30, 1937, confirming the partial distribution in which it is recited that all debts of the estate have been paid except adminis-tratrix’s fees and attorney’s fees.

The money borrowed from the bank was used to erect certain improvements on the mortgaged land, and did not go into the decedent’s estate, nor was it intended for the decedent’s estate apparently. Later, on October 19, 1937, after the decree of partial distribution, the bank loaned Mrs. Harmston $2,500 more, and took from her another note and mortgage covering the same property, together with another tract. This note and mortgage was signed by Mrs. Harmston in her individual capacity only.

Isabelle Harmston died December 11, 1937 and the Utah Savings and Trust Company was appointed administrator of her estate on March 7, 1938.

On March 22, 1948, the Farmers and Merchants Bank filed a petition in the Marion Eugene Harmston Estate, alleging that it was a creditor of said estate; and that the estate, the administratrix and the heirs were indebted to it; and asking that letters of administration de bonis non be issued.

Pursuant to this petition, letters of administration were issued to Mr. Calder, cashier of the bank. On February 11, 1939, he filed a petition for sale of the real estate listed third in the inventory set out above, and inventoried at $350 as of the August 1922 inventory. On September 9, 1939, this property was re-appraised at $900.00, according to an appraisement filed by Mr. Calder after his appointment.

The petition was prepared and filed by J. Rulon Morgan, [225]*225who had previously appeared as counsel for the estate in the petitions heretofore mentioned. He knew of the accounting and the petition for partial distribution that had been filed, approved and granted, previously in the estate. He knew also that the approval of the account and partial distribution recited that all debts had been paid.

On Septeber 25, 1939, a sale of the property was confirmed to Harry W. Larson, for $1,000 payable in monthly installments.

In May of 1941, the attorney, Morgan, acting on behalf of the bank, brought suit to foreclose the mortgage on the land distributed to Isabelle Harmston, that is, lots 29, 30, 31 and 32. This was civil case No. 1932. The estate was not represented by counsel in this suit, and defaulted. On July 17, 1941, a default judgment was entered ordering foreclosure and providing for a deficiency judgment against the estate in the event the property did not bring the full amount of indebtedness on its sale.

The property was purchased by the bank pursuant to the foreclosure of this mortgage and subsequent mortgage given by Isabelle Harmston personally. The property brought the full amount of the indebtedness, and no deficiency judgments were taken.

Harry W. Larson, who purchased lots 8, 9, and 10, defaulted on his contract in 1942, and was evicted from the property by the administrator Calder, who then sold the property to Charles W. Jenkins.

On April 22, 1940, Roger T. Harmston, one of the heirs, filed a petition to revoke Calder’s letters of administration and demanded an accounting of Mr. Calder, and asked that letters of administration be issued to him. Mr. Morgan represented Calder as the then administrator, and demurred. The petition was granted, and an accounting ordered; but nothing further was done by Roger T. Harmston to[226]*226ward taking over the administration of the estate at this time, nor was the account filed until August 30, 1947, when, represented by Mr. Morgan, Calder filed the account. The account was contested by an amended petition for revocation of Calder’s letters of administration, filed by Roger T. Harmston and joined in by the other heirs. Pursuant to this petition and by agreement of all the parties concerned, Raymond A. Gillis, a son-in-law of the deceased was appointed administrator in place of Calder. It is the court’s adjudication upon this accounting and the amended petition for revocation of letters, that is the subject of this appeal.

Calder in his inventory had listed the same property real and personal, as had his predecessor, with the exception of cash in the bank and the three cows and one calf, which he did not list. Of the three tracts of land, only lots 5 to 12 in block 16, and lots 8, 9, 10 in block 32, were appraised. Mr. Calder accounted for the property inventoried in the following ways:

The first tract of land (lots 29, 30, 31 and 32 in block nine) was distributed to Isabelle Harmston by way of partial distribution prior to his administration, and did not come into his hands. The second tract (lots 5 to 12 in block 16) was purchased by Mrs. Harmston from the county at tax sale prior to his administration.

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Bluebook (online)
221 P.2d 586, 118 Utah 220, 1950 Utah LEXIS 149, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harmston-v-calder-utah-1950.