Oklahoma City University v. Baughman

83 P.2d 681, 148 Kan. 510, 119 A.L.R. 1255, 1938 Kan. LEXIS 221
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedNovember 5, 1938
DocketNo. 33,929
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 83 P.2d 681 (Oklahoma City University v. Baughman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Oklahoma City University v. Baughman, 83 P.2d 681, 148 Kan. 510, 119 A.L.R. 1255, 1938 Kan. LEXIS 221 (kan 1938).

Opinion

[511]*511The opinion of the court was delivered by

Wedell, J.:

This was an action to quiet title to a half section of land in Kingman county. Judgment went for plaintiff, and defendants have appealed.

The question here is whether the trial court erred in sustaining appellee’s motion for judgment on the pleadings.

Appellee, Oklahoma City University, instituted this action under the provisions of G. S. 1935, 60-1801, and alleged it was the owner of the land and in the possession thereof. It also stated appellants claimed some interest therein, the exact nature of which was to the appellee unknown, and then asked to have its title quieted.

Appellants filed an amended answer and cross petition. Appellee filed a reply.

Facts admitted under the pleadings were, that such title as plaintiff had, if any, was obtained by virtue of the will of Mary C. Dunn, who died testate in the state of Oklahoma and devised to appellee the fee title to the land subject only to a life estate in her son-in-law, Sidney Ray Warden, and by virtue of a warranty deed from the life tenant dated May 9, 1933, which was recorded in Kingman county, Kansas, May 10, 1933. The pleadings admitted that such title as appellants had, if any, resulted from the facts that Thomas A. Dunn owned the land during his lifetime and that Mary C. Dunn was his sole heir at law. She died testate in 1930, owner in fee of the land. She left no parents, husband, children or adopted children, and appellants were her heirs at law, and if Mary C. Dunn had died intestate they would be the owners of an undivided nine-tenths interest in the land. The other interest holder made default.

Facts, fully and unconditionally admitted by the pleadings and a stipulation, were: Mary C. Dunn, a resident of Oklahoma county, Oklahoma, died testate May 28, 1930. Her will was duly proved and admitted to probate in the- probate court of her residence, in June, 1930. At her death she was the owner of the land in fee simple. Sidney Ray Warden, her son-in-law, was named in her will as executor. He was appointed, qualified, and the estate was fully settled, the executor discharged and all federal estate, gift and state inheritance taxes had been fully paid. At all times since June 30, 1930, the will has been on file in the probate records of the court of probate jurisdiction in Oklahoma county, Oklahoma. The deed from the life tenant to the appellee was recorded in the office of the [512]*512register of deeds of Kingman comity, Kansas, on May 10, 1933, which was less than three years after the death of the testatrix. Appellee had been in possession of the land through tenants for a period of four or five years prior to the commencement of this action, which was October 14, 1937. Duly authenticated copies of the will, codicils thereto, the order admitting the will and codicils to probate in Oklahoma, certificates of its probation, the order approving the final accounting of the executor and a decree of final distribution and discharge of the executor, were duly admitted to probate in the probate court of Kingman county, Kansas, on November 2, 1937.

Appellants contend the appellee had knowledge of the will and had the power to offer it for probate in Kingman county, Kansas, or to have it recorded in that county during a period of over three years after the death of the testatrix. The pleadings admit appellee did not do so. Appellants contend such failure rendered the foreign will ineffective to pass title to the real estate situated in this state.

In support of appellants’ contention our attention is first directed to the following sections of the General Statutes of 1935:

“No will shall be effectual to pass real or personal estate unless it shall have been duly admitted to probate or recorded as provided in this act.” (G. S. 1935, 22-232.)
“No lands, tenements or hereditaments shall pass to any devisee in a will who shall know of the existence thereof, and have the same in his power and control for the term of three years, unless within that time he shall cause the same to be offered for or admitted to probate; and by such neglect the estate devised to such devisee shall descend to the heirs of the testator.” (G. S. 1935, 22-233.)
“If any real or personal estate shall be devised or bequeathed by the last will, the executors of such will or any person interested therein may cause the same to be brought before the probate court of the county in which such estate may be, and the court may, by citation, attachment or warrant, or, if circumstances require it, by warrant or attachment in the first instance, compel the person having the custody or control of such will to produce it before the court for the purpose of being proved.” (G. S. 1935, 22-208.)
“If the person having the custody or control of a will shall without any reasonable cause neglect or refuse to produce the same for probate after being duly cited for that purpose, he may be committed to the jail of the county, there to be kept in close custody until he shall produce the will; and he shall be further liable to the action of any party aggrieved for the damages which may be sustained by such neglect or refusal.” (G. S. 1935, 22-211.)

Construing the two sections, first above quoted, together, we have no doubt the lawmakers had in mind the original probate of do[513]*513mestic wills and not the ancillary probate of foreign wills. Were this not true then no title to real estate in Kansas could ever pass to a devisee by virtue of a foreign will where the will was executed and duly probated in a state in which the law permits probation more than three years after such devisee thereunder had knowledge of its existence and power and control thereof. Appellee urges the construction contended for by appellants clearly violates the full faith and credit clause of the federal constitution, which provides:

“Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state.” (Sec. 1, art. 4.)

We need not pass on that particular contention of appellee in the instant ease. It is sufficient to say in our opinion the limitation contained in G. S. 1935, 22-233, refers to the probation of domestic wills and not to foreign wills.

In view of the foregoing we need not discuss the other pertinent conditions named in G. S. 1935, 22-233, namely, whether appellee also knew of the existence of the will and had the same under its power and control for a period to exceed three years after the death of the testatrix. It will be noted G. S. 1935, 22-233, does not say a foreign will shall be offered for or admitted to probate in Kansas, within three years. It simply says, “shall cause the same to be offered for or admitted to probate.” The instant will was admitted to probate in Oklahoma within thirty days from the death of the testatrix.

In the instant case, not only is the proper authentication of the will admitted, but it is also admitted that before judgment, properly authenticated copies of the probate of the will in Oklahoma, and all such proceedings had thereunder in Oklahoma as were necessary to pass title to the devisees, were recorded in the office of the probate court of Kingman county, Kansas. G. S. 1935, 22-203, provides:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
83 P.2d 681, 148 Kan. 510, 119 A.L.R. 1255, 1938 Kan. LEXIS 221, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/oklahoma-city-university-v-baughman-kan-1938.