In Re the Estate of Ross

202 P. 641, 187 Cal. 454, 1921 Cal. LEXIS 378
CourtCalifornia Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 2, 1921
DocketS. F. No. 9573.
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 202 P. 641 (In Re the Estate of Ross) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re the Estate of Ross, 202 P. 641, 187 Cal. 454, 1921 Cal. LEXIS 378 (Cal. 1921).

Opinion

LAWLOR, J.

This is an appeal by certain relatives of Catherine Ross, deceased, from an order granting a petition by the administrator for a partial distribution of the estate of the said Catherine Ross.

Catherine Ross died intestate March 22, 1916, leaving an estate amounting to upward of fifty thousand dollars. At her death she left neither issue nor surviving father, mother, brother, or sister. She did leave surviving her six nephews and nieces, the children of a deceased sister, Elizabeth PI. Donohue, and thirteen grandnephews, grandnieces, great-grandnephews, and great-grandnieces, descendants of another deceased sister, Bridget H. Quinn. At the time of her death there were living also two sisters of John Ross, her predeceased husband, and certain descendants of a de *456 ceased brother and three deceased sisters of the said John Ross.

The estate of Catherine Ross consisted partly of her separate property and partly of property alleged to have been community property of herself and her deceased husband. The community property came to her through a decree of distribution of the estate of John Ross. James R. Garrick, the petitioner and one of the respondents herein, • and a relative of John Ross, and Katherine H. Nicholson, one of the appellants and a relative of Catherine Ross, were appointed and qualified as administrator and administratrix, respectively, of the estate of Catherine Ross.

The petition for partial distribution was filed October 23, 1919, by James R. Garrick, as administrator of the estate. It alleged that notice to creditors had been duly given; that the time within which claims against the estate might be presented had passed; that all claims which had been presented had been paid save one for $2,442.40, which had been rejected and for the establishment of which an action was at that time being prosecuted; that an inventory of the estate had been filed, and that the estate was not in a condition to be finally distributed. Then followed a recital of the items of the estate and a list of the surviving relatives of John and Catherine Ross. It further stated: “That it has not been determined what inheritance tax is due to the state of California out of said estate and a determination of that matter cannot be made until this court determines what part of the properties of said estate was the separate properties of said Catherine Ross, deceased, and what part of said properties was the community property of said deceased and her predeceased spouse, John Ross.” Petitioner’s prayer was that the court ascertain and determine the rights of all persons, interested in or claiming a portion of the estate, and the proportion to which each was entitled, and that petitioner have, such other relief as might be proper. A demurrer was interposed bn behalf of Katherine H. Nicholson on the ground that the petition did not state facts sufficient to entitle James R. Garrick to a partial distribution of the estate, which was overruled. Thereupon she filed an answer to the petition, wherein she alleged that all the property was the separate property of Catherine Ross; that Catherine *457 Boss died testate, and that certain named persons were her only beneficiaries; that the only heirs of Catherine Boss were certain named persons who were the descendants of her two predeceased sisters. The answer further denied all the allegations of the petition.

The court found that all the allegations of the petition were true and those of the answer were untrue; that certain designated property in the estate came to Catherine Boss by' decree of distribution from the estate of John Boss, which property was community property; that certain other designated property was her separate property, and that certain named persons were the relatives of John Boss and Catherine Boss. As conclusions of law the court found: “That all of the community property of said deceased . . . was succeeded to at the death of said Catherine Boss, deceased, and should be distributed, on final or partial distribution, in the following manner: One-half (%) thereof to the said sisters of the said John Boss, deceased, and to the said descendants of the said deceased brother and sisters of said John Boss, deceased, by right of representation, their heirs, administrators or assigns, and one-half (%) thereof to the said next of kin of said Catherine Boss, deceased, to wit: to the said children of said Elizabeth H. Donohue, deceased, their heirs, administrators or assigns.” The conclusion of law was to the effect that the separate property should be distributed to the heirs of Catherine Boss, namely, to the children of Elizabeth H. Donohue.

A portion of the estate amounting to twenty-eight thousand dollars was ordered distributed in accordance with the findings of the court. Prom this order one. grandnephew and four grandnieces of Catherine Boss take this appeal.' They are grandchildren of Bridget H. Quinn, one of the deceased sisters of Catherine Boss, whose descendants by the terms of the order of distribution are not entitled to share in the estate.

[1] 1. In considering the distribution of the estate we shall first dispose of the question of the separate property. In this connection respondents assert that “these nieces and nephews are ‘the next of kin’ of Catherine, Boss, and. the facts of this case bring it precisely within the provisions of .subdivision 5 of section 1386 [of the Civil Code], which provides that: ‘If the decedent leaves neither issue, *458 husband, wife, father, mother, brother, nor sister, the estate must go to the next of kin in equal degree’ that “It is well established that, under the circumstances of this case, subdivision 3 has no application because no brother or sister of deceased survived her.” Subdivision 3 of section 1386 is as follows: “If there is neither issue, husband, wife, father nor mother then in equal shares to the brothers and sisters of decedent and to the children or grandchildren of any deceased brother or sister, by right of representation.” Bespondents further state: “If there be no brother or sister of deceased living at the time of death, then the succession is not governed by subdivision 3, but is controlled by subdivision 5, which specifically provides for that precise case.”

Appellants contend that “subdivisions 2, 3, and 4, so far as they relate to inheritance by children and grandchildren of a deceased brother or sister, were all adopted at the same time and as amendments to the pre-existing statute, for the sole purpose of overturning the doctrine of the Estate of Ingram, 78 Cal. 586, [12 Am. St. Rep. 80, 21 Pac. 435], on which doctrine rests entirely the ruling in the Estate of Ellen Nigro, 172 Cal. 474, [156 Pac. 1019], relied upon by respondents to sustain the decree we have appealed from. . . . Of course if the deceased never had a brother or sister there could be no child or grandchild of a deceased brother or sister. . . . Subdivision 5 makes no provision whatever for vesting the inheritance in a brother or sister of the decedent and hence the absence therein of any reference to the children or grandchildren of a deceased brother or sister.

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Bluebook (online)
202 P. 641, 187 Cal. 454, 1921 Cal. LEXIS 378, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-the-estate-of-ross-cal-1921.