Herren v. Herren

203 P. 34, 118 Wash. 56, 1921 Wash. LEXIS 943
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 19, 1921
DocketNo. 16498
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 203 P. 34 (Herren v. Herren) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Washington Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Herren v. Herren, 203 P. 34, 118 Wash. 56, 1921 Wash. LEXIS 943 (Wash. 1921).

Opinion

Holcomb, J.

— A. J. Herren died intestate February 16, 1920, in Lewis county, leaving surviving bim Ms widow, Jane Herren, and tbeir cMldren, Hugh Herren, Susie Herren and E. Benjamin Herren, as Ms only beirs at law. On June 28, 1920, E. Benjamin Herren died intestate in Lewis county, Washington, leaving surviving him his widow, Elma S. Herren, and their minor son, Robert D. Herren, as his only heirs. On July 22, 1920, Elma S. Herren was appointed administratrix of the estate of E. B. Herren, and also was appointed general guardian of their minor son, Robert D. Herren, and qualified in each of those capacities. In August, 1920, Samuel L. Herren was appointed administrator of the estate of A. J. Herren, deceased, the widow having waived her right.

[58]*58This appeal is from a decree in two consolidated actions. One was an action of Elma S. Herren, in her own right and as administratrix, and as general guardian of Robert D. Herren, a minor, against the appellants, claiming, through her deceased husband, ownership of 308 acres of land, described as the Herren home place, comprising what was originally the Morgan donation land claim, and a part of the Bouchard donation land claim; and alleging in effect that appellants were the holders or owners of bare legal title, and have refused to transfer the same to her deceased husband or his successors in interest. Subsequent to the commencement of the foregoing action, appellants instituted an action against respondents, claiming ownership of all the property that had been inventoried by respondents and filed in the records in the estate of E. B. Herren, deceased, particularly describing the property, both real and personal, as it appeared in the inventory of E. B. Herren, deceased.

In their action for specific performance, respondents alleged that there was an oral agreement made and entered into between E. B. Herren and his father, A. J. Herren, in effect as follows:

“That in consideration of the services rendered by E. B. Herren in liquidating several thousand dollars of indebtedness incurred by A. J. Herren, for which said premises were bound, and in further consideration that the said E. B. Herren will continue to reside upon said premises, orally agreed to convey the whole of said premises to E. B. Herren by a good and valid deed of conveyance, with the understanding that the said A. J. Herren and wife could, during their lives, occupy the residence upon said premises, and did then place said E. B. Herren in possession of the whole of said premises, which possession he retained to the time of his death, and that no time was specified for the execution of said deed, but it was understood by the [59]*59parties mailing said oral agreement that the said A. J. Herren and Jane Herren, upon demand would each, hy a valid deed, convey an undivided one-half interest in said premises to said E. B. Herren. That said oral agreement was negotiated hy said A. J. Herren, and that the said Jane Herren agreed to abide hy what her husband did, and ratified, at all times up to the death of said E. B. Herren, the said agreement, and recognized the existence of said agreement as their valid obligation.”

The complaint further alleges that E. B. Herren, relying upon that agreement, took possession of the premises, and thereafter spent many thousands of dollars in clearing, fencing and repairing buildings and preparing the premises for suitable cultivation and occupancy, and otherwise improving the property, and in the paying of taxes and defraying of other expenses, all of which was done with the knowledge and consent of A. J. Herren, and that E. B. Herren exercised the right of ownership of the premises; and that, on or about September 6,1919, the parties interested made a division of all the real estate, and, among other transactions, A. J. Herren made, executed and delivered, hy and with the consent of his wife, Jane Herren, a deed of an undivided one-half interest in and to all the home place involved.

The defendants answered the complaint of respondents and set up a general and specific denial of all the material matters set out in the complaint; and by way of affirmative defense, allege that the property described in respondents’ complaint was at all times the community property of A. J. Herren and Jane Herren, his wife; that they lived and resided upon the place for upwards of thirty years, paid all the taxes, and that no one questioned their ownership or possession; that A. J. Herren died intestate on February 17, 1920; that the widow, Jane Herren, according to the law of de[60]*60scent, is the owner of an undivided one-half, with all her homestead rights in the whole of the estate; that the children and heirs, according to the laws of descent, were the owners in fee of the other undivided one-half, and that the widow, Jane Herren, and the heirs and administrator of the estate of A. J. Herren are now in possession of all of the property described. They further affirmatively allege that A. J. Herren and wife lived on the property for many years with their children, and cultivated the same; that the son Ben Herren was permitted to handle the funds and manage the place merely as a son and not otherwise; that they worked together and were prosperous, without any understanding or agreement as to the division of the property or the proceeds of the same; that the title was at all times held by A. J. Herren and wife; that there was no contract to convey, as alleged in the complaint; that all the money Ben ever had or made was made there on the home place, and that the family living there helped him to do it; that all improvements and taxes were paid for out of the joint efforts, from the property on the place, all working together.

They further allege that the deed attempted to be procured by E. B. Herren from A. J. Herren of an undivided one-half interest in the Herren home place was procured at a time when A. J. Herren was without sufficient mental capacity or understanding to make or deliver a deed; that he did not know what he was doing, by reason of his extreme illness, and that the deed mentioned in the complaint was void under the statute, in that it was not joined in by the wife of A. J. Herren, the property being community property.

It is further alleged that the oral agreement alleged by respondents to convey was void, not having been in writing and relating to real property.

[61]*61These several affirmative matters were put in issue by appropriate denials.

The trial court made findings in favor of respondents, decreeing specific performance of the alleged oral contract to convey the 308 acres of land, and finding that the personal property upon the farm, consisting of stock, machinery and implements, was the property of the estate of E. B. Herren, and that the $3,000 in United States liberty loan bonds, which had been purchased by E. B. Herren, was the property of his estate, and that the $9,000 worth of United States liberty loan bonds, and some $6,000 worth of municipal and county bonds, were the property of the estate of A. J. Herren, deceased.

Forty-one errors are claimed by appellants, some of which are well taken, but we shall not discuss them all separately. Among other things, the court made some findings which there is absolutely no evidence to support, and we presume were made by inadvertence at the request of prevailing counsel. The court, also, in summing up the evidence, appears to have made several incorrect statements, due, no doubt, to lapse of memory after the conclusion of a very lengthy

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
203 P. 34, 118 Wash. 56, 1921 Wash. LEXIS 943, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/herren-v-herren-wash-1921.