Williams v. Taylor

1941 OK 347, 121 P.2d 1004, 190 Okla. 183, 1941 Okla. LEXIS 395
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedOctober 21, 1941
DocketNo. 29607.
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 1941 OK 347 (Williams v. Taylor) 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
Williams v. Taylor, 1941 OK 347, 121 P.2d 1004, 190 Okla. 183, 1941 Okla. LEXIS 395 (Okla. 1941).

Opinion

RILEY, J.

This is an action commenced by plaintiff in error in the district court of Tulsa county to establish a claim against the estate of Charles Mashunkashey, deceased, who was a full-blood Osage Indian. Defendants William M. Taylor and C. S. Walker are the administrators of the estate of Charles Mashunkashey. Plaintiff presented her claim to the administrators, wherein she claimed payment for care, treatment, nursing, board, and rent furnished deceased in his lifetime, as follows:

October 1, 1931, to January 10, 1932, board, room, laundry, nursing and care, _ $500.00
January 10, 1932 to June 10, 1934, except 60 days in 1932, less $25 cash, for board, room, laundry, nursing and care _ 5,375.00
November 1, 1931, cash advanced for payment of fine,.. 30.00
September 1934, grocery account, . 32.50
$5,937.50

This claim was disallowed by the administrators, and this action was commenced.

Charles Mashunkashey did not have a certificate of competency. Dr. Fred S. Clinton had been appointed guardian of the estate of Charles Mashunkashey. Plaintiff alleged:

“That the deceased was a member of the Osage Tribe of Indians and possessed an estate worth about $175,000, and the care, treatment, nursing, board and rent, furnished by the plaintiff to the deceased, were necessary to his comfort, health and well-being, and were furnished after the guardian for said deceased had failed to make adequate provision for said deceased during his lifetime. . . . That it was necessary, in order that deceased might have the necessities and comforts of life, that the plaintiff furnish the items listed in her said claim.”

Defendants in their answer denied that the guardian failed, neglected, or refused to furnish his ward suitable and necessary maintenance and support, and specifically denied that the alleged services and supplies claimed for were furnished and supplied by plaintiff after refusal or neglect of the guardian to supply same, and further alleged:

“. . . These defendants allege and state that at all times mentioned in plaintiff’s petition the said Charles Mashunkashey was a full-blood Osage Indian, not having a certificate of competency, and that the alleged indebtedness set forth in plaintiff’s petition was never authorized or the furnishing of *185 the services and supplies was never approved by the Secretary of Interior as required by law.”

At the close of plaintiff’s evidence, defendants’ demurrer was sustained, and plaintiff appeals.

Defendants in error present a motion to dismiss the appeal upon the ground that the district court was without jurisdiction in that the claim should have been presented to the county court in the guardianship proceedings.

Defendants cite and rely upon Capps, Gdn., et al. v. Kelley, 177 Okla. 98, 57 P. 2d 824, and Crossley et al. v. Cox, Gdn., 179 Okla. 52, 64 P. 2d 663. Those cases hold that the county court having jurisdiction of the estate of a person adjudged to have been incompetent is vested with exclusive jurisdiction to pass upon the claim of third persons for alleged necessaries asserted to have been furnished to an incompetent person while under guardianship at the request of the incompetent person when the guardian failed or refused to make provisions for such necessities. But in those cases it appears that the wards were still living and the guardian was still in full charge of the estates under the supervision of the county court. In this case the incompetent had died before plaintiff had presented the claim. The guardianship had terminated, except as to settlement of the guardian’s account.

Administrators had been appointed and they were entitled to the possession and control of the property belonging to the estate of the deceased incompetent for the purpose of paying claims against the estate as well as for distribution to the heirs.

In O’Mealey, Adm’r, v. Grum, 186 Okla. 697, 100 P. 2d 265, we held:

“Upon the death of a ward the rights and duties of a guardian cease, except the duty to make a final settlement of his guardianship accounts, and a claim for compensation for services rendered the ward prior to his death, by agreement with the guardian, may properly be filed with the administrator of his estate, where the value of the services had not been agreed upon, and no claim therefor filed with the guardian, prior to the death of the ward.”

Defendants contend that the rule there stated is not in harmony with the provisions of our Constitution, statutes, and previous decisions.

We do not intimate that it would have been improper for plaintiff to have presented her claims, at any time before the death of the ward, to the guardian or to the county court. Before the death of the ward, that was the only court open to claimant, but when the ward died and administrators were appointed, the responsibility for the payment of all outstanding claims passed to the administrators under the supervision of the county court.

As stated in the O’Mealey Case, supra, after the death of his ward, the guardian was not authorized to agree on an amount due the plaintiff or bind the estate for its payment.

Had the claim been presented direct to the county court in the guardianship proceedings, after the death of the ward, the county court would not have been authorized to approve and allow the claim and bind the estate for its payment, since all claims against the estate of a deceased person must be allowed and approved by the administrator as well as the county court. We adhere to the rule stated in O’Mealey, Adm’r, v. Grum, supra.

Plaintiff contends that the court erred in sustaining the demurrer to plaintiff’s evidence.

It is asserted that since plaintiff’s claim is for compensation for necessaries furnished deceased after the guardian had failed to make adequate provisions for deceased during his lifetime, and the uncontradicted evidence is that plaintiff furnished such necessities, it was error to sustain the demurrer to the evidence.

As to certain parts of plaintiff’s claim, her proof was amply sufficient, except for the fact that Charles Mashunkashey *186 was' an Osage Indian of more than half blood and did not have a certificate of competency.

The uncontradicted evidence is that about October, 1931, Charles Mashunka-shey was married to the daughter of plaintiff. Dr. Clinton was his guardian. Charles Mashunkashey had been living in a small garage apartment, insufficient for a man and wife. He owned some property in Tulsa, but was apparently unable to get possession of his house.

Plaintiff rented him her home furnished for about 41 months. She makes a charge of $55 per month therefor, which is not shown to be unreasonable. Both Charles and his wife went to the guardian in an attempt to get a home in which to live. The guardian refused. On one occasion plaintiff talked to the guardian about the matter.

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Bluebook (online)
1941 OK 347, 121 P.2d 1004, 190 Okla. 183, 1941 Okla. LEXIS 395, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/williams-v-taylor-okla-1941.