Underwood v. Underwood

50 So. 305, 162 Ala. 553, 1909 Ala. LEXIS 379
CourtSupreme Court of Alabama
DecidedJune 10, 1909
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 50 So. 305 (Underwood v. Underwood) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Underwood v. Underwood, 50 So. 305, 162 Ala. 553, 1909 Ala. LEXIS 379 (Ala. 1909).

Opinion

MAYFIELD, J.

This was a bill filed by a remainderman as to personal property, to require an account of the items and value of the property received by the life tenant under the will of the testator, which also vested a remainder in the complainant, and prayed that all of said property, or such of it as should be, be sold and converted into cash in order to secure to orator, as remainderman, his rights under the fifth clause of the will, and that the use of the property not sold, and the interest of the proceeds of that sold, be secured to the life tenant, and that the property not sold and the net proceeds of that sold be secured to orator as remainderman. The life tenant, who was the wife of the testator (the complainant, remainderman, being the son of the testator), interposed demurrers to the original bill, which were sustained upon a hearing, with leave to amend on the 9th day of August, 1907. On the 20th day of August, 1907, in response to a. request, the court assigned definite grounds for sustaining the demurrers. The order states that each and every ground of the demurrer Is well taken, except the one which recites that the allegations of [556]*556the bill are merely a statement of the conclusions of the pleader. Complainant amended his bill on the 30th day of August, 1907, and to the amended bill the respondent again interposed her demurrers, upon the same grounds interposed to the original, and certain additional grounds. This demurrer was heard on the 7th day of September, 1907. The demurrer was sustained by the court, and the complainant was allowed until the first day of the next term in which to amend his bill. On the 2!Íhjday of October complainant applied for an appeal and-gave security for the costs, and notice of the appeal was on the same day issued by the register and served upon the respondent. On the 13th day of November, 1907, the judge of the court set aside or annulled the order allowing an appeal from the decree on demurrer, on the ground that it was taken after the lapse of 30 days, and, the complainant standing by his bill and declining to amend, the judge dismissed the bill out of the court and taxed the complainant with the costs. From this decree of dismissal the appeal is taken, and complainant here assigns as error the sustaining of the demurrers to the original bill and to the amended bill and the dismissing of the bill without prejudice.

The appellee moves to dismiss the appeal for that it was not taken within the time required by law, in that the first appeal allowed by the register was more than 30' days after the sustaining of the demurrer, and for that, after this appeal was taken, the judge or chancellor had no power or authority to make any further orders or to set aside the appeal allowed by the register. It requires no argument or authority to show that, if the first appeal is the only one shown .by the record, it should be dismissed, because it is upon a decree on demurrer and was taken more than 30 days from the rendition of the decree; but, of course, no appeal could be taken at the [557]*557time the attempt was made by the complainant and the register to perfect the appeal. It was wholly void because not authorized. The- trial court, or this court, could not give or accord it any validity, and there was nothing improper in the trial court’s disregarding it. Consequently the appeal is taken from the decree of November 13, 1907.

It does not appear that any application was made by the complainant to be allowed to further amend; but it is affirmatively shOAvn that he declined so to do. It likewise does not appear that he requested that the bill be dismissed without prejudice or upon the motion of the complainant; all that the record shows being that the complainant had failed to amend his bill from the 7th day of September, 1907, until the 13th day of November, 1907, and that he was allowed -time within AAdiich to amend his bill, when the demurrer was sustained., There was no other course open to the trial court than to dismiss the bill; the demurrer having been sustained, and the complainant declining to amend. We find no error in any of the orders or decrees of the trial court in this matter. The bill, we think, is wholly insufficient as one upon which to grant the relief prayed, or any other relief, so far as its allegations show.

It is true, as stated by this court in the case of Bethea v. Bethea, 116 Ala. 271, 22 South. 563 (quoting from the language of Mr. Justice Story), that: “Where there is a future right of enjoyment of personal property, courts of equity will now interpose and grant relief upon a bill quia timet, where there is any danger of loss or deterioration, or injury to it in the hands of the party who is entitled to the present possession” — citing a number of Alabama cases. We cannot agree with counsel for the appellant that the case made by this bill is as strong as, or stronger than, any of the cases referred to. It appears [558]*558from the bill that the testator was the husband of the life tenant and the father of the remainderman, and that, after disposing of his real-estate by the fourth item of his will, he gave all his personal property to his wife, the respondent, during her life, and at her death, to complainant, her son. The language of tlie will is as follows: “Item 4. I further hereby- will to my wife, Piety J. Underwood, for her use and benefit during her life, all of my personal property including horses, mules, cattle, hogs, wagons, buggy, etc., and all household and kitchen furniture, and at her death said personal property I will to my son, William H. Underwood.”

The bill contains an inventory of the property, which is made an exhibit, which shows one mule, one horse, cow and calf, a wagon, a buggy, and harness, from $125 to $140 in cash, the proceeds of the sale of cotton raised upon the lands, cotton seed, plow tools, 50 bushels or more of corn, fodder, etc., a watch and chain, and household and kitchen furniture. It clearly appears that it was the intention of the testator that his wife should have the use of this property during her life, and that if anything remained at her death it would go to the complainant or remainderman. To sell this property and allow the wife the interest only would entirely defeat the purpose of the will; while to require her to give bond or security for the same, to the remainderman, to secure his rights under the will, might entirely deprive her of any benefit to be derived from the property, and might impose upon her a burden which she could not discharge. The .use of by far the greater part of the property — that is, the most valuable portion of it — would of necessity consume the property. The life tenant may outlive the mule, the horse, or the cow; and the use of the wagon, buggy, and harness, the cash, cotton seed, corn, and fodder, and farming utensils, for any great length of time, [559]*559of course would consume them. It is this use, during her life, whether that period he long or short, to which she is entitled, and to take this property and sell it, or to sell the other property which might not be destroyed by its use, such as household and kitchen furniture, would be something- clearly beyond the intention of the testator.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Four Seasons v. State
450 So. 2d 108 (Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama, 1983)
Estate of Nelson v. Commissioner
1983 T.C. Memo. 321 (U.S. Tax Court, 1983)
Lindsey v. Rogers
69 So. 2d 445 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1953)
Hooper v. Britt
51 So. 2d 547 (Alabama Court of Appeals, 1951)
Dudley v. Whatley
16 So. 2d 192 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1943)
Frye v. Community Chest
4 So. 2d 140 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1941)
Schowalter v. Schowalter
116 So. 116 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1928)
Newport v. Hatton
231 P. 987 (California Supreme Court, 1924)
Bell v. King
98 So. 796 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1924)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
50 So. 305, 162 Ala. 553, 1909 Ala. LEXIS 379, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/underwood-v-underwood-ala-1909.