Simler v. Conner

228 F. Supp. 127, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8228
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Oklahoma
DecidedApril 1, 1964
DocketNo. 8008
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 228 F. Supp. 127 (Simler v. Conner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Simler v. Conner, 228 F. Supp. 127, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8228 (W.D. Okla. 1964).

Opinion

BOHANON, District Judge.

The plaintiff, A. J. Simler, was at all times mentioned herein a citizen and resident of the State of Arkansas. The defendant Leslie L. Conner was at all times mentioned herein a citizen and resident of the State of Oklahoma. The defendant Phillips Petroleum Company, a corporation, has its principal place of business in the State of Oklahoma. The amount in controversy, exclusive of interest and costs, exceeds the sum of $10,000, and therefore the Court has jurisdiction of the parties and the subject matter of this action. The defendant Phillips Petroleum Company has no interest in this matter except as a stakeholder, and it will not be necessary to further refer to this company except in that capacity.

The parties to this litigation at pretrial hearing stipulated to waive a jury trial and agreed to try the case to the Court.

This case involves the fixing of a reasonable attorney’s fee for the defendant Conner under a contingent fee arrangement with the plaintiff Simler.

The case was tried to the Court on February 10 and 11, 1964, and the Court, [129]*129having heard and duly considered all of the pleadings, depositions, evidence, and exhibits, finds the essential facts as follows:

Findings of Fact

1. Birdine Fletcher owned the Northwest Quarter of Section 34, Township 6 North, Range 10 West, Caddo County, Oklahoma, together with other property. She made a Will dated July 9, 1952, in which she devised to A. J. Simler, her brother and only heir, “the sum of $1.00, this amount and no more.” And the remainder of her estate to others, and the particular land in question to Mt. Alvemo Convent and St. Joseph’s Hospital, both of Maryville, Missouri, and St. Anthony Hospital of Oklahoma City, in equal shares. Mrs. Fletcher died testate in Oklahoma City on July 13, 1952, and her Will was filed for probate in Oklahoma County on July 14, 1952.

2. The plaintiff Simler, on July 18, 1952, employed the defendant Conner, a licensed and practicing attorney, by written contract, to represent him, in contesting the Will of his sister and to recover on his behalf all or part of the assets of the estate of his sister. This contract provided for a reasonable contingent fee to be fixed by the Court. In compliance with this contract Conner performed valuable services for and on behalf of Simler, which were successfully completed by defendant in May, 1957, resulting in the recovery for the plaintiff of accumulated oil and gas runs, and the above described 160 acres of land with the sixteen producing oil wells thereon, subject to an oil and gas lease in favor of the defendant Phillips Petroleum Company and assigns.

3. The defendant Conner, with the knowledge and consent of Simler, employed other attorneys to assist him in the litigation for the recovery of the above described property. Conner employed Mr. James E. Grigsby and Mr. Phil Daugherty, both licensed practicing attorneys in Oklahoma City, who were to be paid for their services a part of the proceeds, if any, from Conner’s contingent fee contract, when such services had been completed. On September 25, 1952, plaintiff and defendant agreed in writing that a “reasonable contingent attorney’s fee” as provided in the contract of July 18, 1952, would be a graduated fee of 25 per cent if the case was settled, 33% per cent if tried, and 50 per cent if it was necessary to appeal, or defend an appeal in the Supreme Court, and it was under the terms of this letter that Conner employed Mr. Daugherty and Mr. Grigsby. At pretrial conference it was stipulated by the parties and their attorneys that defendant would not rely on the contract .of September 25, 1952, but that the contingent attorney’s fee should be fixed by the Court, without a jury, to be paid in money only, and that Conner and his associates relinquished their rights to any interest in the real estate above described and the oil and gas production therefrom, except as hereinafter stated.

4. The defendant Conner investigated the facts of the case, and made an extensive research of the law, and performed an enormous amount of trial services for the plaintiff Simler. The legal services rendered by the defendant Conner covered a period from July 18, 1952 through May, 1957, and during this time there was continuous investigation, legal research, trial of cases, preparing appeals, and defending appeals in the Supreme Court of the State of Oklahoma, the Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court, which, of course, necessitated a great deal of work in the matter of legal research, preparing briefs, and making oral arguments before these Courts. The defendant Conner contested the Will of Simler’s sister, Birdine Fletcher, in the County Court of Oklahoma County in Case No. 31726, and this case was twice appealed to the District Court of Oklahoma County, and these cases then appealed to the Supreme Court of the State of Oklahoma, and there became cases No. 36075, In re Fletcher’s Estate, 269 P.2d 349, and No. 37365, 308 P.2d 304. Four separate cases were filed in the United States [130]*130District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma by the defendant for the plaintiff. There were three appeals to the Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit, from these cases. Also there were three appeals to the Supreme Court of the United States from the Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit, being cases No. 677 (1954) , Wilson v. Simler, 347 U.S. 954, 74 S.Ct. 681, 98 L.Ed. 1099; No. 510 (1955) , 348 U.S. 929, 75 S.Ct. 342, 99 L.Ed. 728; and No. 409 (1955), 350 U.S. 892, 76 S.Ct. 153, 100 L.Ed. 785. Also there was one original action filed by the plaintiff in the Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit, No. 5201 (not reported). Conner successfully defended an original action in the Supreme Court of the State of Oklahoma, filed against the plaintiff by the Executor of the Estate of his deceased sister, and the Sisters of St. Francis, the residual beneficiary of the Will. This suit was an attempt to defeat Federal Court litigation. And the defendant Conner successfully defended another action filed in the District Court of Oklahoma County against plaintiff and his attorneys.

5. Attorney Grigsby was employed by Conner on the basis of 28 per cent of Conner’s fee. Mr. Grigsby filed suit against plaintiff; Conner could not represent Simler and he employed John B. Ogden and paid him a fee of $7,500, and here claims credit for this $7,500 expense. Mr. Grigsby disassociated himself with the litigation before it was completed and assigned to Simler this 28 per cent in Conner’s contingent fee, for which he received a note of $12,000, secured by a mortgage on the above-described land. This note was paid and the mortgage released.

6. From July 18, 1952, to the last of May, 1957, the income from the described farm was paid to W. H. Wilson, Executor of the Estate of Birdine Fletcher, deceased. As a result of the legal services performed by Conner, Simler has been paid in cash by the Executor of the Fletcher Estate the sum of $88,446.62; from June 1, 1957, to February 11, 1964, the defendant Phillips Petroleum Company, from oil and gas sales, has paid into the Clerk’s office the sum of $238,431, pursuant to an order of this Court. From this sum, by Court order, Simler was paid $47,163.50, making a total sum received by Simler of $135,610.12. There remains in the office of the Clerk of this Court the sum of $191,267.50.

7.

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Bluebook (online)
228 F. Supp. 127, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8228, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/simler-v-conner-okwd-1964.