Kirby v. Brown

383 S.W.2d 184, 1964 Tex. App. LEXIS 2265
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedSeptember 9, 1964
DocketNo. 5669
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 383 S.W.2d 184 (Kirby v. Brown) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kirby v. Brown, 383 S.W.2d 184, 1964 Tex. App. LEXIS 2265 (Tex. Ct. App. 1964).

Opinion

CLAYTON, Justice.

This is a will contest. The decedent, Jeannette McKain Monroe, died on March [185]*18512, 1962. Shortly thereafter Elizabeth Monroe Kirby, a foster-daughter, filed application for the probate of a purported will of decedent dated August 10, 1960, which left all the property of decedent, including Government bonds, to the applicant and named her Independent Executrix of the estate. The applicant is herein designated as the Proponent of said will and appellant here. A contest of said purported will was filed by Mrs. Alberta McKain Brown and Mrs. Amanda McKain Reaves, sisters of decedent, herein designated appellees and Contestants, who claimed lack of testamentary capacity of, and undue influence exerted upon, the decedent at the time of the execution of this will and asked for the probate of a prior will dated March 24, 1958. The prior will provided for an essentially equal distribution of the estate between the foster-daughter and the two sisters, with all Government bonds to go to the person named in each bond as payee upon death of the testatrix. In the County Court at Law of El Paso County, Texas, where the contest was heard, judgment was entered for Proponent and the 1960 will was admitted to probate. Appeal was taken to the District Court of El Paso County, where trial was to a jury. Undue influence was not raised by the evidence, and in answer to a single issue the jury found that the testatrix, at the time she executed the 1960 will, lacked testamentary capacity. Judgment was then entered for Contestants of this will and the 1958 will was admitted to probate; from which judgment Proponent brought this appeal. Before judgment was entered it was conceded that the earlier will was entitled to be probated in the event that the later will was not established as the valid will of the decedent.

Appellant presents six points of error. The first point urges error on the part of the court in overruling Proponent’s motion for an instructed verdict at the close of Contestants’ case. Appellant’s position is that as Proponent of the 1960 will she had established a prima facie case for admission to probate of said will, and that Contestants had failed to meet their burden of proof or to rebut Proponent’s case, and that there was no evidence, or insufficient evidence, to show the lack of testamentary capacity on the part of the testatrix, and therefore no issue of fact was presented for submission to the jury.

The second point cites error in overruling Proponent’s motion for an instructed verdict at the close of all the evidence because of the absence of any evidence of probative force, or sufficient evidence, to show lack of testamentary capacity, whereas Proponent had established by the undisputed evidence, and by the great weight and preponderance of the evidence, that the 1960 will was entitled to probate.

The third point complains of the overruling of Proponent’s objection to the submission of the sole issue of testamentary capacity to the jury, and the fourth point relates to the overruling of Proponent’s Motion for Judgment Non Obstante Veredicto.

All of these points are “no evidence” points; 38 Texas Law Review 361, “ ‘No Evidence’ and ‘Insufficient Evidence’ Points of Error” (1960), Robert W. Calvert, at page 362. See also Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company v. Giles, 354 S.W.2d 410 (Tex.Civ.App., 1962; Ref., N.R.E.):

“At the outset appellees object to our consideration of appellant’s ‘insufficient evidence’ points, contending that a motion for instructed verdict and a motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict do not raise questions of sufficiency or weight of the evidence but only raise questions of ‘no evidence’. We agree that this is the law. 4 Tex. Jur.2d § 769, p. 279; In re King’s Estate, 150 Tex. 662, 244 S.W.2d 660; Galveston, H. & S. A. Ry. Co. v. Cook ( [Tex.] Civ.App.), 214 S.W. 539. Accordingly, we will consider all of appellant’s points as ‘no evidence’ points. Glens Falls Insurance Company v. Vetrano, Tex.Civ.App., 347 S.W.2d [186]*186769; Shapiro v. Edwards, Tex.Civ.App., 331 S.W.2d 242.
“In passing upon 'no evidence’ points we must be governed'by the well-established rule that if an issue of fact is raised by the evidence, it must go to the jury even though a verdict based on such evidence would have to be set aside as not supported by sufficient evidence. Wallace v. Southern Cotton-Oil Co., 91 Tex. 18, 40 S.W. 399. An issue of fact is raised if discarding all adverse evidence, and giving credit to all evidence favorable to the plaintiff, and indulging every legitimate conclusion favorable to the plaintiff which might have been drawn from the facts proved, a jury might have found in favor of the plaintiff.” (Citing cases). ,

The fifth point of error is based upon the overruling of Proponent’s Amended Motion for New Trial assigning therefor that the verdict of the jury was not supported by the evidence and was so contrary to the great weight and preponderance of the evidence as to be wrong and unjust. This is an “insufficient evidence” point. 38 Texas Law Review, supra, at page 365.

These points require a careful examination of the entire evidence and a brief statement thereof to explain our determination of these points.

The testatrix suffered a stroke on May 6, 1960 and was confined to a hospital. On May 9th an application was filed in probate court for the 'appointment of Proponent as Temporary Guardian of testatrix’ estate, the heading of the application reading “In the Guardianship of Jeannette Monroe, an Incompetent”. The application was filed under the provisions of the Texas Probate Code, V.A.T.S., which, in Part 1 of Chapter VI provides for “Temporary Administration in the .Interest of (A) Estates of Decedents, 'and (B) Persons or Estates of Minors and Incompetents”. The word “Incompetent” also appears in the heading of various other instruments filed in connection' with the guardianship, both before and after the will of August 10, 1960 was executed by testatrix. Proponent, on May 10, 1960, and in connection with her appointment as Temporary Guardian, signed a $10,000.00 bond' describing her ward as “Jeannette Mon"roe, an Incompetent, and a person of unsound mind”;- and an oath reciting the ward was “a person of unsound mind”. The ' Texas Probate Code, Chapter 1, section 3 (p), provides that “ ‘Incompetents’ or ‘Incompetent persons’ are persons non compos-mentis, idiots, lunatics, insane persons, common or habitual drunkards, and other persons who are mentally incompetent to care for themselves or. to manage -their property and financial affairs.” Section 3(y) provides : “ ‘Persons of unsound mind’ are persons non compos mentis, idiots, lunatics, insane persons, and other persons who are mentally incompetent to care for themselves or -to manage their property and financial affairs.” (Emphasis supplied).

On August 12, 1960, two days after the execution of the proffered August 10th will (which allegedly was signed for testatrix by an attorney), Proponent filed her application , for appointment as Permanent Guardian of the estate of Jeannette Monroe. In this application no mention is made of an “incompetent”, but in other papers filed in connection therewith the word “incompetent” is used.

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Bluebook (online)
383 S.W.2d 184, 1964 Tex. App. LEXIS 2265, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kirby-v-brown-texapp-1964.