Hollis v. Hollis

1946 OK 246, 172 P.2d 999, 197 Okla. 524, 1946 Okla. LEXIS 597
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedOctober 1, 1946
DocketNo. 32305.
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 1946 OK 246 (Hollis v. Hollis) 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
Hollis v. Hollis, 1946 OK 246, 172 P.2d 999, 197 Okla. 524, 1946 Okla. LEXIS 597 (Okla. 1946).

Opinion

RILEY, J.

This is an appeal from a judgment sustaining a demurrer to the evidence of plaintiff in error, who had been defendant below in a divorce action. Plaintiff in error petitioned to vacate a decree approving a property settlement.

The parties were married December 31, 1931. Plaintiff in error then.owned two cows, and 20 acres of land in Arkansas subject to a mortgage for $750. Defendant in error owned mules and horses, machinery, and 160 acres of land in Kingfisher county, Okla., subject to a mortgage of $1,600. Ten days prior to the marriage, the parties entered into an antenuptial contract which provided:

“All property now owned by the parties hereto shall after such marriage be owned equally, share and share *525 alike ... in case of death of either . . . the survivor shall have the right to remain in possession of the home place until his or her death”.

Apparently the “home place” mentioned in the contract meant the 160 acres of land owned by the defendant in error.

After the marriage the parties moved to the farm in Kingfisher county and lived there as husband and wife for 13 years. By their joint efforts, they accumulated considerable personal property, including 39 head of cattle, farm machinery, and about $5,800 in money.

Dissensions arose concerning their financial affairs. On March 23, 1944, defendant in error, as plaintiff, commenced an action for a divorce and a division of the property.

Two days after the summons was served upon the defendant, plaintiff and defendant entered into an agreement for a division of their property. Defendant was not represented by counsel. The agreement provided:

“That the defendant shall vacate the premises of the plaintiff, except for the purpose of coming thereon to harvest crops or look after stock . . . the parties will no longer live together as husband and wife. . . . each of the parties hereto waive and disclaim any interest of any kind or nature in and to the real property owned by the parties or either of them and that the court shall, if it sees fit to grant a divorce, so find and decree . . . the pre-marriage contract heretofore entered into . . . is hereby cancelled.... by the parties, and it is agreed that the court in case of granting a divorce in said action shall set the said contract aside . . . this property agreement is made between the parties without taking into consideration the said pre-marriage contract. . . .”

Defendant filed his answer, signed by himself, which he now asserts was drawn by plaintiff’s attorney. Therein he denied all the allegations of the petition and further alleged:

“That plaintiff and defendant to this action have entered into a property stipulation and settlement, wherein they have made a division of all their property, subject, however, to the approval of the court, and the defendant requests that in case the court sees fit to grant the plaintiff a divorce on her petition filed herein, that the court confirm and approve said property settlement and stipulation.”

The divorce action came on for trial April 7, 1944; plaintiff appeared in person and by her attorney, R. H. Shutler, defendant appearing in person but without counsel. The court heard the evidence and a statement by defendant, and entered a decree granting the plaintiff a divorce and approving and adopting in full the property settlement agreement, and specifically avoiding the pre-nuptial contract by reason of the consent of the parties.

On August 26, 1944, defendant Louis A. Hollis petitioned to vacate the decree insofar as it related to the property settlement agreement and vacation of the pre-nuptial contract. He alleged:

“ ... The plaintiff and defendant herein met in the office of R. F. Shutler, plaintiff’s attorney, in Kingfisher, Oklahoma; the plaintiff being present and represented by her said attorney, and the defendant being present in person, but having no one to represent or advise him. That the parties . . . proceeded to agree upon a division of the personal property, . . . the defendant requested an equal division of the real estate, as per the pre-marriage agreement above set out, . . . thereupon, the attorney for plaintiff, R. F. Shutler, told this defendant that the pre-marriage agreement was void, of no force and effect, and that defendant could not hope to establish any interest in said real estate, and proceeded to read to defendant excerpts from the Statute or some other book, by way of convincing the defendant that said pre-marriage agreement was in fact without force and effect and void, and the defendant being a man of seventy years of age, nervous and distraught, and wholly without knowledge of the law, and believing and relying upon the statements and representations of said attorney, was by said attorney and the plaintiff, induced to *526 and did sign the stipulation of property settlement and division of property, -prepared by plaintiff’s attorney R. F. Shutler . . .
. . . Relying upon the statements and representations of plaintiff’s attorney as aforesaid, and believing them to be true, this defendant did sign the stipulation of property settlement, which among other things, waives his right, title and interest in the real estate above mentioned, under and by virtue of the terms of the pre-marriage agreement between the parties hereto, which defendant states that he would not have done had he not been misled and deceived by the plaintiff and her attorney R. F. Shutler.”

Plaintiff answered by general denial, admitted that the parties signed the property settlement, that the decree was entered by the court granting plaintiff a divorce and division of property. Plaintiff specifically denied that any misrepresentations were made to defendant to induce him to enter into the property settlement.

Trial on the petition to vacate was to the court. At the close of defendant’s evidence plaintiff demurred; the demurrer was sustained; defendant moved for new trial and was overruled. This appeal is from the order sustaining the demurrer and the order overruling the motion for new trial.

This is an action of equitable cognizance. In such cases a demurrer to plaintiff’s evidence is not proper, but when offered, should be considered as a motion for judgment for defendant. Davis v. Wallace, 169 Okla. 497, 37 P. 2d 602; Penny v. Vose, 108 Okla. 103, 234 P. 601, citing Bailey v. Privett, 64 Okla. 156, 166 P. 150.

The distinction is that in ruling upon a demurrer to plaintiff’s evidence in action at law, the court cannot weigh conflicting evidence. All the evidence favorable to the plaintiff is considered true and all evidence favorable to defendant is considered as withdrawn; while in an action in equity, in considering defendant’s motion for judgment, presented at the close of plaintiff’s evidence, a weighing of evidence is required. Penny v. Vose, supra; Connelly v. Gaffaney, 159 Okla. 60, 14 P. 2d 391. In either case, where there is evidence reasonably tending to support plaintiff’s claim and there is no conflict in the evidence, it is error to sustain the demurrer or motion, as the case may be.

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Bluebook (online)
1946 OK 246, 172 P.2d 999, 197 Okla. 524, 1946 Okla. LEXIS 597, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hollis-v-hollis-okla-1946.