Humphries v. Le Breton

230 P.2d 976, 55 N.M. 247
CourtNew Mexico Supreme Court
DecidedApril 9, 1951
Docket5268
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 230 P.2d 976 (Humphries v. Le Breton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Humphries v. Le Breton, 230 P.2d 976, 55 N.M. 247 (N.M. 1951).

Opinion

SADLER, Justice.

This is an appeal from a judgment entered by the district court of Bernalillo County quieting title to certain real estate in the city of Albuquerque in the plaintiffappellee against the defendants named in his complaint. One of them, Mamie Le Breton, as sole appellant, prosecutes this appeal for the revision and correction of the judgment so entered by reason of certain errors claimed to have been committed at thé trial. Since the facts are well stated in the trial judge’s findings and his view of them in the conclusions of law he deduced therefrom, they are set out in full, as follows:

“Findings.
“1. At the time of his deáth on June 18, 1948, William R. Howard owned the real property located at 118 South Yale Avenue, Albuquerque, New Mexico, which is also known as Lot 10, in Block 1, of the University Heights, an addition to the City of Albuquerque, New Mexico, as the same is shown and designated on the map of said addition filed in the office of the Probate Clerk and. Ex-officio Recorder of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, on February 7, 1916.
“2. Plaintiff’s Exhibit 1 is a true copy of the Last Will and Testament of William R. Ploward, the original being on file in the office of the County Clerk of Bernalillo County.
“3. At the time of his death, William R. Howard left surviving him as his sole and only heirs at law, and as his sole and only legatees and devisees, the following persons: Mamie Le Breton, who was his sister and is one of the defendants and counter-complainants in this action; William Le Breton, who was his nephew and is one of the defendants and counter-complainants in this action; A. T. Howard, who was his brother; Mack Wade Humphries, who was not related to him and who is the plaintiff in this action; and Fay Benton, who was not related to him.
“4. The Last Will and Testament of William R. Howard was duly admitted to probate in Bernalillo County by the Probate Court and his estate has been duly probated and closed.
“5. The Will was not contested in' the probate proceedings and no appeal was taken, and its validity has not been questioned in this case.
“6. In the probate proceedings, a substantial amount of personal property was divided among Mamie Le Breton, William Le Breton, Fay Benton and Mack Wade Humphries, as provided in the Will, but as to the real property, the probate court properly found that it had no jurisdiction ‘to determine ownership of the real estate nor the interest of any claimant therein, nor determine the person entitled to said real estate nor the title to the same.’
“7. Item III of said Last Will and Testament provides as follows: ‘Item III. I give and devise to Mack Wade Humphries my real estate located at 118 South Yale Avenue, Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, and State of New Mexico, to be delivered to him at the completion of the probating of this will, together with five (S) One Thousand Dollar California Edison Bonds.’ The real property referred to in Item III, and involved in this case, was the only real property in the estate.
“8. In this action Mack Wade Humphries seeks to quiet his title to said real estate, while Mamie Le Breton claims that she owns it and seeks to quiet her title to it. (A. T. Howard had previously-conveyed any interest he might have in it to Mamie Le Breton.) William Le Breton claims no interest in said property.
“Conclusions.
“1. Plaintiff’s Exhibit 1 is a true copy of the valid and only Last Will and Testament of William R. Howard, deceased.
“2. Under the terms of said Will, title to the real property in question, which is described above as being located at 118 South Yale Avenue, Albuquerque, New Mexico, descended directly to. Made Wade Humphries, who was the devisee named in the Will to receive it, upon the death of the testator, William R. Howard, but as a result of the clause in the will that the property was ‘to be delivered to him at the completion of the probating of this will,’ Humphries did not become entitled to possession of the property until the probate proceedings were closed.
“3. That the defendants, Mamie Le Breton, and William Le Breton, individually or as Executor of the estate of' William R. Howard, Deceased, have no interest in the real property in question.
“4. That the plaintiff is entitled to the relief prayed for in his complaint.”

The first and principal error relied upon for reversal by defendant is his claim that the probate court of Bernalillo County did not have jurisdiction to admit to probate the will under which the plaintiff derives title to the real estate involved by reason of the very fact that title is so derived. Since we cannot conclude with certainty exactly the theory upon which counsel for defendant proceeds in attempting to prove probate courts in New Mexico lack jurisdiction to admit a will to probate where it directs disposition of real estate, we are going to give the theory in the language of his own brief, to-wit:

“Point I
“The Court made findings of facts 4, 5 and 6 as follows:
“4. ‘The Last Will and Testament of William R. Howard was duly admitted to probate in Bernalillo County by the Probate Court and his estate has been duly probated and closed.’
“5. ‘The Will was not contested in the probate proceedings and no appeal was taken, and its validity has not been questioned in this case.’
“6. ‘In the probate proceedings, a substantial amount of personal property was divided among Mamie Le Breton, William Le Breton, Fay Benton and Mack Wade Humphries, as provided in the Will, but as to the real property, the probate court properly found that it had no jurisdiction “to determine ownership of the real estate nor the interest of any claimant therein, nor determine the person entitled to said real estate nor the title to the same.” ’
“All of said findings of facts are immaterial and do not add anything to this cause of action to quiet title in the plaintiff.
“The Probate Court did not have jurisdiction to admit to probate the last will and testament of- William R. Howard, as said probate court did not have jurisdiction to determine title to real estate and ownership thereof.
“It would have been useless to contest the will in the Probate Court and take an appeal to the District Court and the Supreme Court of the State of New Mexico.

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Bluebook (online)
230 P.2d 976, 55 N.M. 247, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/humphries-v-le-breton-nm-1951.