Shimonek v. Tillman

1931 OK 377, 1 P.2d 154, 150 Okla. 177, 1931 Okla. LEXIS 327
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJune 23, 1931
Docket19168
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 1931 OK 377 (Shimonek v. Tillman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Shimonek v. Tillman, 1931 OK 377, 1 P.2d 154, 150 Okla. 177, 1931 Okla. LEXIS 327 (Okla. 1931).

Opinion

CULLISON, J.

Plaintiff for his cause of action says:

“Petition.
“* * « on the 7th day of January, 1922, the deceased, Ralph Malone, by and through his legal guardian, A. G. Williams, entered into a written contract with the firm of Tillman & Tillman, attorneys at law, by the terms of which he retained said firm of attorneys to represent his interests in the matter of the estate of Howard Buffalo, deceased. A copy of which contract is hereto attached, made a part hereof and marked ‘Exhibit A.’
“That the said Howard Buffalo, deceased, died on the 7th clay of July, 1921, leaving a will, by the terms of which he bequeathed his entire estate to Mary McFall, Pearl Buffalo, and Ralph Malone, share and share alike.
“That ■ at the time said Ralph Malone, through his legal guardian, entered into the writt: n contract of employment, with the firm of Tillman & Tillman, as set forth above, *179 Hiero was pending before the Secretary of tlie Interior, and the county court of Osage county, a contest over the probating of the will of Howard Buffalo, in which contest the heir, Pearl Buffalo, contended that the will executed by Howard Buffalo, prior to his death was obtained by duress, coercion, and fraud, and was not the free and voluntary act of the deceased, Howard Buffalo, and further contended that as she was the closest blood relative, she was entitled to the entire estate, to the exclusion of Ralph Malone and other heirs.
“That prior to the time the firm of Tillman and Tillman entered into the contract of employment with the guardian of Ralph Malone, as set forth above, said firm had for a considerable period of time represented the said Ralph Malone and his legal guardian, and therefore when the contest arose over the will of Howard Buffalo, the said Ralph Malone and his legal guardian entered into the aforesaid contract of employment with the firm of Tillman & Tillman to represent the interests of the said Ralph Malone in these additional legal matters.
‘■'That, in accordance with the terms of their contract, the firm of Tillman & Tillman diligently and carefully represented the in-ti rests of Ralph Malone, in all matters pertaining to the estate of Howard Buffalo, deceased, and in the final termination of said litigation recovered from the estate of Howard Buffalo, for the said Ralph Malone, properties and moneys in the value of $111,111.-11 or one-third of the entire estate of Howard Buffalo.
“That, according to the terms of the contract entered into by the firm of Tillman & Tillman, with the said Ralph Malone .and his le gal guardian, the said Ralph Malone agreed to pay the firm of Tillman & Tillman, as compensation for their services, a sum equivalent to 15' 'per cent, of .the amount recover ed by said firm of attorneys, from the estate of Howard Buffalo, for the said Ralph Malone.
“That, on the 3rd day of December, 1924. at a In-aring had in the county court of Osage county, the value of the property recovered by the firm of Tillman & Tillman for the said Ralph Malone, from the estate cf Howard Buffalo, deceased, was fixed at $111,111.11, and the contract of employment of the firm of Tillman & Tillman with the said Ralph Malone and his legal guardian, was approved by the county court of Osage county, and the guardian ordered to pay to the firm of Tillman & Tillman the sum or $22,666.66 or 15 per cent, of the amount rec .vered by the firm of Tillman & Tillman, for the said Ralph Malone, from the estate of Howard Buffalo, and further found that of this sum $5,500 had been paid, and that there was due the firm of Tillman & Tillman a balance in the sum of $17,686.66, and th? gua- dian was authorized by said court to pay the firm of Tillman & Tillman, said balance out of any moneys which might come into his hands as guardian of Ralph Malone. A copy of which order is hereto attached, made a part hereof, and marked ‘Exhibit B.’
“That after the entering of said order by the county court of Osage county, the guardian, A. G. Williams, paid the firm of Tillman & Tillman, in accordance with said order, the sum of $2,900, leaving a balance due said firm of attorneys, according to the terms of said contract and court order, in the sum of $14,766.66, of which amount no portion has been paid and is now due and owing.
“That for a good and valuable consideration, the right, title, and interest of the firm of Tillman & Tillman in said indebtedness has been transferred and assigned to this plaintiff as assignee, and authority granted and vested in him by the firm of Tillman & Tillman, to collect same as assignee.
“That, on the 4th day of July, 1926, the said Ralph Malone died, and Dora Shimonek was on the 14th day of July, 1926, appointed administratrix of the estate of Ralph Malone, deceased; that, on the 1st day of November, 1926, and within four months after the appointment of said administratrix, plaintiff filed his claim for the indebtedness set foith above with said administratrix, at which time the said administratrix requested a hearing on said claim, which hearing was held on the 10th day of December, 1926, and the matter taken under advisement by the administra-trix and her counsel until the 14th day of February, 1927, at which time said claim was disallowed by her and the county judge of Osage county. * * * ’

Defendant, for her answer to plaintiff’s petition, says, in part:

“Answer.
“Comes now the defendant, Dora Shim-onek, the duly appointed, qualified and acting administratrix of the estate of Ralph Malone, deceased, and for her answer to the petition of the plaintiff filed herein, s ntes:
“* * * (5) Defendant further specifically denies that said Ralph Malone was ever legally adjudged to be an incompetent person under the laws of the state of Oklahoma, and denies further that said A. G- Williams was ever the legally appointed, qualified, and acting guardian of said Ralph Malone.
“(6) Defendant further states that if said contract was, in fact, executed by said A. G. Williams, that a copy thereof was never served upon the Superintendent of the Osage Indian Agency; and said purported contract was never approved by either the Secretary cf the Interior, the Superintendent of the Osage Indian Agency, or the county court of Osage county. Oída., and tint said <• ntracl: is therefore void and of no force and effect.
“(7) Defendant further states that, at the time of the alleged execution of the purport *180 ed contract set up in plaintiff’s petition, said Ralph Malone was a full-blood Osage Indian who did not have a certificate of competency.
“* * * (yo) Defendant further states that if the firm of Tillman & Tillman performed any services for said Ralph Malone in the matter of the estate of Howard Buffalo, as «et up in the plaintiff’s petition, that said firm of Tillman & Tillman has received the sum of $8,450, which said sum is ample compensation for all services rendered by said firm.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1931 OK 377, 1 P.2d 154, 150 Okla. 177, 1931 Okla. LEXIS 327, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/shimonek-v-tillman-okla-1931.