Hicks v. Jeffress

1936 OK 609, 61 P.2d 1079, 178 Okla. 109, 1936 Okla. LEXIS 507
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedOctober 13, 1936
DocketNo. 24270.
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 1936 OK 609 (Hicks v. Jeffress) 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
Hicks v. Jeffress, 1936 OK 609, 61 P.2d 1079, 178 Okla. 109, 1936 Okla. LEXIS 507 (Okla. 1936).

Opinion

OSBORN, V. C. J.

This is an appeal prosecuted by Eva H. Hicks, hereinafter referred to as plaintiff, by transcript, from an order of the district court of Pontotoc county directing the manner of distribution of the estate of George W. Hicks, deceased. Lena Jeffress, now Maxey, defendant in error, a beneficiary under the will of deceased, will be referred to as defendant.

George W. Hicks, a resident of Pontotoc county, died testate in said county on February 5, 1925, leaving surviving him as his sole and only heirs at law, his wife, Eva H. Hicks, and Maudie Mae Singleton and Mabel Clare Anderson, two daughters by a former marriage. The pertinent provisions of the will are as follows:

“Second: I give and devise to my wife,. Eva I-I. Hicks, out of my estate, the part that she will inherit, at my death, under the laws of the State of Oklahoma and no more.
“Third: I give and bequeath to my daughter, Maudie Mae Singleton, now residing near Bedford, Missouri, the sum of Fifteen Hundred and no/100 ($1,500.00) Dollars, and no more.
“Fourth: I hereby give and bequeath to my daughter, Mabel Clare Anderson, now residing at St. Joseph, Missouri, the sum of $2,000.00 and no more.
“Fifth.- I hereby give, devise and bequeath to Lena Jeffress, who now resides at my home and has been a daughter to my wife and myself, for several years, the remaining part of all of my estate and property, both real and personal, remaining after the payment of the legacies to my two daughters, and the part that my wife will take under the statutes of the State of Oklahoma.”

At the time of the death of testator, section 11224, C. O. S. 1921, was in effect. Section 1, chapter 26, Session Laws 1925 (sec. 1539, O. S. 1931), amending the former section, was enacted subsequent to his death.

John A. Smith was named executor of the will, and after the death of deceased was appointed, qualified and entered upon the discharge of his duties as such executor. The will was duly admitted to probate, inventories and appraisements were filed, and allowances were made to plaintiff for support pending the administration. The executor filed a final report and petition for distribution, whereupon plaintiff filed her petition for distribution wherein she claimed to be entitled to the entire estate on the theory that one-half of the property was hers by virtue of a partnership arrangement with her husband and that she was entitled to the other half by virtue of a certain proviso of section 1617, O. S. 1931 (sec. 11201, C. O. S. 1921), providing that where property is acquired by the joint industry of the husband and wife during coverture and there is no issue, the whole estate shall go to the survivor. A stipulation of facts was entered into by the parties, the material portions thereof being as follows:

“That George W. Hicks was married twice; that of the first marriage there were two children born, named Maudie May Singleton and Mabel Clare Anderson, and are the same parties and children mentioned in the last will and testament of said George W. Hicks: that after the birth of said children, said George W. Hicks and his first wife were divorced and property settlement made with the first wife; and that thereafter on the — day of January. 1S96, the said George W. Hicks married. Eva H. Hicks, who was his second wife, and who is the party named in the petition for distribution; that there were no children born of his last marriage with Eva H. Hicks; that all of the property owned -by George W. Hicks at the time of his death, and now in question, was acquired during his married life with the said Eva H. Hicks, and was the result of their joint industry during their married life.
“That at the time of the death of the said George IV. Hicks he left surviving him as his only heirs at law, his wife, Eva H. Hicks, and the following children, Maudie May Singleton and Mabel Clare Anderson, named in said will; that Lena Jeffress, now Lena Maxey, represented herein by her attorney, C. F. Green, is the party referred to as a beneficiary under the fifth paragraph of said will.
“That the said George W. Hicks died in Pontotoc counts', Okla., of which he was an actual and permanent resident, at the time and that all the property left by him and involved in this proceeding is situated in the state of Oklahoma.”

The county court made an order distributing the property as follows:

“To Eva H. Hicks, wife of Geo. W. Hicks, deceased, an individual one-third (Ys) of the entire estate.
*111 “To Maudie May Singleton, daughter of Geo. W. Hicks, deceased, the sum of $1,500.
“To Mabel Clare Anderson, daughter of Geo. W. Hicks, deceased, the sum of $2,000.
“To Lena Jeffress, now Maxey, all the balance of said estate, both real and personal, being an undivided two-thirds (%) of said estate, less the amounts paid to Maudie May Singleton and Mabel Clare Anderson.
“It is further ordered that after the payment of the executor the amounts so allowed for his services and those of his attorneys, and the payment to Maudie May Singleton and Mabel Clare Anderson the amounts devised to them, the balance of said estate be and hereby is distributed to Mrs. Eva Hicks and Lena Jeffress, now Maxey, as hereinbe-fore ordered, that the executor, John A. Smith, be and he hereby is discharged frojn his trust and he and his bondsmen discharged from further liability.”

From the order of distribution plaintiff appealed to the district court, and after a hearing in said court an order was made affirming the order of distribution of the county court, from which order this appeal is prosecuted.

While the cause was pending in the district court plaintiff instituted a separate action in said district court wherein plaintiff sought to recover half of the property held by the executor of the will on the theory that a partnership existed between plaintiff and her husband during his lifetime. Plaintiff prevailed in the trial court, the cause was appealed to this court and the judgment reversed. Jeffress v. Hicks, 15'6 Okla. 291, 10 P. (2d) 419. In that ease it was held that the county court had jurisdiction to decree a distribution of aT of the property for the reason that plaintiff had filed an agreed statement of facts wherein it was admitted “that all of the property owned by George W. Hicks at the time of his death and now in question was acquired during his married life with the said Eva H. Hicks and was the result of their joint industry during their married life.” It was also pointed out in the opinion of this court that plaintiff had made no effort to comply with the probate law relative to partnerships, to wit, section .1201, C. O. S. 1921. (1197, O. S. 1931). It is urged in this appeal that the former opinion of this court is erroneous and should be overruled for the reason that the county court is without jurisdiction to try the title to property.

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Related

Essex v. Washington
1946 OK 316 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1946)
In Re Carothers' Estate
1946 OK 111 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1946)
Jeffress v. Hicks
116 P.2d 905 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1941)
In Re Hicks' Estate
1941 OK 184 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1941)
Smith v. Murray
107 P.2d 188 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1940)
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1940 OK 419 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1940)
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1940 OK 363 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1940)
In Re Frary's Estate
1939 OK 516 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1939)
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1938 OK 561 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1938)
Detrich v. Detrich
1938 OK 236 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1938)

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Bluebook (online)
1936 OK 609, 61 P.2d 1079, 178 Okla. 109, 1936 Okla. LEXIS 507, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hicks-v-jeffress-okla-1936.