McCormick v. Jones

214 S.W. 881, 185 Ky. 106, 1919 Ky. LEXIS 248
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedSeptember 23, 1919
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 214 S.W. 881 (McCormick v. Jones) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McCormick v. Jones, 214 S.W. 881, 185 Ky. 106, 1919 Ky. LEXIS 248 (Ky. Ct. App. 1919).

Opinion

Opinion op the Court by

Judge Sampson

Affirming in part and reversing in part.

TMs action was instituted for the settlement of the estate of Elizabeth May, deceased, and during the taking of evidence it was discovered that a short time before the death of Mrs. May she had entered into a contract with appellant Hester McCormick, whereby Mrs. McCormick was to board and care for her, and while Mrs. May was boarding with Mrs. McCormick she became sick and directed Mrs. McCormick to go [107]*107to the First National Bank of East Bernstadt, and receive Mrs. May’s entire deposit in that bank, amounting to $325.60. At a later date a debtor of Mrs. May came to the bouse and paid $544 to Mrs. May and she immediately passed it over' to Mrs. McCormick for safe keeping. Mrs. May’s illness became more serious and on October 14j 1913, she made her last will in which she devised to Mrs. McCormick a small house and lot in East Bernstadt in which they at the time resided. This property was supposed to be worth about $350. In the preparation of the action to settle the estate of Mrs. May, Mrs. Hester McCormick gave her deposition in which she related these facts. Thereupon an amended petition was filed on February 15, 1916, making Mrs. McCormick a party defendant with a prayer for judgment against her for $844.60, and thata lien upon the house and lot described in the petition as the Hattie Swanner place in East Bernstadt, Kentucky,” be adjudged. Finally the parties pleaded to an issue, it being alleged by Mrs. McCormick that she entered into a verbal contract with Mrs. May at the time Mrs. May came to her house to live, whereby Mrs. McCormick was to board, lodge and care for Mrs. May in consideration of Mrs. May paying to Mrs. McCormick $5, per month, provide a house, rent free, to Mrs. McCormick in which to live, and in case Mrs. May’s health declined and her condition became serious, then Mrs. May was to pay Mrs. McCormick such further sum as would reasonably compensate Mrs. McCormick for the care and attention required by. Mrs. May during such sickness;- that the said sum of $325.60 received by Mrs. McCormick from the bank for Mrs. May was applied upon this account, except $25 that was paid to Dr. Morris for attending Mrs. May; that the .$544 received by Mrs. McCormick from Mrs. May was also applied to the account for board and care rendered to Mrs. May, and that Mrs. May’s estate was then indebted to Mrs. McCormick in a balance of $945.40, which was due and unpaid and she prayed judgment against the administratrix for said sum. The pleading further alleged that Mrs. May had given to Mrs. McCormick the house and lot in which they lived as further consideration for the nursing and atten-, tion received during her illness.

All these allegations were traversed by the administratrix except she admitted that Mrs. McCormick had received the $325.60 and the $544 of money belonging to [108]*108Mrs. May, and further admitted that Mrs. May had willed the house and lot to Mrs. McCormick.

Proof was taken in support of the issues and the case being submitted for judgment, the court entered a decree finding the contract made between Mrs. May and Mrs. McCormick with reference to the board and care to contain only these conditions: that Mrs. McCormick was to receive, board and care for Mrs. May for which Mrs. May was to pay her $5, per month, and furnish a house in which they all should live. That part of the contract alleged by Mrs. McCormick under which she claimed additional compensation during the sickness of Mrs. May, was rejected by the court as unproven. However, the judgment allowed Mrs. McCormick the $5 per month board which had been paid by Mrs. May and the further sum of $300.60 which had been received by Mrs. McCormick from the bank and applied to her own uses, but the court adjudged the $544 received by Mrs. McCormick from Mrs. May for safe keeping to belong to the estate, and adjudged Mrs. McCormick indebted to the estate of Elizabeth May in said sum. The court further found that Mrs. May executed a will by which she devised the house and lot in East Bernstadt to Mrs. McCormick. With all these findings we heartily concur, but are at a loss to understand upon what the learned trial judge based the remainder of the judgment which is as follows: “It further appearing that said Hester McCormick'is insolvent and- said house and lot is worth not exceeding $300, the court is of the opinion that it was not the intention of said Elizabeth May that said Hester McCormick should receive from her estate $544 and said house and lot, but that she only intended to make provision for the payment of a reasonable amount for her services in caring for her in her last illness. For this reason, it is further adjudged that the defendant, Hester McCormick, be required to elect now as to whether she will pay said $544 as herein adjudged, or reconvey said house and lot to said devisees of said Elizabeth May, and she now having-elected to retain said $544 and having declined to pay same, or any part thereof, she is ordered and directed to immediately convey said house and lot to said devisees, plaintiffs and defendants herein, Cora D. Smith, etc. . . . , and said Hester McCormick having refused to make said conveyance, it is adjudged that the master commissioner of this court now make the same and said commissioner is now; ordered and directed to prepare and [109]*109report to this court for its approval, a deed of conveyanee for said property as herein ordered, and it is further ordered that a writ of possession may issue in favor of said devisees against said Hester McCormick at any time after January 1, 1918.”

The house and lot were not in controversy. The will had been duly and regularly probated in the Laurel .County Court and was not contested. No appeal had been prosecuted from the judgment probating the will. The title, therefore, to the house and lot was duly and regularly vested in Hester McCormick at the time of the institution of this action, and Mrs. McCormick was in possession thereof. While Mrs. McCormick had received from Mrs. May at the instance of Mrs. May the sum of $544 to be held for the use and benefit of Mrs. May and while this sum had not been repaid or accounted for by Mrs. McCormick, it was. not within the province of the trial court to adjudge said sum a lien upon the house and lot, which was the homestead of Mrs. McCormick. The obligation was one in personam and not in rem. There is no pleading or proof in the record which sustains the judgment in so far as it attempts to subject the house and lot to the payment of the $544. It, therefore, appears that the judgment in’ so far as it undertakes to subject the house and lot to the payment of this obligation or to compel the appellant to reconvey the house and lot to the heirs of Mrs. May is erroneous and must be reversed.

The appellant in her brief insists only that the judgment is erroneous in that it is not supported by the pleadings or proof, especially that part which directs the master commissioner for and on behalf of Mrs. McCormick to convey the house and lot to the heirs of Mrs. May. Appellees

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Bluebook (online)
214 S.W. 881, 185 Ky. 106, 1919 Ky. LEXIS 248, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mccormick-v-jones-kyctapp-1919.