Leach v. Estate of Cassity

279 S.W.2d 630, 1955 Tex. App. LEXIS 1847
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 13, 1955
Docket15619
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 279 S.W.2d 630 (Leach v. Estate of Cassity) 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
Leach v. Estate of Cassity, 279 S.W.2d 630, 1955 Tex. App. LEXIS 1847 (Tex. Ct. App. 1955).

Opinion

*632 MASSEY, Chief Justice.

Mrs. Jalah Moore Leach and Mrs. Mary Jane Peterson were children of Mrs. Jalah Puckett, an heir of E. C. Cassity, deceased, and the administratrix of his estate. They sued their mother, inclividually and as ad-ministratrix, and all the other heirs and assignees of heirs, in trespass to try title, and to impress a parol trust on certain real property of the estate. Certain of the defendants jointly filed ,a motion for summary judgment, upon which hearing was had and judgment as prayed for entered. Upon rendition of this judgment, the plaintiffs announced ready for trial against the two defendants, who, though served with citation, had defaulted, and the defendant who had filed a disclaimer. The trial court rendered judgment for these defendants. A single form of judgment covering both elements was prepared and entered. From judgment in both respects, as sumniarily entered and as entered on the merits, the plaintiffs appealed.

Summary judgment affirmed.

Judgment on the merits in part reversed and remanded, and in part reversed and rendered.

E. C. (Elbert) Cassity, a single man, died intestate in May, 1952. , His sister, Mrs. Jalah Puckett, a widow, qualified and was appointed administratrix of his estate pending in the Probate Court of Tarrant County, Texas. The deceased left eight heirs or sets of. heirs surviving him, to-wit: Mrs. Jalah Puckett, administratrix, a sister, Mrs. Arye Lewis, a sister, Hobert Cassity, a brother, Cabert Cassity, a brother,. Joe Cassity,. a brother, — Nannette Praia, sole child of a deceased sister, Frona McLaughlin and Mary Simmons, children of a deceased sister, and some heirs comprised of children and grandchildren of another, deceased sister. This last designated deceased sister had three children, one of whom was dead, leaving two children, Floyd Greene and June Greene Ayáíla. Her two living children were Charles J. Gre'ené and Lindsay M. Greene,- Charles J. Greene had,- prior to the instant litigation, transferred his interest in the estate of the deceased to- Fern Cassity, widow of a son of one of the deceased brothers. In like manner at the same time, Lindsay M. Greene transferred his interest in the estate to Frona McLaughlin and .Mary Simmons.

Mrs. Jalah Puckett had two daughters, to-wit: Mrs. Jalah Moore Leach, a feme sole, and Mrs. Mary Jane Peterson, a married woman. They were the plaintiffs in this suit. Mrs. Puckett’s deceased husband, father of these two girls, died in 1937. The two girls, then in their teens, resided with their mother. About that time, E. C. Cas-sity, the deceased, started living, at least part time, with Mrs. Jalah'Puckett and her two daughters. While so doing, he acquired certain real estate, of which he died seized and possessed.

On January 28, 1954, Mrs. Leach and Mrs. Peterson, the latter joined by her husband, filed a trespass to try title suit against their mother, as administratrix and also individually, and against all the other heirs of E. C. Cassity, the deceased, alleging that they were the owners in fee simple, entitled to certain real estate described and identified, situated in Tarrant County, Texas, and certain real estate situated in Dallas County, Texas, said lands constituting part of said deceased’s estate.

The allegations of plaintiffs’ petition were to the effect that the deceased, through an agreement with their mother, the admin-istratrix, in or about the year 1938, used funds belonging to the plaintiffs in the acquisition of the lands in Tarrant and. Dallas Counties, taking record title to same in his own name but with the-understanding that title to said lands belonged to the plaintiffs. Further allegations were to the effect that at the time the plaintiffs’ funds were used by the deceased, he agreed to-transfer record title to plaintiffs during his lifetime, which was never done, and that he would make a will devising title-to the said properties to the plaintiffs, which he did not do. Plaintiffs alleged that they were entitled "to judgment declaring that the-deceased held title to said lands in trust and that the lands belonged to them, and they were entitled to an accounting for- *633 rents and revenues received by- their mother, as administratrix. Their prayer was in accord with these allegations.

One of the defendants, Mrs. Arye Lewis, filed a waiver and disclaimer of any interest in or to the lands which were the subject matter of the suit. No answer was filed by either the defendant Hobert Cassity or by Mrs. Jalah Puckett, the mother of the plaintiffs^ ,

All the other heirs and persons interested in the estate answered’ with pleas of not guilty; setting up pleas of limitation, and further denying the allegations in the petition; pleading statute of frauds; defenses incident to the Texas Trust Act; that plaintiffs were guilty of laches; waiver and estoppel; that Mrs. Jalah Puckett, administratrix of the deceased’s estate, was acting in collusion with the plaintiffs for the purpose of depriving defendants of their inheritance as heirs of the deceased and of their right, title and interest in and to the lands which were the subject of litigation, and pointing out that any attempt on her part to testify in behalf of the plaintiffs in connection with the transactions with the deceased would be repugnant to and in .conflict with Article 3716, V.A. T.S., commonly called the “dead man’s statute”.

These said defendants (Mrs. Jalah Puckett, administratrix, Hobert Cassity and Mrs. Arye Lewis not being among them) moved for summary judgment with the prayer that plaintiffs take nothing by their suit. They attached to their motion the affidavit of Lindsay M. Greene, who, as previously noted, was originally an heir but who had assigned and disposed of any interest he might have had in and to the lands in controversy. Also attached to their motion was the affidavit of Thomas S. Walker, officer of the Dallas Federal Savings & Loan Association, which Association carried a loan for the deceased upon the Tar-rant County property, or a part thereof, upon deceased’s representation and warranty that he was the owner thereof, had made a deed of trust reflecting his sole ownership, etc.

Proper notices having been.served, procedure culminated in a hearing before the trial cpurt upon this motion for summary judgment. Entry of summary judgment, as prayed for by said defendants, was effected on date of .October 28, 1954. Upon the summary judgment hearing, the plaintiffs, as the non-moving parties, tendered the counter-affidavit of Mrs. Jalah Puckett, their mother, administratrix of the estate of the deceased, and a defendant to their suit. The moving parties, anticipating in advance that such would be the case, objected to its reception and consideration as being in violation of the “dead man’s statute”. The trial court sustained the objection and refused to admit and consider Mrs. Puck-etfls testimony as valid and proper evidence upon the motion for summary judgment.

In addition to said evidence, so stricken, plaintiffs- tendered the affidavit of Homer D. Puckett, uncle of the plaintiffs, and that of his wife, Ruth Puckett. The affidavits of Homer D.’Puckett and his wife were to the effect that each of them was acquainted with the deceased during his lifetime and that from .their intimate acquaintance with the deceased and Mrs.

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Bluebook (online)
279 S.W.2d 630, 1955 Tex. App. LEXIS 1847, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/leach-v-estate-of-cassity-texapp-1955.