Smith v. Funk

1930 OK 69, 284 P. 638, 141 Okla. 188, 1930 Okla. LEXIS 40
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedFebruary 4, 1930
Docket18891
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 1930 OK 69 (Smith v. Funk) 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
Smith v. Funk, 1930 OK 69, 284 P. 638, 141 Okla. 188, 1930 Okla. LEXIS 40 (Okla. 1930).

Opinion

LEACH, C.

The essential facts necessary to a proper understanding of this case appear to be that, on August 80, 1918, the district court of Tulsa county granted a divorce to Lottie E. Smith, now Lottie El. Funic, from her then husband, William M. Smith, in which action the court adjudged and decreed in part that the plaintiff have the care, custody and control of the three minor children of the parties; that defendant-pay to the plaintiff the sum of $50 per month for the support and maintenance of each of the children during their minority, and further ordered and adjudged that the separation agreement and property settlement entered into between the parties be in all matters and things fully ratified and confirmed, and the provisions thereof made a part of the decree as though fully set out therein. The defendant, William M. Smith, complied with the judgment and decree of divorce and made the monthly payments, as ordered in the decree, up to the time of his death, which occurred on October 7, 1925. His will was admitted to probate in the county court of Tulsa county, and the plaintiff in error herein, the wife of the deceased, was appointed executrix of his estate.

Under the terms of the will, the property and estate of deceased, the appraised value of which was in excess of $500,000, was bequeathed by the testator to his wife', father, brother, sister, and his three minor children by his first wife. To his children he bequeathed 49' per cent, of the ownership and title to a certain lot, and improvements thereon, in the city of Tulsa, used and operated as a theater, the appraised value of which was fixed in the probate proceedings at $125,000, against which there was a mortgage for the original sum of $35,000, it being-directed in the will that such mortgage be paid out of the income from the property.

Lottie E. Funk filed a claim with the executrix against the estate of the testator for the sum of $16,864.75, which amount was claimed as the balance payable under the award in the divorce action for the support of the minor children. The claim was disallowed, whereupon this action was commenced to recover on the claim, and upon trial of the issues arising, the court found in part that the plaintiff, Lottie E. Smith, now Funk, and William M. Smith, on or about the 30th day of August, .1918, they being then husband and wife, in consideration of their living separate and apart from each other, entered into a written contract or separation agreement and property settlement, whereby it was agreed that the plaintiff should have the care and cuslody of the three minor children of the parties, and that the said William M. Smith should pay to the plaintiff the sum of $50 per month for the support and maintenance of each of the children during their minority ; that said property settlement and separation agreement was duly ratified and confirmed by the court in its filial judgment and decree, and that said judgment and decree and contract are binding and valid against the estate of the said William M. Smith, deceased, and entered judgment in favor of the plaintiff and against llie defendant for the sum which the court found to be duo and payable under the claim up to and including March 1, 1927; further adjudged and decreed that the further sum of '$14,314.75 was a valid and continuing claim against the estate of the deceased, contingent upon the minors reaching- their majority, and payable in the course of administration in monthly installments of $150 per month, according to the contract and judgment in the divorce proceedings, until the said minors reach their majority or until their death.

After denial of motion for a new trial, the defendant, Margaret L. Smith, executrix, brought this appeal and sets up in her petition in error several alleged errors which are presented in her brief under different propositions. The first three propositions presented and argued in the brief of plaintiff in error are:

“(1) Error of court in treating order for maintenance and support of minor children a judgment.

“(21 Error of court in reviving proceedings in original divorce case, after death of defendant against whom order was made.

“(31 Error of court in holding that order in original divorce proceedings was not subject to change or modification.’’

These propositions chiefly relate to the ruling and action of the trial court in reviving in the name of the executrix and sustaining that part of the decree of divorce entered in the original divorce action of Lottie M. Smith against William M. Smith, wherein the defendant was ordered to pay to the plaintiff the sum of $150 per month for the support of their minor children during minority.

The plaintiff in error, in support of her first proposition, calls attention to the fol *190 lowing provisions of section 507, O. O. S. 1921;

“When a divorce is granted, the court shall make provision for guardianship, eus/tody, support, and education of the minor children of the marriage, and may modify or change any order in this respect, whenever circumstances render such change proper, either before or after final judgment in the action”

—and cites certain authorites and decisions which announce the rule that the court has continuing jurisdiction of such matters under the statute, and may modify or change its order relating thereto. It is clear from the language of the quoted statute and decisions relating thereto (Sango v. Sango, 121 Okla. 283, 249 Pac. 925), that a court, when acting under the provisions of the statute, may, upon proper showing, change or modify such order, and we do not understand the trial court in the instant case to have held otherwise, or its judgment to be in conflict with the established rule.

The plaintiff in error further contends that that part of the divorce decree confirming the separation agreement and property settlement had reference only to a division of the property, and not to any binding agreement or contract between the parties relative to payment of a specified sum for the support and maintenance of the minor children. We think the following language in the divorce decree:

“* * * and it is further considered, ordered and adjudged that the separation agreement and property settlement heretofore entered into between the plaintiff and defendant, on the 29th day of August, 1918, be and the same is in all matters and things fully ratified and confirmed, and the provisions thereof are made part of this decree as though herein fully set out * • *”

—sufficient to justify the conclusion reached by the trial court in the instant case to the effect that the court in the divorce action ratified and confirmed that part of the agreement relating to the payment of a specified sum to the wife for the support of their minor children. At any rate, the court, in the divorce action, ordered payment of a sum the same as that mentioned in the contract for support of the children.

The plaintiff below in the instant case alleged in her petition that prior to the rendition of judgment in the divorce action, she and the said William M. Smith had entered into a written contract or separation agreement and property settlement respecting the custody of their minor children and the payment of a certain monthly sum by the father for their support during minority, and attached to her petition a copy of the decree of divorce.

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Bluebook (online)
1930 OK 69, 284 P. 638, 141 Okla. 188, 1930 Okla. LEXIS 40, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/smith-v-funk-okla-1930.