Minderman v. Perry

437 P.2d 407, 103 Ariz. 91, 1968 Ariz. LEXIS 211
CourtArizona Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 21, 1968
Docket8592
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 437 P.2d 407 (Minderman v. Perry) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Arizona Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Minderman v. Perry, 437 P.2d 407, 103 Ariz. 91, 1968 Ariz. LEXIS 211 (Ark. 1968).

Opinions

BERNSTEIN, Justice.

This matter comes to us on appeal from a judgment rendered by the Superior Court of Yavapai County wherein the appellant had sought to impose a constructive trust based on an alleged breach of contract to make a will and to keep the same in effect.

Glen Perry, now deceased, and Margaret A. Perry Minderman, hereinafter referred [92]*92to as Margaret, were married in 1930; acquired the Palo Verde Ranch in Pinal County in 1931. Ted, their only child, was born in 1933. They purchased a home in Tucson in 1939, and in 1940 were divorced in Pinal County. A property settlement agreement was entered into by Glen and Margaret and the court approved the agreement and found it provided a “fair and equitable settlement” of the property rights of the parties.

The terms of the property settlement agreement pertinent to the controversy now before us were that Margaret was to receive the house in Tucson and a $7,000 mortgage on the real estate in Pinal County which Glen was to retain. Margaret was to have the care and custody of the son, Ted, except during the summer months and Glen was to be responsible for Ted’s maintenance, support and education. The property settlement further provided:

“That they will, upon the execution of this Agreement, make their Wills, the first party giving and bequeathing to Ted A. Perry, the said minor child of the parties hereto, the said Realty Mortgage given to her by second party on the latter’s real estate in Pinal County, Arizona, as of this date, or the proceeds thereof, and the second party giving, devising and bequeathing to said Ted A. Perry all of second party’s property.”

Both Glen and Margaret further released and relinquished to each other and each other’s heirs, executors, administrators and assigns all right or claim by way of inheritance, descent or community interest in and to the property of the other then owned or thereafter acquired by the other, and all other rights of whatsoever kind and nature growing out of their marriage relation. Glen executed his will in 1940 leaving all his estate to Ted as required by the property settlement.

In 1948 Glen married Irma M. Perry, theappellee. On January 27, 1958 the son, Ted, his wife and their only child were all killed' in a plane crash. Ted died intestate, leaving his mother, Margaret, and his father, Glen, as his only heirs.

After Ted’s death, Glen revoked his will' and executed a new will which left essentially all of his property to Irma. In February, 1958 Glen and Irma sold the Palo Verde-ranch for a substantial price and invested the proceeds in other property taking title in the name of Glen and Irma, husband and' wife, as joint tenants with right of survivor-ship.

Glen died in April, 1962, his will was admitted to probate and Irma was appointed' executrix. Margaret filed creditors’ claims, both in her own name and in her capacity as duly appointed administratrix of Ted’s estate. Upon rejection of these creditors’ claims Margaret instituted suit to impose a constructive trust based on an alleged breach: of contract to make a will. This appeal is-taken from the judgment rendered against her in that action.

Margaret poses three assignments of error. At her request the trial court made-specific findings of fact and conclusions of law. Margaret first urges that the trial court’s Conclusion of Law No. 5:

“5. The devise and bequest to Ted' Perry which appeared in Glen Perry’s, then existing will lapsed upon the death of Ted Perry for the reason that Ted' Perry was not survived by lineal descendants and the Anti-Lapse Statute (ARS. 14 — 133) did not save such devise and bequest.”

was erroneous because the doctrine of lapse is a doctrine of the law of wills and is not applicable to a case involving rights, created under a contract to make a will.

We agree. The issue as to the-application of A.R.S. § 14-1331 was not [93]*93before the trial court nor is it before this court. This is an action for alleged breach of contract and not a will contest in probate. A contract to make a will is controlled by the same rules and principles as other contracts, Mullins v. Green, 143 W. Va. 888, 105 S.E.2d 542; Merchants National Bank of Mobile v. Cotnam, 250 Ala. 316, 34 So.2d 122.

“Once the contract has been entered into the relationship of the parties and the nature of the interest created should be analysed in terms of contract principles. Failure to adhere to this rule and the attempt in some quarters to treat the transaction as a testamentary, yet enforceable, arrangement is the source of much of the confusion so prevalent in this area.” * * *
“The substance of the thing agreed upon is the transfer of property to the promisee at the death of the promisor. The remedy granted by the courts seeks either to accomplish that result or to award damages for its failure. The fact that a will was the vehicle through which it was contemplated that the desired result would be achieved is merely incidental.” Contract to Devise or Bequeath as an Estate Planning Device, Bertel M. Sparks, 20 Mo.Law Rev. 1.

The trial court’s judgment, however, did not rest solely on Conclusion of Law No. 5, supra. In keeping with our established rules, if the ultimate judgment was correct as a matter of law it will be sustained, Rule 61, Rules of Civil Procedure, 16 A.R.S., Collins v. Collins, 46 Ariz. 485, 52 P.2d 1169. A wrong reason for a correct ruling is not reversible error. Wigley v. Whitten, 78 Ariz. 88, 276 P.2d 517, opinion adhered to 78 Ariz. 224, 278 P.2d 412.

Margaret’s second and third assignments of error are based on the court’s Conclusions of Law Nos. 4 and 7:

“4. The duty to perform the mutual promises to will certain property to Ted Perry was discharged by the supervening impossibility resulting from the death of Ted Perry.”
“7. Margaret Perry Minderman is not entitled to have a constructive trust imposed upon any property which the defendant Irma M. Perry now holds, either in her own right or as Executrix of the Estate of Glen Perry.”

Margaret and Irma are in agreement that the basic issue in this case is the effect of the untimely death of Ted, before the death of his father, in respect to the contract to make a will provision of the property settlement agreement. The evidence is clear that Glen had fully complied with all provisions of the property settlement up to and through the time of Ted’s death, including that of executing and maintaining a will for twenty years which devised and bequeathed all of his property to Ted.

Irma contends, and the trial court found that Ted’s death constituted the happening of an unforeseen contingency which made it impossible for Margaret and Glen to perform their mutual promises to leave their property to Ted by will. Irma urges that the mutual promises were to will to Ted, personally, not his estate, his next of kin, and certainly not Margaret and Glen.

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Minderman v. Perry
437 P.2d 407 (Arizona Supreme Court, 1968)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
437 P.2d 407, 103 Ariz. 91, 1968 Ariz. LEXIS 211, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/minderman-v-perry-ariz-1968.