Matter of Estate of Hilton

649 P.2d 488, 98 N.M. 420
CourtNew Mexico Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 15, 1982
Docket5454
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 649 P.2d 488 (Matter of Estate of Hilton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Matter of Estate of Hilton, 649 P.2d 488, 98 N.M. 420 (N.M. Ct. App. 1982).

Opinion

OPINION

DONNELLY, Judge.

Appellants, as grandchildren of Joseph L. Hilton, deceased, (testator), appeal from an order of the district court denying their claim for an intestate share of testator’s estate. Appellants assert that the court erred as a matter of law (1) in finding that testator intended to disinherit appellants, upon evidence admitted solely for a limited purpose; and (2) in denying appellants an intestate share of testator’s separate estate under the pretermitted children section of the New Mexico Probate Code, § 45-2-302, N.M.S.A.1978.

We affirm.

Testator died on August 2, 1980, at age 92, leaving a Last Will and Testament, dated August 30, 1972. The adversary parties herein are appellants, Phyllis Hilton Elkins and Elmer Darrell Hilton, who were not mentioned by name in testator’s will; appellees, Ara Hilton, testator’s surviving widow, and testator’s surviving three daughters: Loretta Szaloy, Ara Carden, and Laura Griffin.

Testator was married twice. He had four children by his first marriage: the three daughters, who are appellees herein, and one son, Elmer Hilton. Testator’s son predeceased him and died in August, 1965, prior to the execution of testator’s will. Testator’s deceased son had two children who survived him (testator’s grandchildren), Phyllis Elkins and Elmer Darrell Hilton, who are the appellants herein.

Testator was divorced from his first wife and subsequently married Ara Hilton. Testator had no children from his second marriage.

Testator’s will was admitted to probate in the Quay County District Court on September 24, 1980. After making provision for testator’s debts and funeral expenses, the will provided in applicable part as follows:

II.
I give, devise and bequeath my home place consisting of 1486.42 acres in Quay County, New Mexico, . . ., and also the Williams, Gregory and Spann lands owned by me in Jack County, Texas, near Jacksboro, Texas, to my beloved wife, ARA HILTON, for the term of her natural life, subject only to the provisions of paragraph IV, herein, and at her death to my three daughters, Loretta Szaloy, Ara Carden and Laura Griffin, or children surviving them, if they or any of them should predecease my wife, Ara Hilton, share and share alike. If any one or more of said daughters should predecease Ara Hilton and leave no children, then said land shall go to my surviving daughters or children surviving them.
III.
I give and bequeath to my beloved wife, Ara Hilton, and to my three daughters, Loretta Szaloy, Ara Carden and Laura Griffin, all monies which I may have at the time of my death, share and share alike. If my beloved wife should predecease me, the bequest to her hereunder shall lapse, and said monies shall be divided equally among my said daughters. In the event any one or more of my daughters should predecease me, their share shall go to their surviving children. If any one or more of my daughters should predecease me and leave no children, it is my will that their share shall be distributed equally to the surviving legatees hereunder.
V.
I give, devise and bequeath all of the remainder of my estate whether consisting of real, personal or mixed property and wherever found or situated to my' three daughters, share and share alike. If any one or more of them should predecease me, then it is my will that the share of said deceased shall go to their surviving children. If any one of them should predecease me, leaving no children, it is my will that my entire residuary estate shall go to the surviving residuary devisees hereunder.
VII.
I declare that I have only three children, namely: Loretta Szaloy, Ara Car-den and Laura Griffin, my daughters, and that if any other person claims to be a child or heir of mine and establishes such claim in a Court of competent jurisdiction, I give to such person the sum of One Dollar.

Paragraph IV provided a specific bequest to testator’s wife’s grandson, Larry Williams in appreciation for his help in testator’s farming operations. Paragraph VI named testator’s wife executrix of the will and designated his oldest daughter, Loretta Szaloy, as alternate executrix in the event of his wife’s inability to serve. The will was properly subscribed and witnessed.

At the conclusion of the hearing on appellants’ petition for an intestate share of decedent’s estate as omitted heirs under the last will and testament, the trial court denied appellants’ claims. The court entered the following pertinent findings of fact:

5. By his Will, Joseph L. Hilton left the residue of his estate to Loretta Szaloy, Ara Carden and Laura Griffin. The Will did not mention . . . Elmer Darrell Hilton or Phyllis Elkins by name....
7. The decedent did not otherwise provide for Elmer Hilton, his deceased son, during Elmer’s lifetime; nor did the decedent otherwise provide for the petitioning grandchildren during his lifetime.
8. Throughout their lifetime, both before and after the execution of the will involved herein, Elmer Darrell Hilton and Phyllis Elkins had periodic contacts, both in person and by letter, with their grandfather, Joseph L. Hilton. Mr. Hilton was, therefore, aware of their existence at the time of executing his will and thereafter.
9. During the lifetime of Joseph L. Hilton, there was never any mention nor any hint of any person claiming to be a child of Joseph L. Hilton other than Loretta Szaloy, Ara Carden, Laura Griffin and Elmer Hilton who were children of his first marriage.
10. Joseph L. Hilton intended to refer to Elmer Darel [sic] Hilton and Phyllis Elkins when he included the provision in his will that stated, ‘if any other person claims to be a child or heir of mine and establishes such claim in a court of competent jurisdiction, I give to such person the sum of One Dollar.’

Appellants have challenged the court’s findings no.’s 8, 9 and 10.

1) Admission of Extrinsic Evidence

Appellants argue that the trial court’s decision and findings of fact no.’s 8, 9 and 10, determining that the testator intentionally excluded appellants from his will, were improperly predicated upon extrinsic evidence admitted solely for a different, limited purpose, contrary to the court’s ruling announced on a motion in iimine.

Prior to the hearing on the merits, the trial court heard appellants’ motion in limine to restrict the evidence at trial regarding testator’s intent to disinherit the children of his deceased son. The trial court ruled that under Probate Code § 45-2-302(A)(l), supra, the court must determine from the language of the will itself that the failure to provide for appellants was intentional.

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Bluebook (online)
649 P.2d 488, 98 N.M. 420, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/matter-of-estate-of-hilton-nmctapp-1982.