Ryel v. Parsons

1993 OK CIV APP 186, 871 P.2d 437, 65 O.B.A.J. 1211, 1993 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 190
CourtCourt of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedNovember 23, 1993
DocketNo. 80613
StatusPublished

This text of 1993 OK CIV APP 186 (Ryel v. Parsons) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ryel v. Parsons, 1993 OK CIV APP 186, 871 P.2d 437, 65 O.B.A.J. 1211, 1993 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 190 (Okla. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinion

OPINION

GARRETT, Judge:

This appeal arises from an order of the district court admitting to probate the last will and testament of Ruth E. Long, Deceased (Decedent), who died on or about April 6,1992. Appellant, Nancy Ryel (Ryel), contested the will offered for probate by Appellee, Vernon Parsons (Parsons), the Per[438]*438sonal Representative of Decedent’s Estate, on the grounds of lack of testamentary capacity and undue influence.

Ryel raises three propositions of error: (1) the court erred in failing to give Decedent’s treating physician’s testimony substantial weight and in finding that Ryel had not sustained her burden of proof; (2) the court erred in failing to consider evidence of Decedent’s mental status, together with her appearance, conduct, acts, habits and conversation before execution of the July 25, 1988 will, as would tend to show her mental condition at the time of execution of the will; and (3) the court erred in failing to consider declarations of Decedent as to her testamentary desire in past years.

A guardian was appointed for Decedent in February, 1988, after being diagnosed with Alzheimer Disease in January, 1988. Her attending physician testified that Decedent could not have understood what she was doing as to disposition of her property at the time she executed her will. He stated that Alzheimer Disease first affected short term memory. If she were asked questions dealing with information stored in her long term memory, she could probably answer correctly, he stated. However, he said this did not mean she understood her actions in disposing of her property.

The fact that a guardian had been appointed for Decedent when she executed the July 25, 1988, will did not prohibit her from disposing of her property by will. At the time the will was executed, Oklahoma law did require that the will be executed in the presence of a district judge. See 84 O.S.1991 § 41(B) (since amended), identical to 84 O.S.Supp.1982 § 41(B), in effect at the time of the will’s execution, which provided:

B. The appointment of a guardian or a conservator does not prohibit a person from disposing of his estate, real and personal, by will; provided, that when any person subject to a guardianship or conser-vatorship shall dispose of such estate by will, such will must be subscribed and acknowledged in the presence of a judge of the district court. Subscribing and acknowledging such will before a judge shall not render such will valid if it would otherwise be invalid.

Although “medical testimony is admissible on the issue of mental capacity ... the trier of fact may follow his own conviction based upon his experiences, observations and common knowledge, although contrary to the expert opinions in civil cases.” In re Estate of Bracken, 475 P.2d 377, 380 (Okl.1970). Judge Linder, who attested the will on July 25, 1988, testified he asked Decedent many questions which indicated to him that she knew what she was doing and why she was doing it. He stated:

And I asked her some questions then. I asked her specifically if she knew what a will was. I said, tell me, what is a will? And she said, well, that’s a thing that says what’s gonna happen to all my stuff when I’m gone. And I asked her if she wanted to execute the will. She said that she did.
Mr. Smith identified the three witnesses, but before that happened, though, I asked her, too. I asked her what day it was, and she told me the day of the month. And I asked her again — I specifically remember I asked her if she knew who the president of the United States was. And, again, she had a grand sense of humor, and she said, well, I haven’t seen a newspaper r this morning, but I think it’s still Ronnie Reagan. And the reason that that stuck in my mind, that was at a time when the Iran/Contra scandal was pretty much at its height. And she very definitely knew that what she was doing was making a little joke about who the president was. I asked her if she knew where she was, and she said, sure, she was in the courthouse in Alva.
And then, talking about the witnesses, Clark Schultz, Mickey Bouziden, Duane Carter, and Herb Smith asked her if she wanted them to be witnesses to her will. She said, well, that one, and she pointed at Duane Carter, she said, that one’s sort of a relative of mine. I don’t know if he can be a witness or not. And Herb asked her then — and he made a mistake, because I believe he said, oh, you’re related to him through, I believe — I’m not sure, either through Willard or Neva Graham. And [439]*439whichever one he said, are you. related through Willard, and she said, no, it’s on the other side. Or if he said, is it Neva, and she said, no, it’s on the other side. I don’t remember which, but I do remember that she corrected Mr. Smith as to the relationship. And Mr. Smith asked, is he anyone who will benefit under your will? And she' said, no, I’m not leaving him anything. Then I remember Mr. Smith said, well, it will be perfectly all right, I believe, for him to be a witness, then. And she said, well, I just wanted to be sure.

Judge Linder testified he then asked her questions about what property she had, who her relatives were, and who would receive her property under the will. To the latter question, she identified by name her daughter, Treva Sue Martin, and her granddaughter, Appellant Nancy Ryel. Judge Linder stated he asked the questions in an attempt to determine whether she had testamentary capacity and that he would not have signed it if he had determined that she did not have it.

Ryel contends the trial court improperly limited the testimony of Decedent’s doctor as to evidence of his contact with her prior to 1988 or prior to July of 1988. She cites In re Estate of Samochee, 542 P.2d 498, 501-02 (Okl.1975), for authority that the court may consider evidence of Decedent’s mental status, together with her appearance, conduct, acts, habits and conversation both before and after execution of a will to show her mental condition at the time of execution of the will. She also cites Estate of O.L. Lacy, 481 P.2d 366, 368 (Okl.1967), for authority that proof of testamentary capacity is not necessarily confined to the exact time of execution of the will.

The trial court sustained Parsons’ objection to admission of evidence of Decedent’s actions and conduct for the period of time between January, 1988 and July, 1988, stating “I’m not gonna go through seven months of medical treatment. Now, I don’t — I’m not gonna restrict you on— ... presenting some evidence about ’88, but I don’t want to hear about every single day of treatment with her. That’s not what I’m here for.” The physician stated Decedent was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in January, 1988. He stated his opinion was that she was not able to understand or plan a scheme of distribution of her property at the time she executed her will. He also testified as to what he believed was necessary to have testamentary capacity. When asked to summarize his opinion on her cognitive impairment, he stated he was first aware on January 19, 1988, that she lost her ability to plan a scheme of distribution of her property. He stated her impairment was ongoing after that. He also stated his opinion was based upon his treatment of Decedent for the entire time he was her physician.

The record shows that Ryel made an offer of proof of the doctor’s testimony as to his contact with Decedent between January, 1988, and July 14, 1988.

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Related

Estate of Samochee
1975 OK 143 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1975)
Thom v. Bailey
481 P.2d 355 (Oregon Supreme Court, 1971)
In Re Williams'estate
249 P.2d 94 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1952)
King v. Gibson
1952 OK 333 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1952)
In Re Estate of Bracken
1970 OK 185 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1970)
Matter of Estate of Beal
769 P.2d 150 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1989)
Mount v. Trammel
1918 OK 523 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1918)
Peters Branch of International Shoe Co. v. Blake
1918 OK 632 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1918)

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Bluebook (online)
1993 OK CIV APP 186, 871 P.2d 437, 65 O.B.A.J. 1211, 1993 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 190, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ryel-v-parsons-oklacivapp-1993.