Michon v. Ayalla

19 S.W. 879, 84 Tex. 685
CourtTexas Supreme Court
DecidedMay 20, 1892
DocketNo. 7215.
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 19 S.W. 879 (Michon v. Ayalla) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Texas Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Michon v. Ayalla, 19 S.W. 879, 84 Tex. 685 (Tex. 1892).

Opinion

FISHER, Judge,

Section A. — This suit was brought November 9, 1887, by appellee Jennie Ayalla, joined by her husband Jesus Ayalla, against appellant. It appears that plaintiffs intermarried in 1874, and that appellee Jennie Ayalla and appellant are the only children and heirs at law of Dominique Michon and his wife Francoise Michon. Dominique Michon died intestate March 15, 1876. Francoise Michon died January 15,1887. The property of the deceased Michon was community property, and consisted of lands and personal property.

It is alleged by appellees in their petition that the parents died intestate, and that the property left by them has been appropriated by appellant to his use. They seek to recover of appellant the interest that Jennie Ayalla is entitled to as one of the two heirs of her parents, and ask, that as appellant has taken control of said property he be required to account for the same. It is further alleged, that after the death of their father appellant lived with their mother Francoise Michon, and that she at the time was very old and ignorant, and that her property was controlled and managed by appellant, and that he was at such time her agent and occupied toward her a trust relationship, and that he procured from her by undue influence the execution and delivery of a deed conveying to him the interest of her mother in all her property; that the consideration for said conveyance was inadequate. Appellees ask for judgment for half-interest in said property, and that the deed executed by her mother to appellant be cancelled; and if it be not done, then that she have judgment for half the consideration mentioned in said deed.

Appellant pleaded a general denial, and that his father died leaving debts unpaid, and that the personal property was applied to the payment of such debts. The remainder of his father’s estate was partitioned and divided between him and appellee; that the deed executed to him by his mother was of her free will, for a valuable consideration, without any undue influence from him; that the deed conveyed to him all the interest of his mother in the property sued for. The consideration therefor was an $800 note executed by him to his mother, and in consideration that he would support his mother and a cast-off child of appellees; that his mother Francoise Michon left a will, which was properly probated, in which half of her property was left to him and half to F. Ayalla, the cast-off child; that her property then consisted only of the $800 note executed by him as the consideration for said *688 deed; that he has paid into the County Court of Kerr County $400— the half-interest that F. Ayalla is entitled to under the will.

The case was tried before a jury, who returned a verdict cancelling the deed executed by Francoise Miehon to appellant, and judgment was accordingly rendered decreeing to appellee her interest in the lands.

On the trial below appellant offered in evidence the will, with the proper probate thereof, executed by Francoise Miehon. It was objected to by appellees for the reasons: 1. Because it was irrelevant. 2. Because there were no pleadings by either plaintiffs or defendant to authorize its admission in evidence. 3. Because there was a variance between the will offered in evidence and the one set out in defendant’s answer.

These objections were sustained, which is assigned as error.

The averments of the answer alleging the execution of the will are:

“Defendant, further answering, says that the said Francoise Miehon did not die intestate, as alleged by plaintiffs, but that on the contrary she died testate, leaving a will, which last will and testament was duly probated by the County Court of Kerr County, at its February term, 1888; that by the terms of such will she gave to the said grandchild Francoise Ayalla one-half of her estate, and in case of her death to her brothers and sisters, with income to Jennie Ayalla, and to this defendant the other one-half.”

The will offered in evidence is as follows:

“Kerrville, November 15, 1880.

“This is my will. I, widow Francoise Miehon, being in good health and of sound mind at the time I write this my last will. I bequeath after my death to my son Bertrand Miehon the sum of $400, and $400 to my granddaughter Francoise Ayalla.

“In case my granddaughter Francoise Ayalla should die, the $400 will return by right to her brothers and sisters, and- in case her brothers and sisters have not attained their majority, their mother will have and enjoy the income on the same until all of the children are of age. I appoint as guardian of my granddaughter Francoise Ayalla, Bertrand Miehon.”

We do not think the will offered in evidence is objectionable as being at variance with the one described in the answer. The allegations of the answer are, that Francoise Miehon gave one-half of her estate to appellant and one-half to Francoise Ayalla. The will by its terms gives to appellant and Francoise Ayalla $400 each. This is all the property disposed of by the will. Evidence was admissible to show that the sums mentioned in her will was all of her property at the time of its execution; and if this is shown, the will disposes of all of'her estate. We think the answer declares the legal effect of the will.

*689 The averments of the answer show that the consideration of $800 mentioned in the deed to appellant from his mother and the $800 disposed of by the terms of the will is the same amount and item mentioned in each of said instruments. Appellees in their pleading ask, that if the deed be not set aside and cancelled, then they recover from appellant the consideration mentioned in the deed that was unpaid by him. The will was admissible for the purpose of showing that Mrs. Michon, the then owner of the fund sought to be recovered, had disposed of it by giving it to another.

The Avill was executed after the deed that the appellees sought to cancel on the ground of undue influence. In ascertaining whether undue influence exists or has been exerted, it is important to ascertain the mental condition of the party subjected to the influence. Acts occurring before or after or at the time of the execution of the instrument, tending to throw light upon the mental condition of the party, are admissible. Acts of business relatiAre to her estate, the manner and character of disposition made by her of her property, are very important facts to be considered in determining the mental condition of Mrs. Michon in enabling her to resist or in impelling her to yield to the influences surrounding her. We think the will was admissible for this purpose.

We think the will also admissible for another reason. If it be shown that the $800 disposed of by the terms of the will was the same sum and item mentioned as the consideration for the deed executed by Mrs. Michon to appellant, then the will has a Arery important bearing in determining that Mrs. Michon fully knew of the execution of the deed and understood its effect, and that she intended its execution and delivery Avith full knowledge thereof, as contended for by appellant.

It is assigned as error, that the verdict of the jury and the judgment of the court fails to dispose of all the material issues presented by the pleadings and evidence.

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Bluebook (online)
19 S.W. 879, 84 Tex. 685, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/michon-v-ayalla-tex-1892.