Tracy v. Norvell

1921 OK 112, 196 P. 929, 81 Okla. 94, 1921 Okla. LEXIS 103
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedMarch 29, 1921
Docket11810
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 1921 OK 112 (Tracy v. Norvell) 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
Tracy v. Norvell, 1921 OK 112, 196 P. 929, 81 Okla. 94, 1921 Okla. LEXIS 103 (Okla. 1921).

Opinion

NICHOLSON, J.

Tbe plaintiff in error Nola Cbilders Tracy, who was plaintiff below, is a citizen of the Osage Tribe of Indians, and inherited from her father, William Childers, who was a citizen of the Creels Tribe of Indians, the following described lands lying and situate in Tulsa county, to wit: the south half of the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter, and lots 5 and 6, in section 11, and the east half of the northeast quarter of section 12, township 19 north, range 12 east of the Indian Meridian, containing 160 acres, more or less. Lee Clinton and Daniel B. Horsley were, in the year 1914, duly appointed guardians of the estate of the plaintiff and continued as such guardians until such plaintiff arrived at her majority. The defendant in error, defendant below, was the attorney for said guardians and the estate of said plaintiff. Said plaintiff attained the age of 18 years on the 25th day of December, 1917. On the 7th day of January, 1918, said plaintiff, as party of the first part, and said Lee Clinton, Daniel B. Horsley, and said defendant, as parties of the second part, entered into a contract in writing by the terms of which said plaintiff constituted and appointed said defendant and said Clinton and Horsl'ey her agents for the purpose of surveying and olatting said lands into lots and as an addition to the city of Tulsa, and marketing said lots.

Tinder the terms of said contract the plaintiff agreed to pay all the expenses of grading, platting, advertising, and conducting the sale of said lots, the expense of abstracts and revenue stamps- and the expense of 6 dipping and maintaining o dices in the eitj of Tulsa, together with the salary of one son to act in the capacity of stenographer and book-keeper. It was further agreed that said plaintiff should have the privilege of selecting from said lands so platted the equivalent of four blocks for her own use, and should not be liable for any commissions thereon, and that said defendant and said Clinton and Horsley should receive a net commission of 10 per cent, of the gross amount received from the sale of each lot.

It was further agreed that said defendant and Clinton and Horsley should exercise the powers granted them jointly, acting as a board by majority vote; should adopt rules for their government and keep a comulete record of their proceedings which should be open to the inspection of plaintiff at all times.

Proceeding under said contract, said defendant and said Clinton and Horsley sold between January 10th and September 1, 1918, lots for which the parties received about $100,000. On or about September 1, 1918, the plaintiff, without the consent of the defendant, closed the offices in which the business had been conducted, and refused to further perform said contract, and refused to allow said defendant to participate in the performance thereof. Thereafter, the defendant brought suit in the district court of Tulsa county against said plaintiff and Lee Clinton and Daniel B. Horsley, seeking to recover the sum of $110,000 for legal services rendered to'said guardians and the estate of said plaintiff.

On December 21, 1918, a contract of settlement was entered into by and between the plaintiff and defendant herein, by the terms of which, in consideration of the dismissal' with, prejudice of the aforementioned suit and the relinquishment by said defendant of all claims which he had or might have against the plaintiff, her guardians, or her estate, the plaintiff agreed to convey by good and sufficient warranty deed to said defendant 36 lots or parcels of land situated in what is known as Horsley Hill addition to the city of Tulsa, and agreed to indorse and deliver to said defendant a certain promissory note for the sum of $10,000, executed by E. Constantin and Constantin Refining Company, payable to the order -of said plaintiff. In said contract it was agreed that 18 of said lots were received and accepted by the defendant in exchange for his relinquishment of his rights under the contract bearing date of January 7, 1918, and the other 16 lots and said note for $10,000 were in payment for all legal services rendered.

Said lots were conveyed and said note indorsed and delivered and said action for $110,00b dismissed with prejudice in accordance with the terms of said contract. After-wards, and on November 7, 1919, this action was brought by plaintiff, seeking to set aside said compromise settlement, and praying that the defendant be required to make full disclosure and discovery of the matters in plaintiff’s petition mentioned, and a complete accounting of all funds received by him from the sale of the lots conveyed to him, and the note so indorsed and delivered to him, and for judgment against said defendant for such sum or sums received, and for cancellation of the conveyance covering the unsold portion of said lots, and for general relief.

*96 The plaintiff predicates her action upon alleged fraud of the defendant in procuring the contract of January 7, 1918, and also in procuring the settlement of date December 21, 1918. The defendant in his answer and cross-petition denied the fraud and prayed that a certain notice placed of record by the plaintiff, seeking to cloud the title to certain lots deeded to him under said contract be canceled, and for all proper relief.

The trial court, at the request of the parties, made findings of fact and eonelu-sions of law, as follows :

“Nola Childers Tracy, one of the plaintiffs herein, inherited 160 acres of land in this county as an heir of the estate of her father, a Creek Indian. She was at that time a minor about 14 years of age. Clinton and Horsley were appointed guardians of her estate. Miss Childers attained her majority on December 25, 1917. Prior to. that time she had no business experience, but had attended school at Pawhuska, three' years in California, and one year in Missouri. She was registered on the rolls as a three-quarter blood Indian. On June 18, 1917, she married Forrest R. Tracy, who was at that time a minor, and who is now 20 years of age. He was granted his majority rights, and immediately after Mrs. Nola Childers Tracy attained her majority she and her husband entered into a contract with her guardiaps and the defendant under the terms of which the latter were to plat and place upon the market for sale the 160 acres of land hereinbefore mentioned. Under this contract sales aggregating over $100,000 were made, and the defendant received his share - of the commissions to which he was entitled under the contract, amounting to about $3,500.
“There had been much litigation between her guardians and Mr. Leonard, who was claiming to be the rightful guardian under some proceedings had in the Creek county court, and was pretending to act as such, and his acts were contested by Mr. Norvell on behalf of the guardians and their ward, and in that litigation the principal, if not the only, question involved was as to who was the legal guardian and entitled to act as such. The litigation was eventually decided in favor of Mr. Norvell’s clients. He made a claim against Mrs. Tracy which included charges for the services so rendered, and an estrangement between the plaintiffs and Mr. Norvell resulted. After futile attempts were made to effect a settlement, Mr. Norvell brought suit to recover the amount claimed to be due him. Mr. and Mrs. Tracy employed counsel to represent them in this controversy, who advised them that they could defeat the action which had theretofore been brought against them by Mr.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1921 OK 112, 196 P. 929, 81 Okla. 94, 1921 Okla. LEXIS 103, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tracy-v-norvell-okla-1921.