State ex rel. Bechert v. Jasper Circuit Court

252 N.E.2d 589, 253 Ind. 212, 1969 Ind. LEXIS 305
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 26, 1969
DocketNo. 469-S-84
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 252 N.E.2d 589 (State ex rel. Bechert v. Jasper Circuit Court) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State ex rel. Bechert v. Jasper Circuit Court, 252 N.E.2d 589, 253 Ind. 212, 1969 Ind. LEXIS 305 (Ind. 1969).

Opinions

DeBruler, C.J.

This case involves a petition for a temporary writ of mandate and prohibition directed to the respondent requiring him to refrain from exercising further jurisdiction in the matter of the Petition to Probate a will filed as part of the probate proceeding entitled The Estate of Gawanda J. Bechert, Deceased, being Probate Cause No. 4049, and also from exercising further jurisdiction in the matter of a Complaint to Resist Probate, being Civil Cause No. 196-66, both causes being filed in said court.

The decedent, Gawanda J. Bechert, in this case died a resident of Jasper County, Indiana, on November 16, 1965. Thereafter an intestate estate was opened in the Jasper Circuit Court and an administrator was appointed. On January 5, 1966, and while said estate was being administered, Gwendolyn L. Lehe filed a general objection to the probate of any will in the estate of Gawanda J. Bechert, deceased. Thereafter on August 11, 1966, the relator, James E. Bechert, filed a Petition to Probate the will of Gawanda J. Bechert, deceased, in Probate Cause No. 4049, and simultaneously filed a motion for change of venue from Jasper County upon his Petition to Probate the will.

On September 8, 1966, and within thirty days after the Petition to Probate the will was filed, Gwendolyn L. Lehe [215]*215filed a Complaint to Resist Probate of the will in the Jasper Circuit Court which action was docketed under a separate Civil Cause No. 196-66 and was entitled Gwendolyn J. Lehe v. James E. Bechert, et al. In the latter cause the relators appeared generally, requested a jury trial, and on November 5, 1966, filed their answer to the Complaint to Resist Probate of will and a motion for change of venue from the county. This second motion for change of venue from the county was denied by the court and subsequently this Court upheld the denial of that motion by the trial court in the case of State ex rel. Bechert v. The Jasper Circuit Court (1968), 249 Ind. 695, 234 N. E. 2d 492. That case dealt only with the second motion for change of venue and is not involved in this case.

On April 30, 1968, the Jasper Circuit Court set Cause No. 196-66 for trial on September 10, 1968. On August 16, 1968, relators filed a motion for a continuance of the trial in Cause No. 196-66 which was granted and the cause was reset for trial on April 22,1969. Thereafter on April 17, 1969, five days before the date set for trial, the relators filed a motion for a continuance and a motion to dismiss the suit on the ground that the Jasper Circuit Court lost jurisdiction of this will contest two and one-half years prior to that day when relators filed their first motion for change of-venue from the county in Probate Cause No. 4049, requesting that the venue of their Petition to Probate the will be changed from the county.

On April 18, 1969, the Jasper Circuit Court denied relators’ motion to dismiss and the motion for a continuance. The relators petitioned for a writ of mandate and prohibition to prevent respondent from exercising jurisdiction over the Petition to Probate will filed in Cause No. 4049 and over Cause No. 196-66. This Court thereupon issued the temporary mandate and prohibition order.

The question in this case is whether or not under the facts and circumstances heretofore related the respondent should be required to grant the first motion for change of venue from the county which was filed simultaneously with the Petition [216]*216for Probate in Cause No. 4049, and if said motion must now be granted what effect does this have upon Cause No. 196-66, the Complaint to Resist Probate.

Both opponents and proponents of a will have a statutory right to a change of venue from the county upon the filing of a timely and .correct motion in the Probate proceeding. Indiana Acts 1913, ch. 139, § 1, as amended by Acts 1935, ch. 71, § 1, being Burns’ Ind. Stat. Ann. § 2-1403, states:

“In any action, proceeding, or matter, of any character or nature whatever, relating to, connected with or involving the estate of a decedent in any manner whatever, any of the parties thereto shall be entitled to change of judge or a change of venue from the county for the same reasons, and upon the terms and conditions, upon which there may be a change of judge or a change of venue from the county on any civil action: Provided, however, That nothing herein contained shall be construed to authorize a change of venue from the county of the administration of the estate of a decedent, or to authorize a change of venue from the county upon the exceptions to the final report of an administrator or executor, and hereafter there shall be no change of venue from the county upon exceptions to the final report of an administrator or executor.”

Relator filed a correct and timely motion for change of venue from the county on his Petition to Probate in Cause No. 4049. Relator had a right to have that motion ruled on and granted unless it should appear there is some legal reason to support respondent’s denial of the motion.

Respondent makes several arguments why the motion need not have been granted.

(1) Respondent argues that there is no right to a change of venue from the county on a petition to probate a will. However, Burns’ § 2-1403, supra, clearly grants the right.

[217]*217[216]*216(2) Respondent next contends that the motion for change of venue from county filed by relators at the same time as the Petition to Probate the will properly overruled because [217]*217at the time it was filed there were no adverse parties to the proceeding to probate the will, and no issue existed which would have required a trial to dispose of it. This contention is erroneous because there were adverse parties when the Petition to Probate was filed. The objections to the probate of any will had been filed by the opponents of the will prior to the filing of the Petition to Probate the will. The purpose of these objections was to notify the proponents of the will that the objectors intended to oppose the probate of the will. At the moment the Petition to Probate the will was filed, the proceeding to probate was an adversary proceeding because of the existence of the objections.

(3) The strongest argument made by respondent is that the course of conduct taken by relators shows a waiver and abandonment of their right to a change of venue. The respondent cites four cases in support of his position. However, none of these cases supports the proposition that a party waives his motion for change of venue from the county when after proper filing the trial court fails to act on it. In State ex rel. City of Indpls. v. Superior Court of Marion Co. (1955), 235 Ind. 151, 128 N. E. 2d 874, 131 N. E. 2d 645, the failure of a party to expeditiously strike from a panel named by the regular judge following the granting of a motion for change of venue from the judge was held to constitute a waiver of the right to change from the judge.

In Southern Indiana Ry. Co. v. McCarrell (1904), 163 Ind. 469, 71 N. E. 156, the appellee took a change from Lawrence County to Orange County. Appellant appeared in Orange County and filed a motion for change from that county which was granted and the venue ordered changed to Washington County and appellant was granted ten days to perfect the change. Appellant did not perfect this change.

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Related

O'Connor v. Lowe
607 N.E.2d 398 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1993)
State ex rel. Bechert v. Jasper Circuit Court
252 N.E.2d 589 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1969)

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Bluebook (online)
252 N.E.2d 589, 253 Ind. 212, 1969 Ind. LEXIS 305, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-bechert-v-jasper-circuit-court-ind-1969.