Travis v. McCully

1940 OK 35, 98 P.2d 595, 186 Okla. 378, 1940 Okla. LEXIS 11
Supreme Court of Oklahoma·Decided January 23, 1940·No. No. 29169.·Published·Cited by 10 cases

Opinions

OSBORN, J.

This action was instituted in the district court of Kingfisher county by Sarah Leota Travis, who has since died, and the action is now prosecuted by Fred Travis, Sr., executor of the estate of Sarah Leota Travis, deceased, against Emma McCully, also known as Emma G. McCully, and others, whereby the plaintiff sought to have a deed held by the defendant set aside and canceled. The cause was tried to-the court and judgment was rendered for the defendant Emma McCully, from which judgment plaintiff has appealed. The parties will be referred to as they appeared in the, trial court.

Plaintiff alleges in her petition that she is the daughter and an heir at law of Charles McCully, Sr., deceased; that Charles McCully died intestate on or about the 26th day of May, 1936; that he left property real and personal, and that his sole heirs were the plaintiff and plaintiff’s mother, Emma McCully, and various other defendants named in the petition, who were the sons and daughters of deceased and the defendant Emma McCully; that on May 23, 1935, the defendant Emma McCully obtained a deed from the said Charles McCully to certain real estate described in the petition, which was placed of record; that the defendant Emma McCully obtained said deed by fraud and undue influence exercised by her over her husband; that said fraud was occasioned by the fact that Charles McCully, Sr., was feeble in both mind and body and nearly 80 years of age; that because of his physical and mental condition he did not have the ability to understand the nature and effect of the act and was unable to comprehend the effect of the deed or that the same would divest him of title to said real estate; that the deceased was incapable of transacting any business and required constant attention and supervision at all times and was under the constant care, supervision, and surveillance of the defendant; that the defendant unduly influenced and persuaded said deceased to sign said deed; that said deed was executed without a valuable consideration and that no title passed from the said Charles Mc-Cully, Sr., to the defendant by virtue of said deed; that said real estate was *379 rightfully a part of the estate of Charles McCully, Sr., deceased. The prayer of plaintiff asked that the deed described be canceled and set aside, and that defendant be required to make an accounting for her benefit and the benefit of the estate of Charles McCully, deceased, and that she be enjoined from transferring said property. Numerous other pleadings were filed by both plaintiff and the other defendants which are immaterial in the determination of this cause.

The defendant answered by way of general denial, and the cause was tried to the court after the court had overruled the motion of plaintiffs for a jury trial.

Various assignments of error are listed by plaintiff under three propositions: First, that the court erred in overruling plaintiff’s demand for a trial by jury; second, that the court erred in admitting certain evidence over the objection of plaintiff; and third, that the judgment and decision of the court was contrary to the law and the evidence.

It is plaintiff’s contention that her cause of action is primarily one for possession of the land involved, and that under section 350, O. S. 1931, 12 Okla. Stat. Ann. § 556, she was entitled to a trial by jury.

This contention is without merit for the reason that plaintiff was not in a position to bring an action for possession. Her status was that of an heir to an undetermined amount of the property involved. The petition clearly states that plaintiff’s cause of action is for cancellation of the deed involved. The prayer, as set out in plaintiff’s petition, simply asks that the deed be set aside and held for naught, and the property be decreed to be a part of the estate of Charles McCully, Sr., deceased. Plaintiff does not ask for possession of the lands involved. It follows that plaintiff’s action was one of equitable cognizance and she was not entitled to a jury trial. In Harris v. Davis, 170 Okla. 35, 38 P. 2d 562, this court held:

“An action to cancel a deed is an equitable proceeding and no party thereto is entitled to a jury trial, though the action also involve the possession of the land and damages for the wrongful withholding of the possession thereof.”

See Evans et al. v. Local Bldg. & Loan Ass’n, 169 Okla. 274, 36 P. 2d 895.

Plaintiff’s second proposition, regarding the admission of allegedly irrelevant evidence in the case, is without merit for the reason that it is not shown that the evidence complained of was relied upon by the court, and for the further reason that the admission of incompetent evidence in cases tried to the court is not reversible error except where there is an absence of competent evidence reasonably tending to support the judgment. This rule was laid down in the case of Tobin v. O’Brieder, 16 Okla. 500, 85 P. 1121, and has been followed by a long line of cases.

Plaintiff’s third proposition, that the decision of the court was contrary to the law and the evidence, requires an examination of the record herein. It is a well-settled rule of this jurisdiction that in a case of equitable cognizance the appellate court will examine and weigh the evidence, but the findings and judgment of the trial court will not be disturbed on appeal unless it is made to appear that such findings and judgment are against the clear weight of the evidence. Mid-Continent Life Ins. Co. v. Sharrock, 162 Okla. 127, 20 P. 2d 154, and cases therein cited.

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Travis v. McCully, 1940 OK 35, 98 P.2d 595, 186 Okla. 378, 1940 Okla. LEXIS 11 (Okla. 1940).

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