Harvey v. Pribil

1953 OK 215, 259 P.2d 523, 1953 Okla. LEXIS 485
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJuly 14, 1953
Docket35689
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 1953 OK 215 (Harvey v. Pribil) 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
Harvey v. Pribil, 1953 OK 215, 259 P.2d 523, 1953 Okla. LEXIS 485 (Okla. 1953).

Opinion

CORN, Justice.

Plaintiff is a widow, about 75 years of age at the time she brought this action. July 5, 1949, she conveyed a half section of land in Garfield County to defendant, her daughter, reserving a life estate therein. In May, 1951, plaintiff sued to cancel the deed and quiet her title to the property involved.

The amended petition alleged that for some months prior to execution of the deed defendant had been living with plaintiff who was in poor health; by reason of constant *524 urging by defendant and her children to make such conveyance, and in-view of defendant’s promise that she would stay with and care for plaintiff during the remainder of her life, she was prevailed upon to execute the deed and thus satisfy defendant’s demands; following the conveyance defendant’s attitude, changed and she ceased-showing plaintiff care and attention, and within four months moved away from plaintiff’s home and refused to live with plaintiff or render care and assistance. Further, that defendant’s conduct constitutes duress and undue influence, and that there had been a total failure of consideration, entitling plaintiff to cancellation of the ■ deed ancl a decree quieting ’her title.

• Defendant answered admitting :having moved into plaintiff’s h'ome and execution of, the deed, as alleged, but denied plaintiff was urged to make the conveyance, and asserted same had been executed of her 'own free will and without duress or undue influence ; that she moved into the home at her mother’s request and at all times had been willing to stay and care for plaintiff, but had left the home in response to plaintiff’s demands that she do so. Further, in order to go and live with plaintiff she had been forced to quit her employment, give up her . apartment and sell her furniture in order to make the move; that she had fully performed the agreement insofar as permitted to do so and remained ready and willing to continue if permitted to do so by plaintiff; that the action resulted from undue influence of plaintiff’s other children.

Plaintiff replied by general denial and an offer to do equity if, upon hearing it should be determined any terms should be imposed upon plaintiff as a condition to the relief sought.. ' ...

Plaintiff’s evidence was that defendant, one of her six children,' lived with her for about 13 months'beginning in 1949 and the deed was executed after she had been there some time, defendant said she' would stay and care for plaintiff, who was aged and infirm, and she felt defendant would be satisfied but she was not; 'defendant had told her the deed would be the best way to handle the property since plaintiff was ill and advanced' in years. A visiting relative had told her about handling his property in this fashion, and she finally agreed to go to Enid, Oklahoma, and make the deed in order to avoid trouble and “have peace in the family.” Defendant was not satisfied and they fussed and finally she told defendant it would be better if she left. Plaintiff admitted her other children were dissatisfied, and that she might not have filed the suit had it not been for them. Plaintiff also testified defendant worked at the farm chores, but that they could not get along; defendant wanted the farm and defendant’s, children had asked her to make a deed.

Surrounding execution of the deed the evidence showed plaintiff, accompanied by defendant and a relative, went to a real estate dealer’s office in Enid. The operation and effect of such,conveyance was explained to her and she executed same of her free will, without there being any special agreement as to what should occur in the event defendant did not stay. The scrivener did not know whether .the deed was intended as a gift, and did not recall any special condition that defendant was to stay and :care for plaintiff as long as she lived, although it was witness’ impression the consideration for the deed was defendant’s agreement to stay and care for her mother for an indefinite period of time.

Evidence was introduced in .defendant’s behalf that plaintiff was ill and needed help and defendant went and stayed with her about a year, carrying on most of the farm chores. Defendant testified she visited plaintiff as often as possible and in June, 1949, learned her mother needed help; she gave up her employment and her home, took some of her furniture and moved. to the farm where she cared for plaintiff and did physical labor around the farm-. The deed was executed because her mother had decided to handle her property in such fashion, but no definite time was fixed, although she intended to stay as long as she was needed. During her stay plaintiff got better and defendant finally left because plaintiff was dissatisfied with her and did not want her there; that they fussed, but she still was willing to-go back and care for plaintiff if permitted to do so and plaintiff needed help, but would not go back under same con *525 ditions as when plaintiff sent her away. Defendant’s evidence, however, also showed that she had never visited her mother after she left plaintiff’s home in 1950. Plaintiff made things so miserable she could not stay; her children did not ask plaintiff to make a deed and that she had not done so, although she had suggested fixing matters so there would be no argument later. Defendant had not returned to plaintiff’s home because she had been ordered off the place. There was evidence showing defendant’s children at least mentioned to plaintiff that she should fix her property so there would be no difficulty over it.

There was other evidence corroborative of defendant’s theory that plaintiff voluntarily executed the deed in order that defendant might have the property, and that no specific time or conditions were required as consideration for execution thereof. Defendant also introduced evidence to establish her earning capacity and the amount of loss sustained from having given up her -employment, selling her furniture, and the money expended while she was living with plaintiff. i

After hearing all the evidence the trial court took the case under advisement and thereafter rendered findings of fact and conclusions of law.

The court found the facts surrounding plaintiff’s ownership of the property and that conveyance thereof had been made voluntarily, and without duress of fraud; discord had arisen between parties so it was impossible for them to live together and carry out the agreement that defendant should live with and care for plaintiff; defendant had sustained $4,067 damages as a result of having accepted plaintiff’s offer. ■Because of discord between parties it was impossible to carry out the contract which required defendant to live with and care for plaintiff, but that plaintiff could be restored to her property without manifest injustice to defendant.

The court concluded as a matter of law that:

“Where, as here, a person has conveyed property in consideration of support, and a dispute thereafter arises between the parties so that it becomes impossible’to perform thfe-conditions and agreements made in consideration of the execution of the deed, Courts of equity have the power and should restore the property to the grantee if it can be done without manifest injustice to the grantee.”

Further, that cancellation of the contract was proper under the findings of fact and defendant should be reimbursed for the damages sustained from having accepted plaintiff’s offer.

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Related

Matter of Estate of Griffin
1979 OK 104 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1979)
Ferrero v. Siel
1964 OK 248 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1964)
Myers v. Diehl
1961 OK 239 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1961)

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Bluebook (online)
1953 OK 215, 259 P.2d 523, 1953 Okla. LEXIS 485, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harvey-v-pribil-okla-1953.