Kennedy v. Isenberg

146 P.2d 424, 63 Cal. App. 2d 214, 1944 Cal. App. LEXIS 930
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 6, 1944
DocketCiv. 14259
StatusPublished
Cited by97 cases

This text of 146 P.2d 424 (Kennedy v. Isenberg) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kennedy v. Isenberg, 146 P.2d 424, 63 Cal. App. 2d 214, 1944 Cal. App. LEXIS 930 (Cal. Ct. App. 1944).

Opinion

McCOMB, J.

There are presented for our determination:

(1) A motion to dismiss the appeal on the ground that the notice of appeal was not filed within the time prescribed by law.
(2) An appeal from a judgment in favor of respondent for the sum of $1,400 as attorney’s fees for extraordinary services performed for the estate of Warren D. Isenberg, deceased.

I

The undisputed facts pertaining to the motion to dismiss the appeal are these:

Judgment was entered in favor of respondent on February 25, 1943. On March 6, 1943, appellants filed with the clerk of the superior court a notice of intention to make a motion for a new trial. On May 3, 1943, the trial court made an order denying appellants’ motion for a new trial. On May 28, 1943, appellants filed their notice of appeal with this court.

*216 Having been taken within thirty days after the denial of the motion for a new trial, the appeal was in time. Section 939 of the Code of Civil Procedure provides that an appeal may be taken from a judgment within thirty days after the entry in the trial court of an order determining a motion for a new trial; therefore the motion to dismiss the appeal should be denied.

Palomar Refining Co. v. Prentice, 47 Cal.App.2d 572 [118 P.2d 322], relied on by respondent, is not here in point for the reason that the order in such ease was one denying a motion for a change of venue. As more than sixty days had elapsed from the time the order was entered before the notice of appeal was filed, and the case did not fall within any provision of section 939 of the Code of Civil Procedure extending the time beyond sixty days within which an appeal might be taken, the appellate court was clearly right in refusing to entertain the appeal. The instant case, however, falls within the provision of section 939 of the Code of Civil Procedure which permits an appeal within thirty days after the entry in the trial court of an order terminating the proceedings on a motion for a new trial.

II

On appeal from the judgment there are two questions necessary for us to determine which will be stated and answered hereunder seriatim.

First: Was there substantial evidence to sustain the trial court’s finding that (a) respondent and appellants had not entered into an agreement relative to the fees respondent should charge appellants for acting as attorney for the administrators of the estate of Warren D. Isenberg, deceased, (b) respondent rendered extraordinary services to the estate of Warren D. Isenberg, by (1) obtaining a reduction of the federal inheritance tax, (2) corresponding with ancillary administrators in Texas and Missouri, (3) obtaining a reduction in the state inheritance tax, (4) representing the estate in an unlawful detainer action in Kings County, California?

This- question must be answered in the affirmative, and is governed by the following pertinent rules:

(1) It is the general rule that on appeal an appellate court will (a) view the evidence in the light most favorable to the respondent, (b) not weigh the evidence, (c) indulge all intendments which favor sustaining the finding of *217 the trier of fact, and (d) not disturb the finding of the trier of fact if there is substantial evidence in the record in support thereof. (California Emp. Com. v. Betthesda Foundation, 54 Cal.App.2d 348, 350 [128 P.2d 874]; People v. Dukes, 90 Cal.App. 657, 659 [266 P. 558].)
(2) When a finding of fact is attacked on the ground that there is not any substantial evidence to sustain it, the power of an appellate court begins and ends with a determination as to whether there is any substantial evidence contradicted or uncontradicted which will support the finding of fact. (Estate of Winzeler, 42 Cal.App.2d 246, 248 [108 P.2d 720]; 2 McK. Dig. (1930), p. 701, Appeal and Error, sec. 1235.)
(3) The amount of compensation for extraordinary services rendered an estate by an attorney for an administrator rests in the discretion of the trial court, and its allowance will not be disturbed on appeal in the absence of a showing of a plain abuse of discretion. (Estate of Neff, 56 Cal. App.2d 728, 731 et seq [133 P.2d 413]; Estate of Hardenberg, 18 Cal.App.2d 307, 310 [63 P.2d 1200].)

Applying the foregoing rules to the present case, an examination of the record discloses substantial evidence to sustain the questioned findings of fact, and each and every finding of fact upon which the judgment was necessarily predicated. For example:

(a) Respondent’s testimony relative to any agreement that he had with appellants was as follows:

“Q. Did you have any agreement with him (J. W. Isenberg) regarding extraordinary fees or any extraordinary fees in your matter? A. We discussed the matter of ordinary and extraordinary fees, and I stated to them what ordinary fees covered, and that when anything of an extraordinary nature would come up we would discuss that, and we did discuss it on each and every occasion when money was borrowed, lawsuits filed, Howard and Comstock case, and all that.
“Q. With whom did you discuss it? A. Joe Isenberg.
“Q. Was Mrs. Copple present? A. No. Mrs. Copple never attended any conference of the estate except about twice. ’ ’

(b) The record discloses that respondent (1) made and filed an affidavit for reappraisal of the estate with the federal government, and participated in a hearing which lasted five days and which resulted in a reduction of the federal *218 inheritance tax, (2) wrote fourteen letters relative to properties of the estate located in the states of Texas and Missouri, (3) was substituted as attorney for the administrators of the estate of Warren D. Isenberg, that at the time of such substitution, the appraised value of the estate was more than $70,000 and funds of the widow of decedent had been commingled with those of the estate, with the result that it took considerable time for respondent to correct the records in accordance with the actual facts, segregating the property belonging to the estate from that belonging to the widow of decedent, (4) did considerable research work in connection with a demurrer, briefs, findings of fact, and a motion for a new trial, in an unlawful detainer action filed on behalf of the estate in Kings County, California.

Further discussion of the evidence would serve no useful purpose.

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Bluebook (online)
146 P.2d 424, 63 Cal. App. 2d 214, 1944 Cal. App. LEXIS 930, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kennedy-v-isenberg-calctapp-1944.