Lyman v. American National Bank & Trust Company

346 S.W.2d 289, 48 Tenn. App. 328, 1960 Tenn. App. LEXIS 123
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedMay 5, 1960
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 346 S.W.2d 289 (Lyman v. American National Bank & Trust Company) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lyman v. American National Bank & Trust Company, 346 S.W.2d 289, 48 Tenn. App. 328, 1960 Tenn. App. LEXIS 123 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1960).

Opinions

HOWARD, J.

This appeal is from a judgment sustaining the will of Eliza W. Crenshaw, who died in the City of Chattanooga on November 19, 1957, at about 80 years of age. The purported will was executed on November 19, 1953, 4 years before the testatrix’s death, at the main office of American National Bank & Trust Company, and was witnessed by three employees of said Bank. By the terms of the will the testatrix’s property, which consisted mostly of real estate, was left in trust to said Bank, which was named Executor and Trustee. The will also provided “that the income from said property be first applied to the taxes, insurance, necessary repairs, and a 10% commission paid to said Trustee for the management of same, and that after all necessary expenses incidental to said property have been paid, [331]*331the remainder of said income be placed in a Trust Fund to he nsed for elderly and indigent people.”

The will was probated in solemn form in the Chancery Court, Part 2, of Hamilton County on January 6, 1958, upon the testimony of two of the subscribing- witnesses, Avis W. Marler and Margaret McCullough, and the American National Bank & Trust Company was duly appointed executor and trustee. Thereafter, this contest was filed by the testatrix’s sister, Rowena Lyman, for herself and on behalf of the nieces and nephew of the deceased. The contestants’ petition alleges that the will should be set aside on the following grounds:

(1) The testatrix neither signed nor executed said instrument as her will;

(2) That testatrix was mentally incapable of making a will; and

(3) That if the testatrix did sign said instrument as her will, she did so by reason of duress and undue influence of the officers and agents of the American National Bank & Trust Company.

A transcript of the proceedings in the Chancery Court was duly certified to the Circuit Court where, after issues were joined, the trial resulted in a jury verdict sustaining the will. After the verdict the original attorneys, Wood & Wood, retired from the case, and attorneys Wrinkle and Walter were employed by contestants to continue the contest. These attorneys filed motion for a new trial, which was overruled, and this appeal in error was prayed, granted and perfected.

By assignment of error No. 1, it is urged that the trial Judge erred in refusing to grant contestants a new trial [332]*332and a directed verdict against the purported will, because the instrument was never offered or introduced in evidence.

The record shows that the purported will was filed as an exhibit to the petition for probate in the Chancery Court, that it was subsequently transferred as an exhibit to the Circuit Court where it remained for some time before the trial, and that after the jury was selected it was announced that this was a will contest involving the will of Eliza W. Crenshaw, and the will was then read, without objection, to the jury; that during the trial the purported will was presented to attesting witnesses who, without objection, identified the testatrix’s signature as well as their own, and that in his charge the Circuit Judge, without objection, read the will in its entirety to the jury.

The rule seems to be well settled that where exhibits to pleadings are filed and considered in the Trial Court, and witnesses are examined regarding them with-' out objection, or where the objections have been waived, as here, they may be considered in evidence as a part of the record, and objections made thereto on motion for a new trial come too late. Webb et ux. v. Schultz et al., 31 Tenn. App. 587, 218 S. W. (2d) 758; Adams v. Jackson, 23 Tenn. App. 118, 126 S. W. (2d) 899; Tenn. Procedure in Law Cas., Sec. 1255, pp. 475, 476. Assignment 1 is, therefore, overruled.

By assignments 2 and 3, it is urged that the Trial Judge erred in refusing to grant contestants a new trial and a directed verdict against the purported will because one of the attesting witnesses, Betty Ruth Payne, who was available, was not produced as a witness at the trial, as required by T. C. A. secs. 32-204, 32-406.

