Johnson v. Lander

36 P.2d 1006, 140 Kan. 329, 1934 Kan. LEXIS 65
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedNovember 3, 1934
DocketNo. 31,671
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 36 P.2d 1006 (Johnson v. Lander) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Johnson v. Lander, 36 P.2d 1006, 140 Kan. 329, 1934 Kan. LEXIS 65 (kan 1934).

Opinion

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Thiele, J.:

These are appeals arising from allowance of claims against 'estates of decedents.

Appeals in separate cases have been presented together. In the probate court each of the plaintiffs filed claims against the estates of Anders Hedin and Anna Hedin, where allowances were made, and both of the claimants and the executor of the Anders Hedin estate and the administrator of the Anna Hedin estate appealed to the district court. In that court the two claims against the Anders Hedin estate were tried together, and from a judgment in favor of the [330]*330claimants the executor appeals. As the same evidence tended to prove each claim against each estate, and as similar claims and pleadings were filed, they seem to have been treated together up to the beginning of the trial in the district court.

So far as the appeal in the Anna Hedin estate is concerned, it appears from the abstract that the claims against her estate are- still pending and undetermined in the district court. The only appeal-able order made with reference to her estate was the overruling of a demurrer on February 17, 1933. The notice of appeal by the administrator was not filed with the clerk of the trial court until August 18, 1933, which, under R. S. 60-3306 and 60-3309, was too late. This court is without jurisdiction to entertain the appeal, and it is dismissed.

So far as the appeal in the Anders Hedin estate is concerned, the appellant urges four propositions:

• 1. Whether or not the action is to specifically perform a contract or is to establish a claim for services.

2. Whether the probate court had jurisdiction.

3. If the probate court had no jurisdiction, did the district court have?

4. Does the evidence sustain the verdict?

Omitting caption and signature, the claim filed by Emma Clareen was as follows:

“You are hereby notified that I have a claim against the estate of the said deceased, Anders Hedin, consisting of labor and services rendered by me to the said Anders Hedin and to his wife, Anna Hedin, during their lifetime, and during a period of over thirty (30) years last past. Which services and labor was performed continuously during the said years without any interruption, and that the said services and labor thus rendered by me to Anders Hedin and Anna Hedin, his wife, was by virtue of an oral contract between the said Anders Hedin and Anna Hedin, his wife, and myself, whereby they did each of them separately and together and collectively agree with me that if I would give them during the remainder of their lifetime my love and affection and to the best of my ability comfort them in their declining years and would do as near as possible what a child would do for a parent and assist in their ordinary cares and household affairs and render assistance in the days of sickness and generally to give them such comfort as I could during the remainder of their lifetime that they would leave to my sister and myself their entire estate, and did state that their estate would not be less than three thousand dollars (S3,000) to each.
“That during these years I have performed all of the services demanded of me in every respect, and at the time that the said Anders Hedin made his last will and testament, a copy of which is hereto attached, marked ‘Exhibit [331]*331A,’ and made a part hereof. He does name my sister, Anna Johnson, and myself as the residuary beneficiaries under his last will and testament, but does provide to give over fifty per cent. (50%) of his estate to other parties and institutions, and that I do claim that the estate of Anders Hedin is lawfully indebted to me in the entire sum of the estate, which, according to the agreement should not consist of less than three thousand dollars ($3,000), according to the said agreement made and entered into between the said Anders Hedin and myself, and for which claim I pray a judgment for the sum of three thousand dollars ($3,000), and that I am a claimant against the said estate for said amount of money, and have had, and done all things herein set forth, and that all of these things are within my knowledge, and that I have given all credit to the said estate that the said estate is entitled to, and that there is no set-offs of any kind from me to the said estate.”

At the same time she filed a “petition” alleging substantially the same facts as to the contract and performance thereof, and—

“That your petitioner is entitled to all of said estate that is left after the payment of the debts and funeral expenses and the expenses of the last sickness of the said Anders Hedin and Anna Hedin, his wife, and that the said claims of the petitioner consists of all the personal property and real estate belonging to said estate.”

Anna Johnson filed a similar claim and petition. After hearing in the probate court the claims were allowed in the sum of $3,000, and the claimants and the executor each appealed to the district court, in which court the executor, by motions to elect and to strike, and by demurrer, raised the question whether the action was one to recover an indebtedness, or was one to specifically enforce a contract. Rulings adverse to the executor’s contentions were made, following which he filed an answer denying the allegations of plaintiff’s petition and alleging that if deceased was indebted for services as alleged in the petition, such indebtedness was fully satisfied in the lifetime of the deceased. Thereafter, trial by jury was had. A verdict was returned for the plaintiffs, the amount of their joint recovery “to be the estate, less taxes, debts and expenses.” The jury answered fourteen special questions submitted, which will be mentioned later. In support of his contention that this was not proof of a claim against the estate, but actually was a suit to specifically perform a contract and subject only to the jurisdiction of the district court, appellant does not refer us to any Kansas case in point, nor does our search reveal anywhere the precise point has been decided.

It may be conceded that certain language in the demands and petitions can be so construed that it may be said claimants were [332]*332seeking specific performance, while other statements just as clearly show they were seeking recovery for the value of services rendered by virtue of a contract which fixed that value. While the trial court might well have sustained the motion to require claimants to elect, and thus have clarified the matter, it cannot be overlooked that when the claimants filed their demands in the probate court, they were invoking only such jurisdiction as that court possessed and which did not include jurisdiction over an action in specific performance. The matter was tried to a jury which, to say the least, would only be called in an equitable action in an advisory capacity, and there is nothing in the record to indicate it was so called here. As we view the matter, the issue was tried on a basis more consistent with allowance of a claim against the estate than for specific performance of a contract with the decedent. For a complete answer, however, it is necessary to refer to the jurisdiction of the probate court. Our statute (R. S. 22-701 et seq.)

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
36 P.2d 1006, 140 Kan. 329, 1934 Kan. LEXIS 65, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/johnson-v-lander-kan-1934.