James v. Webb

827 S.W.2d 702, 1991 Ky. App. LEXIS 149, 1991 WL 261367
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedDecember 13, 1991
DocketNo. 90-CA-2330-S
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 827 S.W.2d 702 (James v. Webb) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
James v. Webb, 827 S.W.2d 702, 1991 Ky. App. LEXIS 149, 1991 WL 261367 (Ky. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinion

HOWERTON, Judge.

Norma James, as administratrix of her husband’s estate, appeals from a judgment of the Warren Circuit Court concluding that certain bearer bonds found in a safe deposit box shared by Norma and her husband were assets of Mr. James’ estate and were to be distributed according to the intestate statutes. Reluctantly, we affirm.

Edwin James died intestate on February 12,1986. He and Norma had been married since January 21, 1970. Norma was approximately 70 years old at Edwin’s death. The only heirs Edwin left are some nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews.1 No mention is made of any children.

Norma was duly appointed administra-trix of Edwin’s estate on March 6, 1986. The entire estate was valued at $600,000-$800,000. The only issue in this appeal is the character of bearer bonds which Edwin left in safe deposit box # 1682 at Citizens National Bank of Bowling Green. These bonds had a face value at Edwin’s death of $166,000. In this box were also some deeds to jointly-held property and some coin collections. Norma listed the coin collections as assets of the estate.

Edwin and Norma rented the box together on November 26, 1975. Both signed the lease agreement with the bank and both had keys to the box. Edwin sometimes opened the box without Norma, but Norma never opened the box without Edwin until his death. Norma testified that the two of them would go together every month and she would clip the interest coupons from the bonds, and the interest would be deposited into their joint checking account for living expenses. The heirs objected to most of the above testimony as violative of the Dead Man’s Statute. KRS 421.210.

Norma also testified that Edwin had three other safe deposit boxes in his name alone and these contained some certificates of deposit in joint names with Edwin or Norma, and with Edwin and various other persons, including some nieces and nephews. Not all the heirs were left money in this manner, but the certificates of deposit to the heirs who were named were for substantial amounts, $20,000-$50,000. The heirs objected to the testimony concerning other safe deposit boxes as irrelevant.

At first, Norma listed the bonds as an asset of Edwin’s estate, but she later deleted them. Some of the heirs then brought suit to assert their rights to one-half the value of the bonds. See KRS 391.030, 391.-010.

The Warren Circuit Court held the Dead Man’s Statute applicable to exclude much of Norma’s testimony concerning her activity with Edwin in entering the safe deposit box. The court also held that the box agreement was not sufficient to give title to the bonds to Norma, and thus the court included them in Edwin’s estate to be distributed according to the laws of descent and distribution. KRS Chapter 391. Consequently, Norma would get her dower share of one-half, KRS 392.020, and the other heirs would share the balance. KRS 391.030, 391.010.

The lease agreement on the lock box reads in pertinent part:

In the event said box is leased in the names of more than one person, the lessee shall be considered as tenants in common and any one of them shall have access thereto and the right to remove the contents therefrom or appoint an [704]*704agent for that purpose. In the event of the death of one of them, the survivor or survivors agree to notify the bank thereof, but may continue to enter said box and remove the contents therefrom, subject only to any restrictions imposed by law. Either lessee may terminate this lease and remove the contents from said box and surrender and release same, either before or after the death of his co-lessee or co-lessees. The bank assumes no responsibility for the act of any lessee against the interest of his co-lessee or co-lessees. (Emphasis added.)2

This case was submitted to the trial court on a stipulation of facts, which read in part:

(6) Norma James claims that, upon Edwin James’ death, she became the owner of all of the contents, including the bearer bonds, of Box No. 1682; based upon the fact that the box was held in the joint names determined the ownership of the contents and that she became the owner of the contents by right of survivorship.
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(13) Plaintiffs [heirs] claim that the only issue before this Court is an issue of law, to wit: should the terms and provisions of the lock box rental agreement govern the ownership of the contents of the box?

Thus, it appears that Norma is claiming sole ownership of the bonds based on the language of the lock box agreement creating a right of survivorship in her to the contents. She also advanced the alternate theory on appeal that she and Edwin had held the bonds in some form of joint tenancy, entitling her to one-half outright on his death, and an additional one-fourth as dower interest. The heirs, and rightly so, argue that this theory was never advanced in the trial court, nor included in her preliminary statement to this Court, and thus Norma is precluded from raising this theory on appeal. Karam v. Greentree Corp., Ky.App., 783 S.W.2d 78, 81 (1990); Howard v. Hamilton, Ky.App., 612 S.W.2d 345, 347 (1981); CR 76.14(6).

First, a safe deposit box is not an “account” or “other like arrangement” pursuant to KRS 391.300(1) entitling the surviving party to the balance. KRS 391.-315(1) reads in part, “Sums remaining on deposit at the death of a party to a joint account belong to the surviving party or parties as against the estate of the decedent unless there is clear and convincing evidence of a different intention at the time the account is created.” “Account” is defined as “a contract of deposit of funds between a depositor and a financial institution, and includes a checking account, savings account, certificate of deposit, share account and other like arrangement.” KRS 391.300(1). “Bank account” is defined as “[a]ny account with a bank, including a checking, time, interest or savings account.” Black’s Law Dictionary 144 (6th ed. 1990); KRS 355.4-104(l)(a); Her-rén v. Cochran, Ky.App., 697 S.W.2d 149, 152 (1985). A safe deposit box and the valuables placed therein, be they jewelry, coin collections, or bearer bonds create a situation analogous to a bailment, rather than a bank account. 10 Am.Jur.2d Banks § 470 (1963) [hereinafter “Banks”]. Cases dealing with bank accounts,

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Bluebook (online)
827 S.W.2d 702, 1991 Ky. App. LEXIS 149, 1991 WL 261367, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/james-v-webb-kyctapp-1991.