Tucker v. Leonard

1919 OK 259, 183 P. 907, 76 Okla. 16, 1919 Okla. LEXIS 108
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedSeptember 16, 1919
Docket9050
StatusPublished
Cited by40 cases

This text of 1919 OK 259 (Tucker v. Leonard) 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
Tucker v. Leonard, 1919 OK 259, 183 P. 907, 76 Okla. 16, 1919 Okla. LEXIS 108 (Okla. 1919).

Opinion

PITOHPORD, J.

This is an action in ejectment and to quiet title, instituted by the plaintiff against the defendants, who claimed title to the land in question by mesne conveyances at a guardian’s sale made pursuant to the orders, and under the supervision of the county court of Wagoner county, Oklahoma; the land involved being the allotments of Fred and George Tucker, New Born Greek Freedmen. Two actions were brought and consolidated in the Supreme Court, the other action, No. 9051, being by Fred Tucker. In both cases the petition of the plaintiffs in the court below attacked the’ validity of the guardian’s sale on account of alleged errors and irregularities in the proceedings in the county court of Wagoner county, Oklahoma, in appointing a guardian and in ordering and confirming the .sale. The trial court sustained the several demurrers of defendants to these petitions. Plaintiffs refused to plead further, judgment was entered for the defendants and the plaintiffs bring action here.

The propositions presented for our consideration may be summarized as follows:

First: That the court was without jurisdiction to appoint the defendant Leslie as guardian, the minors being under the age of 14 years and in the custody of their mother, who claimed to be suitable and competent to have the care and guardianship of the minors; and that the appointment of a stranger as guardian of a minor without notice to the parents or persons having the custody of said minors is void.

Second: That the county court was without authority to appoint a, guardian of Greek minors, who are citizens of the Creek Nation or Tribe of Indians, when said guardian is not a citizen or member of said Tribe.

Third: That where a petition is filed with the county court by the guardian for the sale of his ward’s land, and where upon hearing a judgment is rendered denying the petition and finding that it is m\t necessary for the support of the ward, and that it is not for the best interest of-said *18 ward that said real estate be sold, and where there is no appeal from said order and judgment df the court and findings of fact, and where no motion or petition is filed to vacate, modify or set aside the same, said order and judgment becomes a final judgment of said county court and is res adjudicata until a change of conditions arises, or the necessity for the sale of the ward’s real estate be shown upon some separate and different grounds than those contained in said petition so adjudicated; and that the county court of Wagoner county was without jurisdiction to hear and determine the petition for the sale of real estate filed and determined October 9, 1911, for the reason that all the matters therein presented had been adjudicated by the order and judgment of said county court under date of September 11, 1911, and that this judgment of said county court was res ad-judicata.

Fourth: That where a purchaser of real estate at a guardian’s sale has knowledge of fraud practiced by the guardian upon the court and next of kin, he is bound by such fraudulent act of the guardian, which vitiates the entire proceedings; ana where the purchaser conveys the land so acquired by him to his grantee by a quitclaim deed, said grantee and all persons holding under him are charged with knowledge of the fraudulent character of the proceedings and the defects of the record, which may be raised either upon direct or collateral attack ; and, where such purchaser at guardian’s sale, with knowledge of fraudulent, void and irregular proceedings, conveys said real estate to his grantee by quitclaim deed, said grantee and all subsequent grantees take with notice of all defects of record and fraud and are not innocent purchasers.

Fifth: That the proceedings before the county court leading up to the sale of plaintiff’s allotment were void because the guardian had failed to file an inventory of his ward’s estate.

Sixth: .That the sale was void for the reason that no notice was given of the sale as required by law; that the property to be sold was located in Creek county, whereas the notice of sale described it as being located in Wagoner county.

Seventh : That the sale of the ■ plaintiff’s land by the guardian, being a private sale, and the land not having been appraised, the court was without jurisdiction to confirm the sale.

Eighth: That the petition for the sale of said real estate was fraudulent and void for the reasons that there was no necessity for the sale; that the guardian entered into a fraudulent and collusive agreement with Ella Tucker, the mother of the plaintiff, and wrongfully and fraudulently induced the said Ella Tucker to consent to-the sale of the lands and not to appear, contest or oppose the sale; that the guardian fraudulently induced the said Ella Tucker to sign a petition giving her consent to the sale of 80 acres of her minor sons’ allotments, that is, 40 acres of the allotment of each minor; and that the guardian induced the said Ella Tucker to believe he would apply the proceeds to the payment and discharge of a certain mortgage.

(1) The first proposition raised by the-plaintiff is the appointment of the defendant Leslie as guardian to the exclusion of the mother, she being a single person, and the minor being under the age of 14 years. Section 6530, Rev. Laws 1910. provides as follows:

“The father of the minor, if living, and in ease of his decease, the mother, while-she remains unmarried, being themselves respectively competent to transact their own business, and not otherwise unsuitable, must be entitled to the guardianship of the minor.”

There- is no ambiguity in this statute. It is clear that the mother, being single and competent to transact her own business, is entitled to the guardianship of the xserson, and estate of her minor children under the-age of 14 years. The petition filed by the defendant Leslie in the county court of Wagoner county, gave the ages of George- and Fred Tucker as under the age of 14 years; also showed they were in the custody of their mother, and that their father was-dead and was their guardian prior to his death. It was not alleged in said petition that the mother was disqualified or incompetent in any way to act as guardian. There was no waiver on her part of her right to the guardianship, nor is there any showing that she filed any written request or nomination for the appointment of the-defendant Leslie. The plaintiff contends that, as a consequence, the appointment of the defendant Leslie was void, and being-void, the order appointing him as guardian is subject to collateral attack.

Section 6522. Rev. Laws 1910, provides:

“The county court of each county, when it appears necessary or convenient, may appoint guardians for the persons and estates, or either or both of them, of minors who have no guardian legally appointed bv will, or deed, or who are inhabitants or residents of the county, or who reside without the state *19 and have estate within the county. Such appointment may he made on the petition of a relative or other person in behalf of such minor. Before making such appointment, the judge must cause such notice as he deems reasonable to be given to the relatives of the minor residing in the county, and to any person having care of such minor.”

Section 6528, Id., provides:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1919 OK 259, 183 P. 907, 76 Okla. 16, 1919 Okla. LEXIS 108, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tucker-v-leonard-okla-1919.