Wilson v. Fisher

105 S.W.2d 304, 1937 Tex. App. LEXIS 935
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 10, 1937
DocketNo. 8427.
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 105 S.W.2d 304 (Wilson v. Fisher) 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
Wilson v. Fisher, 105 S.W.2d 304, 1937 Tex. App. LEXIS 935 (Tex. Ct. App. 1937).

Opinion

BLAIR, Justice.

This proceeding in certiorari was filed in the district court of Travis county under statutory authority (title 27, R.S.1925 [article 932 et seq.]) by J. C. Wilson for himself and as guardian of the estate of his minor children, Woodrow Ollie Wilson, Elsie Mae Wilson, and Wallace Joe Wilson, seeking to review the order of the county probate court of Travis county, Tex., distributing and dividing the estate of a deceased World War veteran, John R. Fisher. The pertinent facts, transactions, and court proceedings are as follows:

John R. Fisher, a soldier in the United States Army, received a certificate of insurance for $10,000, issued by the United States through the bureau of war risk insurance. His wife, Mattie Ray Fisher, was named beneficiary. The said John R. Fisher, a resident of Travis county, Tex., died in France, October 12, 1918, intestate, leaving his wife as beneficiary named in the insurance certificate and as his sole heir under the laws of Texas. Under section 514, title 38, of the U.S. Code (38 U.S.C.A. § 514), the insurance was payable in 240 monthly installments of $57.50. After the death of the insured, the United States paid the monthly installments to his widow as Mattie Ray Fisher until she married J. C. Wilson, about one year later, and then paid the monthly installments to her as Mattie Ray Wilson until her death, April 23, 1929, at which time the commuted value of the balance due on the certificate was $5,558. The heirs of Mattie Ray Wilson were her second husband, J. C. Wilson, and the three children of this marriage, namely, Woodrow Ollie Wilson, Elsie Mae Wilson, and Wallace Joe Wilson; all minors. Under the provisions of section 514 of title 38 U.S.Code (38 U.S.C.A. § 514) as now determined, where the wife was the sole heir of the soldier at the time of his. death, the commuted value of the war risk insurance after the death of the wife was. payable to her heirs; and under the laws, of Texas one-third of the commuted value of the insurance passed to her second husband, J. C. Wilson, and two-thirds passed to their three above-named minor children. Rev.St.1925, arts. 2571, 3314; Singleton v. Cheek, 284 U.S. 493, 52 S.Ct. 257, 76 L.Ed. 419, 81 A.L.R. 923. However, after the death of the said Mattie Ray Wilson, Ed. Fisher applied to and was on July 22, 1929, appointed by the county court of Travis county, Tex., temporary administrator of the estate of the said John R. Fisher, deceased, with authority to collect the $5,558 balance due by the United States on the certificate of insurance; and the *306 United States paid said sum to the temporary administrator.

On September 25, 1929, J. C. Wilson, for himself and as next friend of his three minor children above named, filed an application and motion in said probate cause, alleging that on the date of the death of John R. Fisher his wife was his sole heir; and that at the date of her death the said J. C. Wilson and their three minor children above named were her only heirs; and prayed that Ed Fisher, as temporary administrator, be required to pay the commuted value of the insurance ($5,558), one-third to J. C. Wilson and two-thirds to the minor children, or to their legal representatives. In answer to this application and motion, Amanda J. Fisher, the mother of said John R. Fisher, deceased, filed a general demurrer and a general denial, and prayed that J. C. Wilson and said three minor children take nothing.

On December 21, 1929, Amanda J. Fisher, the mother of the insured John R. Fisher, deceased, and J. C. Wilson, for himself and as next friend of said minor children, and their attorneys, respectively, entered into an agreement, for the distribution and division of the $5,558 of insurance theretofore paid to the temporary administrator by the United States. Thereafter J. C. Wilson, for himself and as next friend of his said minor children, and Amanda J. Fisher, together with their attorneys, appeared in the pending probate cause and filed the written agreement .therein, and prayed that the court approve same; and the order of the court entered pursuant to the agreement, and upon motion of the temporary administrator to be discharged, omitting formal parts, reads as follows :

“On the 6th day of January, A. D. 1930, came on to be heard the matter of the motion of J. C. Wilson for himself and as father and next friend of Woodrow Ollie Wilson, Elsie May Wilson, and Wallace Joe Wilson, being a motion to set aside funds in the hands of the temporary administrator herein, said application and motion having been filed herein on September 25, 1929, and it appearing to the court that the said J. C. Wilson acting for himself individually and as father and next friend as aforesaid and Mrs. Amanda J. Fisher have reached an agreement in regard to the matter embraced in said motion and with regard to the division of the estate in the hands of the temporary administrator, said agreement being duly filed herein and all parties being represented by their attorneys of record and the court having duly considered said motion and the answer of Mrs. Amanda J. Fisher to said motion and the agreement aforesaid finds that the distribution and division provided and agreed upon in the agreement aforesaid is fair and equitable and that all of the heirs at law of the said John R. Fisher are embraced in the terms of said agreement and are before the court;
“It is thereupon ordered, adjudged and decreed that the money collected by Ed Fisher, the temporary administrator herein, being the sum of Five Thousand Five Hundred Fifty-eight ($5,558.00) Dollars be applied and disbursed as follows: 1. To the costs of court and to the payment of commission of said temporary administrator which commission is hereby fixed at the sum of $277.90. 2. To the payment of the attorneys’ fees for the attorney of the said Mrs. Amanda J. Fisher and said temporary administrator, being Bryan Blalock, which attorneys fee is hereby fixed at Two Hundred Fifty ($250.00) Dollars. 3. To the payment of the attorneys of the said J. C. Wilson, Woodrow Ollie Wilson, Elsie May Wilson and Wallace Joe Wilson, being A. M. Felts, W. Trenckmann and Roy C. Archer, which attorney’s fee is hereby also fixed at the sum of Two Hundred Fifty ($250.00) Dollars. The balance to be divided as follows: one-half (½) to Mrs. Amanda J. Fisher; one-sixth (⅝) to J. C. Wilson; one-third (⅝) to said Woodrow Ollie Wilson, Elsie May Wilson and Wallace Joe Wilson, being one-ninth (⅝) to each of said minors.
“And it is ordered and decreed that said temporary administrator deposit the entire sum of Five Thousand Five Hundred Fifty-eight ($5,558.00) Dollars so collected by him in the registry of this court and that the County Clerk disburse the same in accordance with the terms of this decree, the share of the said three minors to be paid by the clerk to the legal guardian of the estate of said minors.
“The court having duly considered the said report of said temporary administrator herein filed and all exceptions and objections thereto, find that said report is complete and correct and complies with the law in all respects and it is hereby ordered, adjudged and decreed that said report be and it is hereby in all respects approved and ordered recorded in the Probate Minutes of this court.
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Bluebook (online)
105 S.W.2d 304, 1937 Tex. App. LEXIS 935, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wilson-v-fisher-texapp-1937.