Waitman v. Waitman

1972 OK 157, 505 P.2d 171, 1972 Okla. LEXIS 466
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedDecember 5, 1972
Docket44396
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 1972 OK 157 (Waitman v. Waitman) 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
Waitman v. Waitman, 1972 OK 157, 505 P.2d 171, 1972 Okla. LEXIS 466 (Okla. 1972).

Opinion

LAVENDER, Justice:

This appeal arises in connection with final distribution of the estate of Daisy Waitman who died, testate, in and while a resident of Bryan County, Oklahoma, on September 12, 1969. It involves a savings account with The Durant Bank & Trust Company, Durant, Oklahoma, in the name of “Waitman, Daisy P.O.D. Albert Wait-man.”

She was survived by two sisters, Sophia Lockler and Lula Waitman Denning, and three brothers, Lonnie Waitman (since deceased), Jim Waitman, and Albert Wait-man. Her will, which is dated May 11, 1969, and was admitted to probate, designates “the Bank & Trust Co. of Durant Oklahoma” as executor. Based thereon, letters testamentary were issued to The Durant Bank & Trust Company, Durant, Oklahoma, as executor.

Insofar as pertinent herein, Daisy Wait-man’s will (which is handwritten but, apparently, not in her hand) provides:

“After all just debts & claims against me are settled, I request my savings account & insurance policies & checking accounts be divided equally among surviving brothers & sisters All personal property to also be divided equally.”

Immediately below the signature of the testatrix, but preceding the signatures of three witnesses, appears the following statement: “Savings & checking accounts are at The State National Bank, Denison, Texas Bank & Trust Co. at Durant Oklahoma.”

According to the executor’s final account, there were, in addition to the savings account “P.O.D. Albert Waitman” in that bank, a checking account in that bank, a checking account in the First National Bank, Colbert, Oklahoma, and a savings account in the State National Bank, Deni-son, Texas, which were in the decedent’s name only.

The final account and petition for distribution alleges that the savings account in the executor-bank was “payable on death” to Albert Waitman, asks the court to give instructions as to the disposition thereof, and alleges that all other personal property then remaining (in the form of cash) should be distributed, in equal shares, to the then-surviving brothers and sisters and the administratrix of the estate of the *173 then-deceased brother, after payment of executor’s fee, attorney’s fee, recording fees and court costs necessary to close the estate.

After a hearing on the final account and petition for distribution, and objections by the sisters and other brothers of the decedent to distribution of the “P.O.D.” savings account to Albert Waitman instead of to him and them, in equal shares, under the above-quoted provision of the will, the trial court found that the account should be “distributed” to Albert Waitman and ordered, adjudged and decreed, among other things, that “the savings account in The Durant Bank & Trust Company in the amount of $17,025.21 — P.O.D. Albert Wait-man, is hereby transferred, vested, assigned and conveyed to Albert Waitman.”

The brothers and sisters of Albert Wait-man appealed to this court. The appeal was assigned to the Court of Appeals, Division No. 1, for opinion. That court found that the judgment of the trial court is not against the clear weight of the evidence, and affirmed the judgment. When their petition for rehearing by that court was denied, the brothers and sisters of Albert Waitman, petitioned this court for certiorari to review the decision of the Court of Appeals. We grant certiorari for that purpose. That, of course, requires a review of all of the evidence on the matter involved.

The bank’s signature card for the account in question shows the title of the account as “WAITMAN, DAISY P.O.D. ALBERT WAITMAN,” one “authorized signature” — that of Daisy Waitman, and that the account was opened on 10-27-53 with an initial deposit of $5,000.00. In addition to credits during the latter part of June and December of each year, for interest earned, the bank’s ledger sheets for the account show deposits of $5,000.00 on October 27, 1953, $6,500.00 on March 23, 1954, and $500.00 on February 6, 1959, and withdrawals of $1,500.00 on March 16, 1965, and $1,000.00 on August 13, 1969, and a balance on that date, of $17,025.21. This is followed by credits of $340.50 on December 29, 1969, and $347.30 on June 29, 1970, making a balance of $17,713.01 on the latter date.

Elmer Rogers, Executive Vice-president, Cashier, and Trust Officer, of The Durant Bank & Trust Company for about seven years preceding the hearing, identified the above-mentioned signature card and ledger sheets. He testified that he was not employed by the bank when the account was opened and had never talked with Daisy Waitman about the account; that Mrs. Denning brought the deposit book concerning the account to him after the death of Daisy Waitman; that the bank’s instructions, according to the signature card, were to pay the account to Daisy Waitman as long as she lived, and to pay it on her death — “P.O.D.”—to Albert Waitman; and that, when the last withdrawal was made from the account on August 13, 1969, Daisy Waitman could have withdrawn the entire blanace or could have changed the account to be payable to her only.

Lula Waitman Denning, one of the surviving sisters of Daisy Waitman, and one of the appellants herein, testified that her brother Albert never did make any statement to her about this savings account until after their brother Lonnie died; that, while in the hospital, Daisy gave the deposit book concerning this savings account to her and told her to take care of it, and she had possession of it until she gave it to Mr. Rogers at the bank after Daisy’s death; and that Albert never did have possession of the deposit book.

Albert Waitman, the appellee herein, testified that he and Lula Denning went to the bank with their sister Daisy when she made the withdrawal on August 13, 1969, and Daisy did not say anything at that time about changing the account in any way; that she had told him from the time she opened the account that she intended for him to have it on her death, and, even after making her will in May of 1969, had *174 told him that the savings account in the Durant Bank and Trust Company went to him; that she never did deliver the deposit book for the account to him; and that he felt he had a right to draw on the account after Daisy’s death, but hadn’t tried to— the account wasn’t his until she passed away.

This is not a will contest. No one questions the validity of the decedent’s will of May 11, 1969, or its effectiveness to transfer, upon her death, to her two sisters and three brothers who survived her, in equal shares, all personal property belonging to her at the time of her death and not otherwise specifically disposed of in the will.

The basic question presented was, and is, whether Daisy Waitman had, legally and effectively, disposed of the savings account in question prior to her death, so that it was not a part of her estate at the time of her death.

By its general finding for the appellee herein, the trial court, in effect at least, answered that question in the affirmative. The Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court, holding specifically that Daisy Wait-man had intended to, and did, establish a joint account for her and the appellee, with right of survivorship.

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

Related

Wellshear v. Mellor
2006 OK CIV APP 90 (Court of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma, 2006)
In the Matter of Estate of Fields
2002 OK CIV APP 14 (Court of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma, 2001)
Beshara v. Southern National Bank
1996 OK 90 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1996)
Estate of Fletcher v. Commissioner
94 T.C. No. 5 (U.S. Tax Court, 1990)
Courtney v. First National Bank, Coalgate
1977 OK 161 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1977)
Truax v. Southwestern College
522 P.2d 412 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1974)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1972 OK 157, 505 P.2d 171, 1972 Okla. LEXIS 466, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/waitman-v-waitman-okla-1972.