Nunnelly v. Nunnelly

191 S.W. 85, 173 Ky. 372, 1917 Ky. LEXIS 458
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedJanuary 23, 1917
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 191 S.W. 85 (Nunnelly v. Nunnelly) 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
Nunnelly v. Nunnelly, 191 S.W. 85, 173 Ky. 372, 1917 Ky. LEXIS 458 (Ky. Ct. App. 1917).

Opinion

[373]*373Opinion of the Court by

Judge Carroll

Affirming.

James A. Darnaby died in 1890, leaving surviving Mm Ms widow, Susan Darnaby, wbo died several years ago, and two daughters, Mattie Weathers and Nanme Nunnelly, the wife of S. P. Nunnelly, his only cMldren. The fifth clause of his will reads: £<T.t is my. will and desire that my executrix keep all of my land and manage it as she may see proper or best and for her to have a good living out of the income during her life, and in the event of her death, then it is my will and desire that my land be divided equally between my two daughters, Mattie Weathers and Nannie Nunnelly, to have and to hold during their natural lives, and in the event of the death of my daughter, Mattie Weathers, her share of my land shall go to her child or cMldren, and in the event of the death of my daughter, Nannie Nunnelly, then her share of my land shall go to her child or children, and in the event of the death of either of my two daughters above named, leaving no cMld or children, then their share of my land shall go to the other daughter and to her cMld or children at her death.”

After his death, as appears from the petition, his land was divided, and there was allotted to Nannie D. Nunnelly for life, with remainder to her children, one tract of land containing 84% acres and another tract containing 27% acres.

Nannie D. Nunnelly and her husband, S. P. Nunnelly, had eleven children. Seven of the cMldren died, intestate and unmarried, leaving surviving when this suit was decided in the lower court, four children, viz.: James, Coleman, Clifton and Nancy, three of whom are infants. One of the seven deceased cMldren died while the suit was pending and Coleman, who was an infant when the suit was brought, has since arrived at age.

This suit was brought in 1916 by S. P. Nunnelly, as guardian of his infant children, and S. P. Nunnelly and his wife, Nannie, as individuals, against the infant children, who are represented by J. T. Parmer, guardian ad litem. In this suit the plaintiffs set up the ownership for life of Nannie D. Nunnelly in the 84%-acre and the 27%-acre tract of land heretofore mentioned, with remainder to their children.

It further appears from the petition that previously in a suit brought in the Payette Circuit Court these two tracts of land were sold, the proceeds of the 27%-[374]*374acre tract being reinvested in two houses and lots in the city of Lexington, but the proceeds not being sufficient to pay the purchase price of these two houses and lots, a mortgage for forty-five hundred dollars was, by the consent of the Payette Circuit Court, placed on this property. It also appears that a part of the proceeds of the 8414-acre tract was reinvested in a house and lot in .Lexington and the remainder of the proceeds of this piece of land, viz., five thousand dollars, is in the hands of the commissioner of the Payette Circuit Court.

It further appears that the three houses and lots in Lexington are worth ten thousand dollars, subject to the mortgage lien of forty-five hundred dollars. It was also/ averred that S. P. Nunnelly had no property or income and was in bad health and unable to labor for the support of himself or his children. It was further averred that in order to support and educate the children who died, as well as the children who are living, debts to the amount of more than twelve thousand dollars had been incurred, which indebtedness was secured by a mortgage on -the houses and lots mentioned and 217 acres of land owned by Nannie D. Nunnelly.

The prayer of the petition was that the three houses and lots in Lexington be sold and the proceeds applied to the payment of the debt before mentioned. It was also asked that the case be referred to the commissioner to ascertain the indebtedness of Nannie D. Nunnelly, and that the five thousand-dollars in the hands of the commissioner be applied to the payment of the debt and a sufficient amount of the property, viz.: the houses and lots, be sold to pay the balance.

In an amended petition, after setting out that all the indebtedness was created in educating and taking care of the children, it was further averred that two of the infant children were of tender age and that their parents were not able to furnish them the money to complete their education, and that the income from the estate was not sufficient for that purpose, and the prayer of this amended petition was that the indebtedness set out in the petition be adjudged, a lien against the life estate of Nannie D. 'Nunnelly and also against the remainder interest of their children.

There appears in the record we have the report of the guardian ad litem, but there is no report of the commissioner, nor is there any evidence. It is also shown [375]*375that the court, having previously overruled a demurrer to the petition, found that Nannie D. Nunnelly owned a life interest in the houses and lots in Lexington, with' remainder to her children, and that there was an indebtedness of over fifteen thousand dollars, and that all this indebtedness was incurred in maintaining and supporting the children, including the infant children now living; and the court then adjudged that the five thousand dollars in the hands of the commissioner be applied to the payment of these debts and that the three houses and lots in Lexington be sold.

After this the master commissioner sold one of these houses and lots for $3,260 to Freeman, another one for $3,250 to Gardner, and the third one for six thousand dollars to Reese, but it appears from the report that Reese did not comply with the terms of the sale. Subsequently the exceptions to the report of sale filed by Freeman and Gardner were set aside. The order overruling the demurrer of the guardian ad litem to the petition was also set aside and the demurrer sustained and the petition as amended dismissed. From this judgment S. P. Nunnelly, as guardian, S. P. Nunnelly and Nannie Nunnelly, individually, and their child, James R. Nunnelly, prosecute this appeal.

"We are informed in the brief of counsel for the appellants, that this suit' was brought under subsection 3 of section 489 of the Civil Code, providing that: “A vested estate of an infant or of a person of unsound mind, in real property, may be sold by order of a court of equity .... in an action by a guardian against his ward, for a sale of the estate for the maintenance and education of the ward.” It is provided in subsection 4 of section 492 of the code that, “In the actions mentioned in subsections 3, 4 and 5 of section 489 . . . . facts must be stated in the petition, and must be proved, showing that the sale will benefit the defendant.” It is also provided in section 493 that before a sale is ordered the guardian must execute a bond, but we do not find in the record any evidence or any bond. It is also apparent from the pleadings and orders of court that the indebtedness for which it was sought to subject the estate of the infants was not created in their education or maintenance; certainly very little of it could have been expended in the education and maintenance of the three living infants. Therefore, the [376]*376court had no jurisdiction to order a sale of the estate of these infants for the purpose of satisfying the indebtedness, or any part of it. These reasons, briefly stated, furnish conclusive evidence of the correctness of the judgment of the lower court in setting aside the 'sales and in sustaining the demurrer to the petition as amended.

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Bluebook (online)
191 S.W. 85, 173 Ky. 372, 1917 Ky. LEXIS 458, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/nunnelly-v-nunnelly-kyctapp-1917.