Jensen v. Priebe

80 N.W.2d 127, 163 Neb. 481, 1956 Neb. LEXIS 146
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 28, 1956
DocketNo. 34037
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 80 N.W.2d 127 (Jensen v. Priebe) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jensen v. Priebe, 80 N.W.2d 127, 163 Neb. 481, 1956 Neb. LEXIS 146 (Neb. 1956).

Opinion

Chappell, J.

Lydia F. Evans, a resident of Kearney, Buffalo County, Nebraska, died June 25, 1954, when she was almost 86 years old. She left an estate consisting of real and personal property appraised at $117,686.21. On July 3, 1954, John P. Jensen, as named executor, filed her purported will and codicil thereto, together with a petition seeking probate thereof in the county court. Thereto Franklin F. Evans, Galen Evans, and Martha E. Priebe, who were the only children and sole heirs at law of Lydia F. Evans, filed objections, together with a purported revocation of such will and codicil. After hearing in the county court a decree was rendered, finding and adjudging that the will and codicil had been duly executed as required by law at a time when testatrix had testamentary capacity, but that likewise while having testamentary capacity and without undue influence, she had thereafter duly executed a revocation thereof, and died intestate.

Therefrom John P. Jensen and Maurice F. May, a nephew of testatrix, hereinafter designated as proponents or by name, appealed to the district court where new pleadings were filed, to wit: Proponent’s petition seeking probate of the purported will and codicil; the answer of contestants, denying generally and alleging at length a subsequent revocation thereof by Lydia F. Evans, hereinafter called testatrix; and proponents’ reply denying generally and alleging that such “revocation was executed by said testatrix by reason of improper and undue influence exerted upon the mind of the testatrix by Franklin F. Evans,” hereinafter called Franklin, and that testatrix lacked testamentary capacity at the time of its execution. (Italics supplied.)

Thereafter, upon trial to a jury, it returned a verdict [483]*483for contestants, finding that the revocation was the true and valid revocation of testatrix, and judgment was rendered in conformity therewith. Proponents’ motion for new trial was overruled, and they appealed to this court, assigning that: (1) The verdict was not supported by the evidence but was contrary thereto and contrary to law; (2) the court erred in the admission and exclusion of certain evidence; and (3) the court erred in giving instructions Nos. 5 and 9. We conclude that the assignments have no merit.

In that connection, proponents also assigned and argued that the substance of the rule of law contained in instruction No. 10 was erroneous because it was incomplete, and that instruction No. 18 was erroneous because the substance of the informative rules of law contained therein was duplicitious and misleading. However, proponents’ motion for new trial did not assign that such instructions were erroneous, and they will not be reviewed by this court. In Muller v. Jensen, 144 Neb. 1, 12 N. W. 2d 80, we held: “Error alleged in an instruction to the jury must be called to the attention of the trial court, in the motion for a new trial, before it will be considered by this court.”

In In re Estate of Kaiser, 150 Neb. 295, 34 N. W. 2d 366, we held: “Issues of fact in will contest cases are determined in this court by the sufficiency of the evidence under the law to sustain the verdict of the jury or the findings of the district court, and where the evidence in a case tried to the jury is conflicting, issues of fact are questions for its determination.”

In Remmenga v. Selk, 150 Neb. 401, 34 N. W. 2d 757, reaffirmed on rehearing in Fuss v. Williamson, 160 Neb. 141, 69 N. W. 2d 539, we held that: ' “In testing the sufficiency of evidence to support a verdict it must be considered in the light most favorable to the successful party, that is, every controverted fact must be resolved in his favor and he should have the benefit of every inference that can reasonably be deduced there[484]*484from.” See, also, In re Estate of Farr, 150 Neb. 615, 35 N. W. 2d 489.

In that respect, the record conclusively shows and it is undisputed that on January 22, 1951, Jensen, a lawyer at Kearney, drew the last will and testament for testatrix, then 82 years old. Such will was then duly executed and attested as provided by law at a time when testatrix had testamentary capacity.

Item X of the will nominated and appointed Jensen as executor with full power at his discretion to do any and all things necessary for complete administration of her estate, including the power to sell at public or private sale and without order of court any real or personal property belonging to her estate and to execute and deliver a good and sufficient deed or bill of sale thereto. It further empowered him to compound, compromise, or otherwise settle or adjust any and all claims, charges, debts, and demands whatsoever against or in favor of her estate, as fully as she could do if living.

Item II directed the executor to sell at public or private sale, at any price deemed sufficient to him, and deliver deeds to the purchaser of certain described lands. Out of such proceeds he was directed to pay $1,000 to a named church college at McPherson, Kansas; $1,000 to a named biblical seminary in Chicago; $1,000 to a named hospital in Chicago; and $1,000 to the board of foreign missions of a church in Elgin, Illinois. All such institutions were related in some form to Church of the Brethern of which testatrix was a sustaining member. It also provided that if the proceeds of such sale were not sufficient to pay all of such sums, then such respective bequests were ordered decreased proportionately. If a surplus remained after paying such bequests, the remainder thereof was directed to be paid one-half to the Church of the Brethern of Kearney, and one-half to the Nebraska Conference of the Church of the Brethern Camp.

Item III devised certain described lots and a house [485]*485owned by her in Kearney to her nephew, Samuel M. Forney, who was the minister of her Church of the Brethern in Kearney and who was present when the will was made. Item IX thereof also devised and bequeathed to him all the residue of her estate.

Item IV devised a described 121.68 acres of land to her three named children, share and share alike. They were contestants herein.

Item V devised certain described lands to her 11 named grandchildren, share and share alike, with provision that in the event of the death of any of them prior to her death, and leaving issue, then such issue should take the share of their deceased parent, otherwise their share should lapse and go to her surviving named grandchildren.

Item VI devised a described house and lots in Kearney to Paul Forney and Stella Forney, his wife, as tenants in common. Paul Forney was an adopted brother of Samuel M. Forney.

Item VII devised her described home to Maurice May, a nephew, who is an appellant herein.

Item VIII provided that certain cash bequests and legacies should remain a lien on all of her estate, and gave the executor like additional powers of sale if the personal property or cash in her estate was insufficient to pay same.

The record is conclusive and undisputed that on February 8, 1951, just 17 days after testatrix had executed her will, Jensen drew the codicil thereto for her. Such codicil was then duly executed and attested as provided by law at a time when testatrix had testamentary capacity. It confirmed and ratified her will in every respect except so far as any part of it was inconsistent with her codicil.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
80 N.W.2d 127, 163 Neb. 481, 1956 Neb. LEXIS 146, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jensen-v-priebe-neb-1956.