Whitt v. Bussey

387 S.W.2d 926
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 24, 1965
DocketNo. 11268
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 387 S.W.2d 926 (Whitt v. Bussey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Whitt v. Bussey, 387 S.W.2d 926 (Tex. Ct. App. 1965).

Opinion

HUGHES, Justice.

F. A. Whitt is the surviving husband of Viva I. Whitt, who died testate on February 2, 1961. Mr. Whitt brings this suit individually and as Executor of the will of Viva I. Whitt, to construe such will. He also sues to cancel two deeds executed by him on December 12, 1961, conveying certain real property in Ector and Coke Counties, Texas, to John L. Bussey, Everett E. Bussey, Frank Henry Bussey and Ima Jefferson Flanigan, children of Viva I. Whitt by a previous marriage, and Alta Iolee Kennemer Caswell, Jack Shelby Kennemer, Gerald Frank Kennemer, Darwin Bussey Kennemer and Glenn Curtis Kennemer, children of Mrs. Ida Kennemer, a deceased daughter of Mrs. Whitt.

The persons above named as grantees in the two deeds sought to be cancelled and Frank Bryson Bussey, son of Frank Henry Bussey, were beneficiaries under the will of Mrs. Whitt and all are parties to this suit.

The ground upon which cancellation of the two deeds is sought was the undue influence exerted by the four children of Mrs. Whitt, above named, to procure their execution. Trial to a jury resulted in a verdict finding that undue influence was exercised by some or all of such children, and judgment cancelling such deeds was rendered.

We will determine the points relating to this phase of the case before construing the will of Mrs. Whitt.

The first point is that the court erred in including the name of Ima J. Flanigan as one of the persons named in the issue submitted to the jury as one who may have exercised undue influence upon Mr. Whitt.

This issue was timely objected to by the defendants on the ground that there was no evidence, or that the evidence was insufficient, to raise the issue that Mrs. Flani-gan exercised or participated in the exercise of undue influence upon Mr. Whitt and that if the jury should answer such issue in the affirmative it could not be determined whether the answer of the jury, or one of the jurors, applied to her alone, and if so it would be a faulty finding.

The issue and answer read:

“SPECIAL ISSUE NO. 1. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the making and execution of the deeds by F. A. Whitt on December 12, 1961, were procured by the exercise of undue influence on the part of John L. Bussey, Frank Henry Bussey, Everett E. Bussey and Ima J. Flani-gan, or any of them? Answer yes or no.
“Answer: Yes”

It is our opinion that there was some evidence of probative force to the effect that Mrs. Flanigan exercised undue influence upon Mr. Whitt to procure the execution of the deeds by him, and that defendants’ objections upon this- score are untenable.

The deeds in suit were not executed for a consideration deemed' valuable in law. [928]*928When they were executed Mr. Whitt was 68 years of age. He never attended school. He could only write his name and could read a little. He herded sheep, worked on a ranch, in an oil field, farmed and did other physical work for a living. Mr. and Mrs. Whitt married in 1914. Mrs. Whitt had been previously married and when she and Mr. Whitt married she had six children, all under the age of fourteen years, one dying at the age of six. Mr. and Mrs. Whitt also reared the five children of Mrs. Ida Kennemer who died in 1931. These children were then under nine years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Whitt also took one of Mr. John Bussey’s children from an orphanage because he had kidney trouble, and they reared him. They also took in a needy unrelated boy and kept him while he went to high school.

Dr. W. Irby Fox, M. D., testified regarding the physical and mental condition of Mr. Whitt. Dr. Fox treated Mr. Whitt for heart trouble and palsy. We quote his testimony :

“Q Doctor, what is your opinion then as to the psychiatric or the emotional makeup of this man?
“A Well, from the psychiatric emotional makeup, I’d say he is, or rather has been a rather independent man most of his time, and of course it is obvious right now that he is in the late phases of his declining years and emotionally he is just like any of us, he will take the path of least resistance, it is going to cost him his life if he doesn’t or if he is under pressure or if he is under tension he can’t stand, his reserve is very low.
"Q Would you consider a man of his caliber then normal or abnormal so far as this problem is concerned?
"A I think he is normal, he is mentally clear, he exhausts easily and when you get him exhausted, why, of course, he is confused and would get confused and does.
“Q Is he readily susceptible to any influence that may be exerted upon him?
“A Yes, I think he is very susceptible because he is dependent now, he is not able to take care of himself, he has no fight left in him and he he is dependent on whoever promises to take care of him.
“Q And knowing his medical history and knowing his condition now would you surmise that he has been in this same condition for at least several years in the past?
“A I think so; this is not sudden.”

The above evidentiary facts are relevant to the issue of undue influence as to the four persons named in the issue. We will not here detail the evidence of undue influence as it relates to any of the four Bus-sey children except as to Mrs. Flanigan, its sufficiency as to them not being challenged, and except as may be required to explain the testimony regarding Mrs. Flanigan.

Mrs. Whitt had made two wills, one in 1957 and one in 1959. After her death Mr. WThitt offered the 1959 will for probate but its probate could not be accomplished because Mrs. Flanigan had taken the will after her mother signed it to witnesses who lived elsewhere and had it witnessed in the absence of Mrs. Whitt. This will was much more beneficial to Mrs. Flanigan and the other Bussey and Kennemer children than the 1957 will which was probated. Regarding this 1959 will, Mr. Whitt testified:

“Q Did Mrs. Whitt ever discuss this 1959 will with you?
“A Yes, sir.
“Q What did she say about it ?
“A Well, she told me that it wasn’t any good.
[929]*929“Q Did she say why she thought it was no good?
“A Yes, sir. She said that those people that signed, they didn’t hear her testimony of that being her first and last will.
“Q Did she say why she had that will prepared?
“A Well, she had this will prepared, she said, because Ima Flanigan kept on her to make a new will, and change the old will, the way she had the old will made out she wanted it different.
“Q Did Ima ever tell you and Mrs. Whitt that she felt like she ought to have all that Odessa property?
“A Yes, sir.
“Q Did she say why she felt like she was entitled to all the Odessa property ?
“A Well, she said that she lived with us and taken care of us as long as we lived she’d like to have that Odessa property made over in her name.
“Q All right. Mr.

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387 S.W.2d 926, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/whitt-v-bussey-texapp-1965.