Webb v. Cottrill

31 Ohio Law. Abs. 78
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 19, 1939
DocketNo. 407
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 31 Ohio Law. Abs. 78 (Webb v. Cottrill) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Webb v. Cottrill, 31 Ohio Law. Abs. 78 (Ohio Ct. App. 1939).

Opinion

OPINION

By GEIGER, J.

The facts in this case, so far as disclosed by the pleadings and a “Transcript of the Testimony” filed in the Court of Common Pleas, are that John P. Cottrill, husband of Maggie H. Cot-trill, died intestate on January 24, 1936. He left surviving him his widow, one daughter, Zelia Westfall, one- granddaughter, Gladys Cerón, and three grandsons, John Cottrill, Virgil Webb and Franklin Webb. The two latter are children of the appellant, James W. Webb and Lillie A. Webb, daughter of Cottrill who predeceased him. Maggie H. Cottrill was appointed administratrix in the Probate Court of Clark County, Ohio.

On June 15, 1936, the administratrix filed a complaint in the Probate Court alleging that the decedent, during his lifetime, was the owner of a mortgage note given by James Webb and Lillie Webb, in the sum of $1,500.00. Upon the hearing the Probate Court found that such note belonged to the estate of the decedent. Thereafter, Webb appealed to the Common Pleas Court upon law and fact. The administratrix filed a motion in Common .Pleas Court to dismiss the appeal for reasons stated, which motion was overruled. The case was heard in the Common Pleas Court as an appeal on questions of law and fact, and the decision of the Probate Court was affirmed.

The note referred to reads as follows:

.“$1500.00 March 17, 1934.
On demand, after date, We promise to pay to the order of John B. Cottrill, fifteen hundred $1500.00 dollars at First National Bank, Springfield, Ohio. Value received, no interest.
Lillie A. Webb,
James N. Webb.”
The note was endorsed as follows:
“Springfield, Ohio,March 17. 1934.
After my decease pay to the order of Lillie A. Webb, John Allen Cottrill and Zelia Westfall the balance remaining unpaid in the within promissory note.
(Signed) J. B. Cottrill.” .

Whether the endorsement was made on the note at the time of its execution or several months thereafter is not certain.

It was claimed by Webb that the decedént gave the note to him under such conditions as were claimed to constitute a gift inter vivos, whereas, it is claimed on the part of the administratrix that at most, the endorsement was. an attempt to make a testamentary disposition of the note and that the facts were not sufficient to establish by clear [79]*79and convincing evidence that there was a gift inter vivos.

The Probate Court upon the hearing found that James W. Webb was guilty of having concealed the note and the Court ordered that the administratrix recover of Webb the sum of $1500.00 with $150.00 penalty as provided by the statute.

Notice was given in Probate Court by Webb of his intention to appeal to the Court of Common Pleas of Clark County. He did not state whether he intended to appeal on the question of law or law and fact.

Before we can give full consideration to the claims of the parties, it is necessary for us to determine whether or not the case, as disclosed by the record, is properly before this Court.

Sec. 12223-3, GC, prescribes that a final order may be reviewed as thereafter provided, except that appeals from the judgment of the Probate Court, upon questions of law and fact, shall be taken in the manner provided by §§10501-56 and 10501-62, GC.

Sec. 10501-56 GC, provides that appeal may be taken to the Common Pleas Court from a judgment of the Probate Court, among others, against one suspected of having concealed, embezzled or conveyed away the property of dead persons. The cause so appealed shall be tried, heard and decided by the Court of Common Pleas in the same manner as though the Court of Common Pleas had original jurisdiction thereof.

Sec. 10501-62, GC, provides that if the judge of the Probate Court provides for the taking of a complete record so that a bill of exceptions may be prepared, as provided in Court of Common Pleas, there shall be no appeal to the Court of Common Pleas in any such case; but an appeal may be prosecuted to the Court of Appeals in all matters within its jurisdiction in the manner provided by law in the prosecution of other appeals to said Court.

Presumably the appeal was made to the Court of Common Pleas under the provisions of Sec. 10501-56, GC, and we will assume that the appeal could not have been prosecuted to the Court of Appeals under the provisions of §10501-62, GC.

On August 5, 1939, the cause came on to be heard in the Common Pleas Court upon the appeal of Webb “on questions of law”, from the judgment of the Probate Court, and the judgment of the Probate Court was affirmed and it was ordered that the clerk file with the Probate Judge a transcript of the judgment of the proceedings of the Court of Common Pleas and that the proceedings thereafter shall be the same as if the order had been made in the Probate Court.

To this order of the Common Pleas Court notice of intention to appeal was given by Webb to the Court of Appeals “on the law and facts of said case”. Other matters are included in said notice which are not of consequence. The notice was addressed to an order of July 28th, 1939, whereas the correct date of the entry was August 5th, 1939. July 28th is the date of the decision and not of the entry.

Further confusion arises from the fact that there was filed on July 21, 1938, a motion by the appellant that the Court grant a re-hearing on the motion of the appellee. On October 25, 1938, the cause came on for hearing upon the application of the appellant for a re-hearing of the motion of the appellee. Thereupon, the Court granted the application for re-hearing and upon consideration of the motion of the appellee finds said motion of appellee not well taken and same is overruled.

The fact that the appellant moved the Court to grant a re-hearing of the motion of the appellee and the further fact that said motion appears by entry of October 25th, to have been re-heard, pre-supposes that there was a former order of the Court upon the motion of the appellee to dismiss the appeal, sustaining the same. While we are unable to find any such order in the journal entries, and so far as we are able to determine there was a motion made to re-hear the motion of the appellee to dismiss the appeal when the record does not disclose that sucn motion was ever [80]*80sustained and that consequently a motion for re-hearing was not appropriate. However, we may overlook this matter and consider that there was, as a matter of fact, an entry sustaining the appellee’s motion to dismiss the appeal and that upon re-hearing, the Court overruled this motion, which had theretofore been granted, but which does not appear upon the record.

The appellant could not appeal to this Court on law and fact, or — in the words of the statute — “appeal on questions of law and fact” for the reason that he has already had one appeal from the Probate Court to the Court of Common Pleas, and there had a “re-hearing and re-trial” of the cause upon law and fact. This cause must be heard in this Court as an “appeal on questions of law”.

We find no assignments of error in this Court, but no other matter is presented in the brief than the claim that the judgment of the Court of Common Pleas was against the weight of the evidence.

Sec.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
31 Ohio Law. Abs. 78, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/webb-v-cottrill-ohioctapp-1939.