In re Estate of Holding

457 S.W.2d 545, 61 Tenn. App. 654, 1969 Tenn. App. LEXIS 299
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedOctober 31, 1969
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 457 S.W.2d 545 (In re Estate of Holding) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee 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 Holding, 457 S.W.2d 545, 61 Tenn. App. 654, 1969 Tenn. App. LEXIS 299 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1969).

Opinion

SHRIVER, P.J. (M.S.).

This case involves a claim against the estate of John T. Holding, deceased, filed by his son, Pat Holding, ‘ ‘ For the value of services rendered to John H. Holding and Mary Holding at the request of John T. Holding, from 1956 through May 26, 1967, the services consisting of feeding, washing, housekeeping, and nursing of the said Mary Holding and John T. Holding and the general management of their home. ’ ’

The claim which is for $20,000.00 was filed in the County Court of Fentress County on February 29, 1968, and an amended claim was filed in said Court on April 19th 1968.

The cause was certified to the Circuit Court by the County Court Clerk of Fentress County in accordance with T.C.A. sec. 30-517, and came on to be heard on the original claim, as amended, and the exceptions thereto, before Honorable William I. Davis, Jr., Circuit Judge, and a jury, on August 16-19, 1968, and resulted in a verdict and judgment for the claimant in the amount of [656]*656$7,100.00. After a motion for a new trial was heard and overruled, the cause was appealed to this Court and assignments filed.

ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR

I.

The Court erred in overruling exceptant-defendant’s motion for a directed verdict at the close of claimant’s proof.

II.

The Court erred in overruling exceptant-defendant’s motion for a directed verdict at the, close of all the proof in the case.

III.

The Court erred in overruling exceptant-defendant’s motion for a new trial, in that there was no evidence on the trial of the cause to support the verdict of the jury.

THE FACTS AND OUR CONCLUSIONS

John T. Holding died intestate on May 26, 1967, a resident of Fentress County, Tennessee, leaving as his only heirs at law nine children, including the appellant and appellee here. The claimant, appellee, Patrick H. Holding, qualified as administrator of the estate and some 11 months following his qualification as administrator, he filed the claim hereinabove mentioned.

In testifying as to the financial condition of his father, John T. Holding, Patrick Holding, the administrator and [657]*657claimant, stated that his father’s bank account had steadily increased from the time he, Patrick Holding, had returned home to look after his parents in 1953 through 1967, when his father died; that his father made periodic transfers to a savings account; that as administrator of his father’s estate, he had filed an inventory showing-personal assets of $21,609.16; that his father had paid $15,000.00 in cash for the Jamestown cafe in 1965; that his parents owned considerable real estate, consisting of farms and other property in Fentress County and he estimated his father’s net worth at the time of his death to be $100,000.00; and that the funeral bill was about the only debt of the estate (except his claim).

Defendant testified that he was 57 years old and that he had returned to Fentress County from Muncie, Indiana, in 1953, prior to which time he had worked at various plants in Indiana; he had been married and had three children and that he was divorced in 1948, and that at the time he returned to Fentress County in 1953, he was single. He stated that he had worked at several industrial plants in Indiana before returning to Fentress County and he estimated that his average wages amounted to $3,500.00 or $4,000.00 a year; that he served in the army in World War II, and had special training with the medical corps. When asked whether any of his brothers and sisters were living in Fentress County at the time he returned, he stated that his oldest sister lived there but that she was not in position to take care of his parents who, at that time, were quite old and living alone. He stated that at the time he returned his parents were living on a farm which was in very bad condition but there were 98 head of cattle on this farm. He testified that he came back home to look after his elderly parents and that [658]*658he cooked and cleaned house the best he could, fed his mother who was crippled with arthritis and who was confined to bed and a wheelchair after she broke her hip in November 1956, and was never able to walk again; that, in the latter years of her life until she died in 1964, he had to perform every kind of personal service for her, such as helping her in and out of bed, taking her to the bathroom, etc., etc. During much of this time, his mother was unable to control the functions of her body and he was her only help.

He testified that he looked after his father’s business and helped him with various services- until the time of his death at the age of 90 years.

The claimant insisted that for years he was on duty looking after his mother and father 24 hours a day seven days a week except that occasionally one of the other children would come and stay for a short while,, giving him some temporary relief from these duties.

The claimant testified that he expected to be paid for his services and that from 1953 through 1956, his father did partially pay him. Numerous checks were introduced as exhibits showing payment by John T. Holding to the climant designated “for work.” He testified that during the period in question he was paid the total of $2,831.95 by his father by checks with the notation thereon “for work” and that his father also paid $591.35 on his behalf for court fines and costs.

He filed a number of checks drawn by John Holding in favor of his other children, one such check being paid to Sam Holding for $10.00 “for taking him to a doctor in Knoxville. ’ ’

[659]*659Two checks introduced as exhibits were drawn by John Holding- to his daughter, Rurie Reynolds, in the amounts of $15.00 and $10.00 respectively, designated for “housework.” Among the checks filed as exhibits is another made out to Earl Holding designated “for work” and two other checks payable to Lowell Holding' both designated “for work on farm”. Still another is made to G-omer Holding for $25.00 and designated for “work”.

As reflecting on the question whether or not there was a contract expressed or implied to pay for the services of the claimant, he was asked why he returned to Fen-tress County and his answer was “my father and mother asked me to”. But this question and answer were objected to and the objection sustained.

Further, on testifying about the services he performed for his mother and father, the following appears in the record:

“A. Sure. I had to clean her. There was no way out of it.
Q. Did you provide such services seven days a week?
A. Yes.
Q. And from the date of your mother’s death until the date of your father’s death, did you provide the services for him?
A. Yes. I provided services for him ever since I come back here. I looked after his business. I had to go down on the farm. Even after my mother broke her hip, I would have to put her back in the bed and go down there and work for him to wait on her in the bed and then after she passed away, [660]*660then, of course, then I had to cook for him. Of course, he was in fairly good health. When she first passed away, he could come to town when he got ready. He could — but, still, I had to see after him. According to our contract—
MR.

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Bluebook (online)
457 S.W.2d 545, 61 Tenn. App. 654, 1969 Tenn. App. LEXIS 299, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-estate-of-holding-tennctapp-1969.