Ritter v. Johnson

123 So. 2d 617, 239 Miss. 427, 1960 Miss. LEXIS 303
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 17, 1960
DocketNo. 41524
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 123 So. 2d 617 (Ritter v. Johnson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ritter v. Johnson, 123 So. 2d 617, 239 Miss. 427, 1960 Miss. LEXIS 303 (Mich. 1960).

Opinion

McGehee, C. J.

On August 24, 1954 the testatrix, Mrs. Virginia Pearl Ritter, executed what purported to be her last will and testament. In that will she left the appellant, her husband, Charles L. Ritter, the sum of $1, and made a bequest to the First Methodist Church of Water Valley, Mississippi in the sum of $1,000, and left the remainder of her estate to her sister, Mrs. W. E. Johnson, if liv[431]*431ing, but provided that if her said sister predeceased her, the residue of her estate should go to her neices and nephew, Mrs. Garvis Erwin, Mrs. Chessie Triplett and Mel Lamar, in equal parts, and appointed, Earl K. Ply as executor of the said will.

On January 10, 1959 the testatrix executed another will in which she devised and bequeathed unto the appellant the sum of $1, and left to the First Methodist Church of Water Valley, Mississippi the sum of $2,000 and made certain bequests to other churches and to the Methodist Orphanage in Jackson, Mississippi the sum of $5,000, and also left certain bequests to named relatives who were not mentioned in the will of August 24, 1954. In this will she named Mrs. Evelyn L. Dickinson of Grenada, Mississippi as her executrix.

On February 12, 1959, eleven days prior to her death of cancer, she executed another purported will while in the hospital at Grenada, Mississippi, leaving to the appellant “all of my entire estate, real, personal and mixed of every kind and character wherever located, to my husband, Charlie L. Ritter * * *, except, however, I desire that my sister, Mrs. W. E. Johnson, have a child’s part for such amount as my executor shall deem fit and proper. I leave this in the discretion of my said husband, Charlie L. Ritter, having complete trust in him. ’ ’

The wills of August 24, 1954 and January 10, 1959, respectively, together with the affidavits of the subscribing witnesses were introduced in evidence upon the hearing of the contest of the will of February 12, 1959. This last will was contested on the alleged grounds that: (1) It was not executed in the manner required by law, (2) It was procured by undue influence and (3) The testatrix was not possessed of sufficient testamentary capacity to execute a valid will. Upon this latter issue the testimony was conflicting, and after a careful study of this entire record, we have reached the conclusion that there was substantial testimony to support the finding of the chancellor, holding that the testatrix did [432]*432not possess sufficient testamentary capacity to execute a valid will on February 12, 1959, and that his decision in that behalf should be permitted to stand, as not being manifestly wrong.

The chancellor found as a fact on ample testimony that the will was executed in the manner required by law and also that no undue influence was exerted by anyone upon the testatrix to procure the execution of the will. In other words, the only issue of fact left in the case that was expressly passed on by the chancellor is whether or not the testatrix possessed sufficient testamentary capacity to be able to execute a valid will.

But the appellant makes the further contention that as a matter of law, the appellees did not own such an interest in the estate of Mrs. Ritter to enable them to contest the will in question. However, since the will of February 12, 1959 was held to be invalid because of lack of testamentary capacity, then the beneficiaries under a prior will would have such an interest in the estate as to entitle them to contest the latter will. In the case of Croft, et al v. Alder, et al, 237 Miss. 713, 115 So. 2d 683, the Court said: “The bill further averred that the true last will and testament of John J. Alder was the one dated June 4, 1955, and it would be offered for probate when the court declared the 1957 will void.” That is the situation that we have here. The February 12, 1959 will having been declared void on the conflicting testimony, and since we are unable to say that the finding of the chancellor in that behalf was manifestly wrong, one of the prior wills may still be offered for probate.

In 95 C. J. S., Sec. 323, Subsection (3), p. 152, on the subject of wills, holds that a beneficiary or claimant under another will of the same testator has a sufficient interest to entitle him to oppose probate of the will in question, except where the other will under which he claims has been revoked, or where the will in question [433]*433bequeaths him the same or a larger amount than was bequeathed in the other will.

In the instant case the two former wills were introduced in evidence, together with the affidavits of the subscribing witnesses. No decree admitting either of these two former wills to probate was introduced, but the executors on behalf of the beneficiaries under both of the former wills filed petitions asking that an issue de-visavit vel non be made up and tried according to law, and that a temporary administrator of the estate of the testatrix be appointed. One of the petitions prayed that the appellant, Charles L. Bitter, be enjoined from undertaking to administer the estate as the executor named in the purported will of February 12, 1959. The chancery clerk was appointed as temporary administrator and the trial of the issue of the devisavit vel non was proceeded with.

We think that the beneficiaries in one or the other of the two former wills would be entitled to probate the same if their contests of the last will should be sustained.

The proponent of the will of February 12, 1959 offered in evidence the probate thereof in common form, and thereby made out his prima facie case. Thereupon, the contestants introduced their proof on the issues involved, and then the proponent introduced his evidence in rebuttal. This was the proper procedure.

The contestants offered the attendant physician to testify on the issue of whether or not the testatrix possessed the necessary testamentary capacity to execute a valid will. The proponent objected to the physician’s testifying and his proposed testimony was not admitted because the same was privileged under relation of physician and patient. The proponent had the legal right to prevent the physician from testifying. The contestants could not use his testimony if the proponent objected. In reaching his conclusions as to whether or not the testatrix possessed the necessary testamentary capa[434]*434city to execute a valid will, the chancellor was prevented by the objection of tbe proponent to bear tbe testimony of tbe only expert offered on that issue. Tbe chancellor probably thought that tbe testimony of tbe physician was objected to for tbe reason that tbe objector was of tbe opinion that tbe testimony of this medical witness would have been unfavorable to him.

Tbe contestants introduced tbe testimony of a nurse who bad been in attendance on tbe testatrix at tbe hospital from December 29, 1958 until February 19, 1959 and observed her every day during that period. She was on duty until 7 o ’clock on tbe morning of February 12, 1959 and bad been since 11 p.m. of tbe day before. It was her opinion from her observation of tbe patient that tbe latter was not conscious; that she talked at random and incoherently; and that she failed to recognize those who visited her during that period. Tbe administrator of tbe hospital visited this and other patients everyday, and be stated that from bis observation tbe testatrix was wholly incapable of making a valid will on tbe date of its execution.

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837 So. 2d 202 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2002)

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Bluebook (online)
123 So. 2d 617, 239 Miss. 427, 1960 Miss. LEXIS 303, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ritter-v-johnson-miss-1960.