[333]*333The undisputed proof shows that the attesting witness, Betty Ruth Payne, was unavailable, as appears from the following testimony of proponent’s witness, Charles A. Comer:

“Q. And Betty Ruth Payne, is she here today? A. No, she is unavailable, she is no longer in the employment in the bank, and I have written a letter to her but had no response, and I do not have any further address, other than the last.
“Q. The letter did not come back. A. No, sir.
“Q. You have made a search for that person. A. I have, yes, sir.
“Q. And have not been able to locate her? A. I have not.”

Both Sections T. C. A. 32-204 and 32-406 mandatorily provide that a written will shall be proved by all the living witnesses “if to be found”. Under these provisions it is the function of the Trial Judge to determine whether a witness is available or can be found, and where, as here, the explanation regarding the absent witness satisfies not only the Trial Judge but the contestants as well, the requirements have been substantially met. Assignments 2 and 3 are, therefore, overruled.

By assignment 4 it is urged that the Trial Judge committed error in reading the purported will to the jury as a part of his charge, because the instrument had never been offered or introduced in evidence. For the reasons stated under assignment of- error 1, this assignment is overruled.

By assignment 5 it is urged that the Trial Judge committed error in reading the purported will to the jury [334]*334as a part of the Court’s charge, because one of the attesting witnesses was not produced and did not appear and testify during the trial. For the reasons stated under assignments of error 2 and 3, this assignment is overruled.

By assignment 6 it is urged that the Trial Judge committed error in omitting from his charge the name of the absent attesting witness, Betty Ruth Payne. This omission was not affirmative error, T. C. A. secs. 27-116, 27-117, and this assignment is overruled.

By assignments 7 to 15 inclusive, the contestants complain of (1) portions of the Trial Judge’s charge, and (2) the failure of the Trial Judge to charge the law applicable to certain phases of the case.

After carefully considering the portions of the charge complained of, in the light of the general charge, we find no error therein that would justify a reversal of the case. The entire charge, which covered several pages of the record, was clear, comprehensive and reasonably complete, and there were no requests.

It is the established procedure in this State that inadequate or incomplete instructions to the jury are not reversible error when the party affected thereby fails to call the error to the attention of the court, and when adequate and further instructions are not requested. Brakebill & Hamilton v. South Knoxville Contracting & Const. Co., 14 Tenn. App. 531; Langston v. Memphis St. Ry. Co., 14 Tenn. App. 288; Travis v. Bacherig, 7 Tenn. App. 638; Cochran v. Gaither, 9 Tenn. App. 247; Tevis v. Proctor & Gamble Distributing Co., 21 Tenn. App. 494, 113 S. W. (2d) 64; Carney v. Cook, 158 Tenn. 333, 13 S. W. (2d) 322; National Life & Acc. Ins. Co. v. Morrison, [335]*335179 Tenn. 29, 162 S. W. (2d) 501.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

In the Matter of the Estate of Dennis R. Woolverton
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2014
Owen v. Stanley
739 S.W.2d 782 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1987)
Harper v. Watkins
670 S.W.2d 611 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1983)
Phillips v. Pitts
602 S.W.2d 246 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1980)
Parham v. Walker
568 S.W.2d 622 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1978)
Strother v. Lane
554 S.W.2d 631 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1976)
Scarbrough v. City of Lewisburg
504 S.W.2d 377 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1973)
Sullivan v. Morrow
504 S.W.2d 767 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1973)
Smartt v. Fleming
481 S.W.2d 774 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1972)
Nethery v. Hornbuckle
484 S.W.2d 542 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1971)
State, Department of Highways v. Hurt
478 S.W.2d 775 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1971)
Mitchell v. George
474 S.W.2d 131 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1971)
McCracken v. Manis
483 S.W.2d 738 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1971)
Hellon v. Trotwood Apartments, Inc.
460 S.W.2d 372 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1970)
John L. Burns, Inc. v. Matheney
384 S.W.2d 51 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1964)
Treece v. Hamilton
378 S.W.2d 194 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1963)
Lyman v. American National Bank & Trust Company
346 S.W.2d 289 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1960)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
346 S.W.2d 289, 48 Tenn. App. 328, 1960 Tenn. App. LEXIS 123, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lyman-v-american-national-bank-trust-company-tennctapp-1960.