Jeffress v. Hicks

1932 OK 236, 10 P.2d 419, 156 Okla. 291, 1932 Okla. LEXIS 259
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedMarch 29, 1932
Docket21267
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 1932 OK 236 (Jeffress v. Hicks) 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
Jeffress v. Hicks, 1932 OK 236, 10 P.2d 419, 156 Okla. 291, 1932 Okla. LEXIS 259 (Okla. 1932).

Opinion

CULLISON, J.

Plaintiff instituted suit in the district court seeking to recover one-half of the property held in the name of her deceased husband, George W. Hicks, on the theory that a partnership existed between said husband and wife.

The record discloses that George Hicks, deceased, was married prior to his marriage to this plaintiff, and that to the first marriage were born two children. Thereafter, plaintiff and George W. Hicks were married on or about January 1, 1896, and, lived together as husband and wife until the death of said George W. Hicks on February 5, 1925. The record further discloses that plaintiff had a small amount of money when she married, but that her husband had no money. That they entered into the business of manufacturing cheese and remained in said business for some six years, during which time both parties worked at the cheese manufacturing business.

They sold their cheese factory for a profit of $8,000 with which amount of money they moved to Roff, Okla., where they engaged in business for a short time, and then devoted all of their time to the real estate business up to the date of George W. Hicks’ death.

George W. Hicks executed a will, and upon his death said will was admitted to probate in the county court of Pontotoc county. The executor appointed in said will took charge of the assets of the estate and concluded the administration thereon. All of the property in controversy was carried in the name of George W. Hicks and was inventoried in said estate. The widow was granted a family allowance in said estate.

According to the terms of said will, the widow was to receive one-third of all of deceased’s property, substantial bequests were made to deceased’s two daughters, and the balance of the estate was bequeathed to Lena Jeffress, a girl who had been raised by Hicks and wife.

When the executor filed his final report and petition to distribute tbe property in accordance with the terms and conditions of the will, Mrs. Hicks filed a petition praying that said property he distributed to her because the same was property accumulated by their joint industry. An agreed statement of facts was entered into and filed before the county court, in lieu of introducing evidence upon the hearing of the final report and the petitions filed thereto. And in said agreed statement of facts it was stated:

“That all of the property owned by George W. Hicks at the time of his death and now in question, was acquired during his married life with the said Eva PI. Hicks and was the result of their joint industry during their married life.”

Said matter was heard by the county court and an order made approving the final report of the executor and distributing the estate in accordance with the terms and conditions of the will. From said decision of the county court, Eva Hicks, this plaintiff, appealed to the district court in said probate matter. Shortly after appealing- said probate cause to the district court, plaintiff filed the case at bar in the district court, wherein she alleged that a partnership existed between herself and her deceased husband. That said partnership began when they were married and was continued up to the date of his death, and that as a result of said partnership one-half of all the property held in the name of George W. Hicks was her individual property.

Plaintiff also presented a second and third cause of action in her petition, but dismissed the same upon trial.

Lena Maxey, nee Jeffress, and her husband, as defendants in said cause, questioned the jurisdiction of the district court and the right of plaintiff to maintain this action by demurrer, motion to strike, and by answer, wherein they pleaded the probate proceedings in the estate of George W. Hicks, deceased, as a bar to plaintiff’s right to recover.

Said cause was tried to a jury, to which jury the court submitted certain interrogatories for the jury to answer in advising the court. The jury answered said interrogatories favorably to plaintiff, and the court rendered judgment thereon holding that there was a partnership in existence between plaintiff and her deceased husband, George W. Hicks, and that one-half of all said property held in the name of said George W. Hicks was the property of plaintiff.

The court then ordered that the partnership affairs should be settled in the county court of Pontotoc county, Okla., as between the surviving partner, Eva H. Hicks, and the executor of the will as provided by section 1201, C. O. S. 1921. The defendant Lena *293 Maxey, nee Jeffress, appeals from said order and judgment of the district court.

Defendant presents as error that the verdict and judgment of the trial court is contrary to the law and evidence, and that the court committed error in its rulings on questions of law.

We observe that the basis of plaintiff’s cause of action is to establish that a partnership existed between plaintiff and her deceased husband, and in our consideration of said cause we should bear in mind that the estate of the deceased husband was probated in the county court of Pontotoc county, Okla., and final decree made therein, and said matter appealed to the district court, where said cause was a valid and existing cause of action at the time this case was tried. We also observe that plaintiff did not at any time during the probate of her deceased husband’s estate attempt to comply with the probate law relative to partnership, to wit, section 1201, C. O. S. 1021, which said section is as follows:

“1201. Proceedings Where Decedent Was a Partner: AVhen a partnership exists between the decedent, at the time of his death, and any other person, the surviving partner shall immediately, in company with the executor or administrator, or some other person or persons, to be appointed by the judge of the county court, take and furnish to said executor or administrator a correct and full inventory, and a fair and just ap-praisement, of all partnership property and assets held and belonging to himself and the deceased partner, after which the surviving partner shall settle the business of the co-partnership. The surviving partner shall settle the affairs of the partnership without delay, and account with the executor or administrator, and pay over such balances as may from time to time be payable to such executor or administrator in the right of the decedent. Upon the application of the executor or administrator, the judge of the county court shall in all cases require the surviving partner to give a good and sufficient bond, to be approved by the judge of the county court, for the honest and faithful disposal of the interest of the decedent in the copartnership, and the prompt payment of the proceeds thereof over to the executor or administrator, and in ease of neglect or refusal may, after notice, compel it by attachment; and the executor or administrator may maintain against him any action which the decedent could have maintained.”

Under the provisions of said section just quoted, where one member of a partnership dies, the surviving partner' should immediately proceed to close up the business of said partnership in company with the personal representative of said deceased partner. Said section makes adequate provision for carrying out the work of determining the amount of interest said deceased had in said partnership, should the same exist.

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Related

Swartz v. Dennis
1952 OK 444 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1952)
Jeffress v. Hicks
116 P.2d 905 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1941)
In Re Hicks' Estate
1941 OK 184 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1941)
Hicks v. Jeffress
1936 OK 609 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1936)

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Bluebook (online)
1932 OK 236, 10 P.2d 419, 156 Okla. 291, 1932 Okla. LEXIS 259, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jeffress-v-hicks-okla-1932.