Slade v. Slade

55 P. 158, 122 Cal. 434, 1898 Cal. LEXIS 605
CourtCalifornia Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 26, 1898
DocketSac. No. 477
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 55 P. 158 (Slade v. Slade) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Slade v. Slade, 55 P. 158, 122 Cal. 434, 1898 Cal. LEXIS 605 (Cal. 1898).

Opinion

CHIPMAN, C.

Petition by the widow of deceased to set apart personal property. The executor named in the will of deceased, who was also his son and one of the devisees of the will, opposed the petition. The court made the order prayed for, from which this appeal is prosecuted.

[436]*436Deceased left an estate worth about thirty thousand dollars, consisting of three hundred acres of land in one body. One hundred and fifty acres were devoted to. growing orchard fruits and grapes and about ten acres to garden produce, the balance being used to glow hay. The farm was equipped with implements appropriate for and which were used in operating the entire farm. By his will deceased devised to his wife about ninety acres, including the dwelling-house of the family and about forty acres of the orchard and vineyard lands; and to his children and grandchildren he gave the residue of his property, without making any specific devise of the personal property; the estate was but little in debt, and there was money out of which an allowance could have been provided without disposing of the personal property. The court made its decree setting apart the property in question to the widow as property exempt from execution.

Appellant in his answer claims that deceased carried on three distinct occupations, to wit, farming or agriculture, fruit growing or horticulture, and grape growing or viticulture; and that petitioner must elect to take under some one of these occupations, and no more; that this property is not necessary for her support, but that she is entitled to receive a full support from the estate, and appellant is willing to pay her therefrom (of which there is sufficient) for such support; that section 690 of the Code of Civil Procedure makes no provision for exempting the tools, implements, and machinery of a horticulturist or viticulturist, and none such are exempt; that only the household and kitchen furniture in use in the dwelling-house is exempt, and this much appellant consents may be set apart to petitioner.

1. Section 690 of the Code of Civil Procedure is as follows: “The following property is exempt from execution, except as herein otherwise specially provided: .... 3. The farming utensils or implements of husbandry of the judgment debtor; also two oxen or two horses or two mules, and their harness, one cart or wagon”; and some other articles not here involved. "We do not think that where a person engages in diversified farming the law exempts only such of his farming utensils or implements as he may use in some one of the separate branches [437]*437of his farming operations. Webster defines a farmer to be “one who is devoted to the tillage of the soil; an agriculturist; a husbandman”; and farming he defines to mean “the business of cultivating land.” He defines “husbandry” to mean “the business of a farmer, comprehending the various branches of agriculture.” The followers of this ancient and honorable occupation may call themselves horticulturists, or viticulturists, or gardeners, but they are farmers, and their occupation is that of farming as contemplated by the statute. The law does not deal with classes of husbandry, nor does it limit the exemptions to one particular class of husbandry out of many that may be followed by the debtor.

Embraced in the list of articles are a great many whose use is peculiar to the particular branch of farming carried on by deceased. But we do not understand appellant to deny that they were all used and were necessary for use in the several branches of agriculture carried on by deceased; and, as appellant makes no point as to any one article, we shall not undertake to examine the list to ascertain whether any particular utensil or implement is not exempt.

2. Appellant contends that the court was not compelled to set apart this property; that the will devised it to other heirs at law; that there was no necessity for setting it apart to the widow, as there was money of the estate that could have been used and the executor was willing to pay her for her support; that the trial judge regarded the provisions of section 1465 of the Code of Civil Procedure as mandatory, leaving him no discretion; and if he did not so regard the section, but exercised his discretion, then it was an abuse of discretion, and should be corrected.

When a person dies leaving a widow or minor children, section 1164 of the Code of Civil Procedure gives them the right to remain in possession of' certain property, and also a reasonable provision for their support, until letters are granted and the inventory is returned. “Upon the return of the inventory, or at any subsequent time during the administration, the court may, on its own motion, or on petition therefor, set apart for the use of the surviving husband or wife .... all the property exempt from execution, including the homestead selected,” [438]*438et cetera. (Code Civ. Proc., sec. 1465.) Section 1466 of the Code of Civil Procedure provides: “If the amount set apart he insufficient for the support of the widow and children, or either, the court or judge thereof must make such reasonable allowance out of the estate as shall be necessary for the maintenance of the family, according to 'their circumstances, during the progress of the settlement of the estate,” et cetera. .

Whether, under these sections, it is the duty of the court to make provision for the support of the family in the order pointed out by these sections, or whether the court must, when petitioned to do so, set apart the exempt property; or whether such a petition may be refused and provision be made under section 1466, are questions we do not think it necessary to decide. The court had the petition before it, and had jurisdiction to grant the prayer under section 1465; and it exercised that jurisdiction favorably to the petitioner. Whether it did so under a sense of compulsion, or in the exercise of a sound discretion, is immaterial, as it had jurisdiction over the subject matter. The findings, we think, support the decree; and we are only to inquire whether the evidence justifies the findings.

It is claimed that no necessity was shown for setting apart this personal property to the widow, and that the court erred in not finding upon contestant’s answer, in which it is alleged that there are ample funds out of which the widow may be supported, and that the other devisees desired to retain these implements in kind. It appeared that the widow was to take by the will forty-six acres of the orchard and vineyard land; and, although no direct evidence was offered that she needed this personal property, there was quite as much as there was to support the desire of the other devisees to retain it. The court had full power to grant the petition, and we find nothing in the record to warrant the claim that it abused its discretion. The dire consequences pointed out by counsel for appellant should the decree stand need not necessarily ensue, because, should the widow hereafter apply for an allowance under section 1466, the court, it must he presumed, will act with due regard to any previous order made for her support and the subsequent condition of the estate.

3. It is further claimed that the court erred because the de[439]*439cree gave the widow property in value greater than one thousand dollars. Deceased died May 12, 1897. It does not appear when letters were issued, hut an inventory was returned July 10, 1897, and immediately thereafter respondent petitioned for the property.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

In Re Helmuth
92 B.R. 494 (N.D. Oklahoma, 1988)
Boehm v. Burleigh County
130 N.W.2d 170 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1964)
Sohner v. Mason
288 P.2d 616 (California Court of Appeal, 1955)
Davis, Adm'r v. Wright
1944 OK 295 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1944)
Security-First National Bank v. Pierson
38 P.2d 784 (California Supreme Court, 1934)
Allred v. J. C. Engelman, Inc.
54 S.W.2d 352 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1932)
Tobin v. City of Wilkes-Barre
16 Pa. D. & C. 397 (Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas, 1931)
Laguna v. Quiñones
23 P.R. 358 (Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, 1916)
In re Johnson
149 F. 864 (N.D. New York, 1907)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
55 P. 158, 122 Cal. 434, 1898 Cal. LEXIS 605, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/slade-v-slade-cal-1898.