Luedtke v. Luedtke

195 N.W. 382, 181 Wis. 471, 1923 Wisc. LEXIS 231
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 16, 1923
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 195 N.W. 382 (Luedtke v. Luedtke) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wisconsin Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Luedtke v. Luedtke, 195 N.W. 382, 181 Wis. 471, 1923 Wisc. LEXIS 231 (Wis. 1923).

Opinion

Doerfler, J.

In order to set aside such findings of the court it must appear that they are contrary to the clear preponderance of the evidence. While plaintiff’s deposition was being taken in the hospital in December, 1922, after the commencement of this action, the plaintiff unquestion[477]*477ably was in an enfeebled condition of health, due not only to the infirmities of old age but to illness. We have read this deposition carefully, and we are convinced that it discloses a mental condition on the part of the plaintiff at that time, for a man of his age, which is unusual. In the course of his examination he recalled in detail nearly every transaction which transpired at the time of the execution of the documents on March 26, 1921. He repeated from memory the various amounts bequeathed to each of his children in the will, and also explained the reason why the total amount of the consideration, which was originally fixed at $11,000, exceeded that sum by $100. He remembered distinctly the two corrections which he suggested to Megow before the documents were executed. Every question was answered by him rationally in fairly good English. He bore in mind the exact amount of money which he had loaned to his son Fred, namely, $653, and remembered that, while it was his original idea to have the payment of this sum secured by the mortgage, nevertheless he entered into a private agreement independent of the documents by which his son Fred agreed shortly to repay this sum to him. In fact, everything connected with the entire transaction, which involved a large number of facts and conditions with respect to the transfers, the note and mortgage, and the will, were clearly in his mind, with the exception only of the disposition that was made with respect to the balance of the $6,000 after the payment of his funeral expenses. This mental condition was made manifest during the course of the taking of the deposition in December, 1922, almost two years after the documents were executed, and produces a decided impression of mental competency. But whatever may have been his mental condition in December, 1922, the real test must refer to his condition on March 26, 1921, and as to the latter date the record is absolutely devoid of any evidence tending to prove mental incompetency.

To further confirm plaintiff’s mental competency, atten[478]*478tion is called to the business experience which the plaintiff 'had for many years during a long and active life, which included the! holding of important offices in connection with both public and private corporations. He had served his town in the capacity of an assessor and as justice of the peace. Pie’ was one of the promoters and a charter member of a town insurance company, and had been connected with that company as an official during the greater portion of the life of such company. He had served as its president, and at the time of the execution of the documents was one of its directors and its secretary, and wasi also engaged in acting as an insurance agent for it. He had a fairly good knowledge of the English language, and it must be presumed that he understood words frequently used in connection with the offices which he held.

But it is contended by plaintiff’s counsel, and it was so found by the court, that by reason of his extreme age and the mental infirmities attendant thereon he was a ready prey for those seeking to obtain an undue advantage, and that he possessed no ability to resist persuasions, and that therefore these conveyances should not be upheld unless it should appear that they were executed upon full consideration.

The general doctrine declared by the learned trial judge, that a conveyance by an aged and infirm grantor of all of his property should not ordinarily be upheld excepting upon full consideration, appears to us to be sound and well fortified by the law; but whether or not such a conveyance is subject to successful attack depends upon certain conditions, one of which is that, if the disposition of the property is made in accordance' with the dictates of natural justice, strong evidence of mental incapacity is required to nullify the same. Gunderson v. Rogers, 160 Wis. 468, 152 N. W. 157. In other words, the test is based largely upon the fairness and justice of the disposition.

Was the disposition of plaintiff’s property, as evidenced by.the documents in question, contrary to the dictates of [479]*479natural justice ? Plaintiff was the owner of a farm consisting of about 250 acres of land. For many years prior to 1921 he had been unable to operate or supervise the operation of the same. For many years the farm had been leased to various of his children other than his son Fred, with unsatisfactory results, causing him much trouble and annoyance. Fie had great confidence and placed considerable trust and reliance in his son Fred. Two years prior to 1921, being greatly discouraged with his experiences, he implored his son Fred to occupy the farm under an agreement which provided for working the farm on shares. There is nothing in the record to show that the relations of the plaintiff and his son Fred during this two-year period were anything but harmonious and happy. For about a week prior to March 26, 1921, the plaintiff and his son Fred discussed the advisability of transferring the farm upon certain conditions, and it appears beyond contradiction that when they finally went to' the office of Megow all of the details of the transaction had been agreed upon. There is no evidence in the record that the defendants either persuaded the plaintiff to make the transfer or that they were the inducing' cause of such transfer. Plaintiff realized, as would be natural for a person of his age, that he would have comparatively few years to live, and that in order to enjoy the remainder of his life he should be relieved of all responsibility in connection with his property; that he should be provided for in a suitable home, in care of one in whom he had trust and confidence and who would attend to’ all of the necessities and wants of extreme old age. Out of all his numerous children he selected his son Fred. Naturally he would not consult his other children upon this subject, in view of the experiences he had with them in connection with his property. Fie felt a tender regard not only for Fred but also for his wife and children, and his associations in his son’s home were always happy and pleasant. Under these circumstances he devised the entire scheme for the dispo[480]*480sition of his property which was subsequently realized by the execution of the documents in question.

While the plaintiff testified that he thought his farm was worth about $15,000 and that he intended his son Fred should have the benefit of its value over and above $11,100, his evidence as to value is not very convincing. Disinterested witnesses who were familiar with the land placed its value at $10,000, and from all the evidence in the case we are disposed to hold that such latter value is substantially correct; so-that assuming the property transferred to the defendant Fred as reasonably worth the sum of $11,100, the amount acquired by Fred would be equal to $6,000, less the reasonable funeral expenses of the plaintiff. We cannot say that the disposition made by the plaintiff of his property was contrary to natural justice.

There also devolved upon the defendant Fred

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Bluebook (online)
195 N.W. 382, 181 Wis. 471, 1923 Wisc. LEXIS 231, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/luedtke-v-luedtke-wis-1923.