In Re Estate of Bacheller

437 S.W.2d 132
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 2, 1968
Docket24976, 25045
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 437 S.W.2d 132 (In Re Estate of Bacheller) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Estate of Bacheller, 437 S.W.2d 132 (Mo. Ct. App. 1968).

Opinion

437 S.W.2d 132 (1968)

In re ESTATE of Mary Porter BACHELLER, Deceased.
Adele V. STIGALL, Executrix, Appellant,
v.
P. A. HAWKINSON, Respondent.

Nos. 24976, 25045.

Kansas City Court of Appeals, Missouri.

December 2, 1968.
Motion for Rehearing and/or Transfer Denied February 3, 1969.

*134 Dale, Potter & Flynn, Whitney W. Potter, St. Joseph, for appellant.

Linde, Thomson, VanDyke, Fairchild & Langworthy, Robert B. Langworthy, George D. Blackwood, Jr., and John G. Miller, Kansas City, for respondent.

Motion for Rehearing and/or Transfer to Supreme Court Denied February 3, 1969.

HOWARD, Presiding Judge.

These two appeals arise out of proceedings in the same decedent's estate and have been consolidated in this court. They may both be disposed of by one opinion. This controversy originated with exceptions to the final settlement of the executrix filed by one of the two residuary legatees. Two matters are involved: One is the allowance and payment of a pledge to the Christ Episcopal Church of St. Joseph, Missouri; the other is the contention that the fees allowed to the executrix and her attorney are excessive. These fees consist of (1) fees allowed for the administration of the decedent's estate proper, and (2) fees allowed for work to be performed in the future in the administration of a testamentary trust established by decedent's will. The second appeal is from an order refusing to allow payment from the estate for the transcript in the first appeal.

Each of the notices of appeal specifies that the appeal is taken from the order of the circuit court overruling the motion for new trial filed by executrix. An order overruling a motion for new trial *135 is not an appealable order. Therefore, these appeals are not properly taken. However, in each instance it appears that there has been a good faith attempt to appeal from the judgment against appellant. Therefore, we shall consider these appeals on their merits. See Walker v. Thompson, Mo., 338 S.W.2d 114.

As to the Christ Church pledge, the facts show on November 21, 1964, Mary Porter Bacheller was under guardianship as an incompetent. On that date, Whitney W. Potter, the attorney for the guardian, signed a pledge to Christ Church in the total amount of $364.00 per year for three years. $150.00 down payment was paid at the time of the pledge by a check signed by both the guardian and her attorney. This pledge was in two parts. $200.00 per year was for the current church program and $164.00 per year was for church renovation. The pledge was given at a time when the church was conducting a special drive to raise funds for this renovation. Mary Porter Bacheller died October 15, 1965; the guardianship was terminated and Adele V. Stigall became executrix pursuant to the will. Christ Church made claim against the estate for the balance of the three year pledge in the amount of $942.00. The executrix consented to the allowance of this claim in the full amount. It was paid out of the funds of the estate and the executrix took credit therefor in her final settlement which was filed October 28, 1966.

On the 23rd day of February, 1966, the Probate Court of Buchanan County, Missouri, pursuant to petition requesting the same, entered its order granting a partial allowance for fees to the executrix and her attorney in the amount of $2,200.00 to be paid $1,100.00 to the executrix and $1,100.00 to the attorney. On the 7th day of July, 1966, pursuant to a petition requesting the same, the court entered its order granting the balance of the minimum statutory fees to the executrix and her attorney in the amount of $1,089.96 to each, thus making the total minimum statutory fees allowed to the executrix $2,184.96 and the total minimum statutory fees to the attorney for the executrix $2,184.96. (This discrepancy in amounts appears in the court orders.) Thereafter, on the 22nd day of August, 1966, pursuant to separate petitions filed by the executrix requesting additional fees for the executrix and additional fees for her attorney, the probate court entered its order granting a final fee to the executrix in the amount of $4,560.04, making a total fee to the executrix of $6,750.00. On the same day, the probate court entered its order allowing final attorney's fees to the attorney for the executrix in a like amount, making total fees to the attorney for the executrix in the amount of $6,750.00. Thus, the estate paid total fees to the executrix and her attorney in the amount of $13,500.00. The exceptions filed by respondent contend that these fees are excessive.

After the exceptions were filed by respondent, who was one of the two residuary legatees under the will, the executrix filed application and affidavit for change of venue alleging that the probate judge of Buchanan County was an interested party and was biased and prejudiced against the executrix. Pursuant to this application, the judge of the probate court disqualified himself and certified the case to the Circuit Court of Buchanan County, Missouri.

The exceptions to the final settlement of the executrix were tried to the circuit court sitting without a jury and resulted in a judgment sustaining the objections to the pledge to Christ Episcopal Church in part and overruling the objections in part. The church was ordered to refund to the estate the amount of $450.00. Thus, the judgment of the circuit court sustained the payment of the pledge in the amount of $490.00. The court sustained the objections to that part of the fees paid to the executrix and her attorney over and above the statutory minimum fees of $2,189.96 to each. The excess was ordered refunded to the estate. From this order, the executrix has appealed.

*136 The parties stipulated that the circuit court should retain jurisdiction of the case to enter final orders of distribution and "anything else that is necessary to wind up the administration of this estate." Therefore, while this appeal was being perfected the executrix applied to the circuit court for authority to pay out of the estate $346.45 for the transcript on appeal. A hearing was held on this application and the court denied the request. The executrix has appealed from this ruling. The court indicated that it considered this ruling to be consistent with that part of the final decree ruling on the exceptions which said: "The Court further orders all expense in connection with the litigation in this Court be taxed against the executrix for the reason that the Court has found the fees of the executrix and the attorney for the executrix to be excessive in the amount of $9,120.80 and that the litigation in this Court was of no benefit to the estate."

On this appeal the executrix contends that the exceptions to her final settlement should have been dismissed because she acted in reliance on the orders of the probate court sustaining the claim of Christ Church and allowing the fees to herself and her attorney. This contention is based upon the provisions of Section 472.150 (unless otherwise indicated, all statutory references are to RSMo 1959, V.A.M.S.), the pertinent part of which reads as follows:

"For good cause, before the expiration of the period allowed for appeal after the order of final distribution of the administration of the estate of a decedent or ward, the court may vacate or modify its orders, judgments and decrees, or grant a rehearing therein * * *.

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Bluebook (online)
437 S.W.2d 132, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-estate-of-bacheller-moctapp-1968.