In Re Fife's Estate

1931 OK 734, 6 P.2d 821, 154 Okla. 7, 1931 Okla. LEXIS 471
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedNovember 24, 1931
Docket20664
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 1931 OK 734 (In Re Fife's Estate) 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
In Re Fife's Estate, 1931 OK 734, 6 P.2d 821, 154 Okla. 7, 1931 Okla. LEXIS 471 (Okla. 1931).

Opinion

RILEY, J.

This is an appeal from a judgment and order of the district court of Ok-mulgee county surcharging the account of William P. Morton, administrator of the estate of Gibson Fife, deceased, in favor of Jannie Knight, nee Fife, a sister, and one of the heirs at law of Gibson Fife.

William P. Morton, plaintiff in error, was appointed administrator of the estate of Gibson Fife, deceased, on April 11, 1927. The only money or property coming into his hands as such administrator was the sum of $6,907, the proceeds of a United States policy of insurance. It is conceded that the only heirs at law of said Gibson Fife were Jann’e Knight, nee Fife, a sister, and two children of the deceased brother. It is likewise conceded that Jannie Knight, defendant in error herein, was entitled to one-half of the estate of Gibson Fife.

Upon application of Jannie Knight, the administrator on March 9, 1928, filed in the county court what he called the final account of his acts and doings as such adminis *8 trator, showing receipt of the sum of $6,907, with which sum he charged himself. He ashed credit for several items as having been paid out in the total sum of $2,825.98, showing balance in his hands of $4,081.05, subject to distribution. Hearing of the report was set for April 30, 1928. March 23, 1928, Jannie Knight filed her petition for an order of distribution, and on April 30th, the date set for hearing, Jannie Knight being a full-blood Indian, Peter Deichman, United States probate attorney, filed exceptions to the final account as to six items for which the administrator claimed credit amounting to $2,430.95. On the same day Jannie Knight, by her attorney, filed her separate objections or exceptions, adopting those of the probate attorney, and objecting also to another item amounting to $189.52. The matter was heard by the county judge on April 30, 1928, and all objections and exceptions to the report were overruled and denied. However, the county court reduced the amount of the administrator’s claim for services to the extent of $157.67, and also reduced the amount allowed for attorney’s fee from $500 to $400, and found the balance due in the hands of the administrator for distribution to be the sum of $3,844.50, and entered a decree of distribution fixing the amount due Jannie Knight at $1,480.17. Jannie Knight accepted no part of funds in dispute based upon the items of expense of administrator. From the finding and order, Jannie Knight appealed to the district court. Notice of appeal dated May 9, 1928, was filed in the county court May 10, 1928.

On May 9, 1928, William P. Morton, the administrator, gave to Jannie Knight a check for $1,405.17, and took from her a receipt as follows:

“In the County Court, Okmulgee County, State of Oklahoma.
“In the Matter of the Estate of Gibson Fife, Deceased.
“W. P. Morton, Administrator. No. 2746.
“Received of William P. Morton, administrator of the above-named estate, the sum of fourteen hundred eighty & 17/100 dollars. Being my distributive share of the estate of the said Gibson Fife, deceased, as per order settling final account and decree of distribution signed by Orlando Swain, counity judge in and for said county hearing date of April 30, 1928.
"Dated this 9th day of May 1928.
“Jannie Knight,
“Jannie Knight, nee Fife.
“Witnesses:
“W. A. Barnett,
“R. S. Davidson.”

The appeal was set for hearing in the district court July 13, 1928, at which time the administrator offered in evidence the receipt above quoted and the check, which check showed it was paid on May 11, 1928. He then moved the court to dismiss the appeal:

“* * * for the reason that the record shows that Jannie Knight, nee Fife, the appellant in this case, has received and accepted the amount of money foujid due her by the county court, as evidenced by her final receipt, and by check executed toy the administrator in her favor, which has been indorsed and cashed by her and that this case is now moot and that there is nothing before the court to try.”

The motion was overruled and the hearing proceeded, resulting in an order and judgment surcharging the administrator as above stated.

The only question presented in the brief of plaintiff in error is the alleged error in refusing to dismiss the appeal. He contends that when defendant in error accepted the check and executed the receipt she waived her right of appeal. To support this contention he cites a number of cases from this court and some from other states which hold, in accordance with the general rule, that:

“When a party to an action voluntarily accepts the benefits accruing to him under a judgment, he thereby recognizes the validity of such judgment as against him. Such act on his part operates as a waiver of his right to prosecute an appeal therefrom or to bring error to reverse it.”

The above rule is stated in Ingram v. Groves, 84 Okla. 159, 202 P. 1019, and has been recognized and followed in a number of cases in this state. The general rule with reference to acceptance of the benefits of the judgment is stated in 3 C. J. 679, as follows:

“Subject to the exceptions and qualifications hereafter stated, the general rule is that a party who enforces, or otherwise accepts the benefit of a judgment, order, or decree cannot afterward maintain an appeal or writ of error to review the same or deny the authority which granted it.”

However, there are a number of well-established exceptions to this general rule. It' is said that the rule does not apply:

“* * * where the right to the benefit received is conceded by the opposite party or appellant is entitled thereto in any event, so that it could not be denied if the portions of the judgment or decree granting it should be reversed.” 3 C. J. 680.

*9 And:

“The rule that a party cannot maintain an appeal or writ of error to reverse a judgment or decree after he has acceepted payment of the same in whole or in part has no application, as a rule, where appellant is shown to he so absolutely entitled to the sum collected or accepted that reversal of the judgment or decree will not affect his right to it, as in the case of the collection of an admitted or uncontroverted part of his demand, and in other like eases, for, ‘in cases of this character, there can be no injustice, or vexatious oppression to the defendant, in allowing the plaintiff to receive that to which he is unquestionably entitled, and to confine future litigation only to so much of plaintiff’s claim as may be bona fide disputed’.”

It is clear that the claim of defendant in error comes within the exceptions quoted and that the cases cited by plaintiff in error have no application.

The final and supplemental account filed by plaintiff in error in the county court shows that he had in his hands subject to distribution much more than $2,960.34, one-half of which sum would be the amount of the receipt.

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Berry v. Empire Indemnity Insurance Co.
1981 OK 106 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1981)
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1959 OK 33 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1959)

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Bluebook (online)
1931 OK 734, 6 P.2d 821, 154 Okla. 7, 1931 Okla. LEXIS 471, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-fifes-estate-okla-1931.