Tiger v. Drumright

1923 OK 430, 217 P. 453, 95 Okla. 174, 1923 Okla. LEXIS 118
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJune 26, 1923
Docket11253
StatusPublished
Cited by36 cases

This text of 1923 OK 430 (Tiger v. Drumright) 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
Tiger v. Drumright, 1923 OK 430, 217 P. 453, 95 Okla. 174, 1923 Okla. LEXIS 118 (Okla. 1923).

Opinion

COCHRAN, J.

This action was brought by plaintiff in error to cancel a guardian’s deed executed by the guardian of Joseley Tiger, a full-'blood Creek Indian. Judgment was rendered for the defendants, from which the plaintiff has appealed. The parties will hereinafter be referred to as plaintiff and defendants, as they appeared in the trial court.

The plaintiff contends that the petition is so defective as not to confer jurisdiction on the county court to order the sale. The petition in the case, omitting the caption and verification, is in the following language:

“Comes now John Bruner, as the guardian of Joseley Tiger, and shows to the court the condition of the estate of the above named ward, to wit:
“The personal property of said wards consists of nothing, of the approximate value of .^Nothing; that the annual income therefrom is approximately ^Nothing.
“That said ward owns the following described real estate of the approximate value of $1,000, to wit: that the annual income therefrom is approximately $Nothing; that said real estate is incumbered to the amount of $Nothing, with an annual interest charge of $Nothing; that the annual expense chargeable against ihe estate of said ward for maintenance and education is approximately $50; that it is necessary that the hereinafter-described portion of said real estate should be sold for the following reasons, to wit: to raise funds, with which to educate and maintain said minor, the income from their estates not being sufficient for such purpose.
“That the .next of kin and persons interested in the estate of said ward, together with their respective places of residence, are as follows: Hully Tiger, brother, Carson, Oklahoma; Sallie Bruner, sister.
“Wherefore, petitioner prays the court that upon hearing had hereon he be authorized to sell an undivided one-third interest in ihe northwest quarter of the southeast quarter of section thirty (30) ; northeast quarter of southwest quarter; oast one-half of southeast quarter of southwest quarter and west one-half of southwest quarter of the southwest quarter and northwest quarter of the southwest quarter of section thirty-two (32), township 18 north, range 7 east, Creek county, Oklahoma, of said real estate, at public or private sale as shall be deemed most beneficial and for the best interest of said ward. 1

“John Bruner.”

Plaintiff says that this petition did not comply with section 6557, Rev. Laws 1910, in that it failed to set forth the condition of the estate of the ward and facts and circumstances on which the petition is founded tending to show the necessity or expediency of a sale, and contends that a failure to sub-' stantialiy comply with the provisions of this statute renders the sale void. Sockey v. Winstock, 43 Okla. 758, 144 Pac. 372, and Dosar v. Hummell, 89 Okla. 152, 214 Pac. 718; and the California decisions referred to in those cases are cited to support this contention. The petition in the instant case shows that the minor had no personal property; that he owned certain real estate; received no income*from any source; and set forth the amount nécessáry for the support, maintenance, and education of the minor; and that it was necessary for the support and education of the minor that the real! estate described should be sold for the purpose of raising funds to educate and maintain the minor. This petition was in substantial compliance with the provisions of section 6557, Rev. Laws 1910. Even though the petition were not in substantial compliance with the provisions of this statute, plaintiff’s contention is not sound. This proceeding is a collateral attack, arid the proceeding in the county court and the salfi' resulting therefrom must be void in order to entitle the plaintiff to any relief. Sockey v. Winstock, supra: Welch v. Focht, 67 Okla. 275. 171 Pac. 731. The sufficiency of a petition to give the county court jurisdiction to sell real estate was clearly annouijced by this court in Cowan v. Hubbard, 50 Okla. 671, 151 Pac. 678, decided August 31, 1915. and this decision has been consistently followed by this court until the apparent modification contained in the case of Dosar v. Hummell, supra. At the time ihe Cowan Case was decided, this court was confronted' with the ease of In re Bland Estate, 55 Cal. 310. and Sockey v. Winstock, supra, and in the last-named ease the following statement was made:

«* * * the petition of a guardian to sell the real estate belonging to his ward must state the condition of the estate, and facts tending to show the expediency and necessity of such sale, in order to give the court jurisdiction to order the sale.”

*176 In. the Cowan Case, this court modified the rule announced in Sockey v. Winstock. supra, and in the syllabus stated as follows:

“A guardian’s deed will not be held void .on a collateral attack merely because the petition of the guardian to sell the real estate of his ward defectively states the existence of the conditions under which the statute authorizes the sale.”

The court in that case quoted with approval from A. & E. Enc. Pl. & Pr., vol. 10, p. 782, as follows:

“The authority to grant a license to sell real estate carries with it the implied power to determine the necessity for such sale, and the sufficiency of the pleadings presented to the court for that purpose. Therefore, as a general rule, the authority of a guardian’s sale cannot be attacked in a collateral proceeding on the ground that the petition for the order was insufficient. The power to.hear and determine is jurisdictional. If the court thus having jurisdiction errs in holding an insufficient petition to be good, it is mere error reviewable on appeal, but not a defect of jurisdiction”

—and also quotes with approval from Beachy v. Shomber, 73 Kan. 62, 84 Pac. 547, as follows:

■ “A guardian’s deed will not be held void upon a collateral attack merely because the petition of the guardian for leave to sell his ward’s real estate does not affirmatively show the existence of the conditions under which the statute authorizes such sale.”

In Welch v. Focht, supra, the petition trader consideration stated that the ward had no personal property, that he owned real estate described in the petition, and that no income was derived therefrom, and alleged that it was necessary to sell such real estate, but did not affirmatively allege statutory grounds for the sale, neither did it allege the amount chargeable against the estate of the ward for maintenance and education; and in holding that this petition was sufficient to give the county court jurisdiction, this court said:

■ “The prevailing rule is that, where probate courts are courts of general jurisdiction, the orders and judgments of such courts, when acting within their jurisdiction, are entitled to the samei favorable presumptions and the same immunity from collateral attack as are accorded those of other courts of general jurisdiction”

—and further in the opinion the court said:

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Bluebook (online)
1923 OK 430, 217 P. 453, 95 Okla. 174, 1923 Okla. LEXIS 118, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tiger-v-drumright-okla-1923.