Case Title: Jackson v. Lee

Citation: 193 Kan. 40, 392 P.2d 92

Docket Number: 43,602

State: kansas

Court: Kansas Supreme Court

Date: 1964-05-09T00:00:00Z

Document:
193 Kan. 40 (1964)
392 P.2d 92
MILDRED JACKSON, Appellee,
v.
JOSEPHINE JACKSON LEE, CHARLES L. JACKSON, FRED E. JACKSON, ROBERT E. JACKSON, ROBERTA MAE POWERS, nee JACKSON, and HOBART McMILLEN, Appellants.
No. 43,602

Supreme Court of Kansas.
Opinion filed May 9, 1964.
Richard D. Rogers, of Manhattan, argued the cause, and John F. Stites, of Manhattan, was with him on the briefs for the appellants.
Clarence R. Sowers, of Wichita, argued the cause, and John W. Sowers, of Wichita, was with him on the briefs for the appellee.
The opinion of the court was delivered by
PARKER, C.J.:
This is an appeal from a judgment determining title to real estate in an action for partition.
The basic facts which are not in dispute will be stated as briefly as the state of the record permits.
Charles H. Jackson owned 1900 acres of land in Comanche County, Kansas. On January 3, 1939, he made a will in which he devised a life estate in the land to his wife, Josephine Jackson. Upon the death of Josephine 800 acres of land was to go to his daughter, Beatrice Zimmerman, in fee simple. The remainder of the 1900 acres was to go to a son, Robert S. Jackson, for life with the remainder to the son's heirs in fee simple. The construction of this specific provision in the will presents the controversy before us. It reads:
At the time of the execution of the will of Charles H. Jackson, the *41 son, Robert, was a widower with five children. Robert married the plaintiff, Mildred Jackson, on July 3, 1939.
Charles H. Jackson died on July 13, 1941. Subsequently his will was admitted to probate in Comanche County. On July 18, 1942, the probate court of that county entered a decree of final settlement. The decree, so far as here pertinent, provided:
Josephine Jackson died some three or four years after her husband, Charles. Robert S. Jackson, the son, died June 19, 1961, leaving as his sole and only heirs-at-law his second wife Mildred and the five children of his first wife.
Previous to the death of Robert, and on January 22, 1951, Mildred conveyed part of her contingent interest in the land, or all of her interest subject to contingent payments, to Hobart McMillen. The nature of this particular conveyance is not material to this controversy.
On July 7, 1961, Mildred brought an action for partition of the land in question. In her petition she alleged that under the will of Charles H. Jackson she owned a one-half interest therein and the five children of Robert owned an undivided interest in the remaining one-half thereof, all of which was held as tenants in common.
On November 3, 1961, the trial court permitted Hobart McMillen to be made a party defendant in the action.
Thereafter, and on November 25, 1961, Mildred transferred all of her interest in the land to McMillen by a quitclaim deed. McMillen then filed a cross-petition setting up his claim to the interest of Mildred. The five children, defendants below and appellants here, filed joint answers to the petition and the cross-petition.
The gist of the answer to the petition may be found in the following allegation:
In part the answer to the cross-petition alleged:
The answer to the cross-petition, by reference, made the answer to the petition a part thereof.
When the case came on for trial the parties introduced evidence purporting to show the intention of the testator, Charles H. Jackson. At the close of the trial the lower court concluded in part:
and rendered judgment accordingly. Thereafter, having filed a motion for a new trial which was overruled, defendants perfected the instant appeal.
The salient question for determination is the interpretation to be placed on the clause in the will of Charles H. Jackson which reads:
*43 The appellants first contend that Mildred Jackson is not an heir of her husband under the statutes of intestate succession. They state:
We cannot agree with all of appellants' contention. However, we can agree that G.S. 1949, 59-505, which gives one-half of the realty of which one spouse is seized or possessed during the marriage to the other spouse, is not a statute of inheritance. The interest which the statute gives one spouse in the real estate of the other comes into existence by operation of law upon the concurrence of seizin and the marriage relation. The widow takes not as an heir of her husband under this statute but as her separate and absolute property in fee simple. The interest is one that a wife may protect during her husband's lifetime. See, e.g., Overman v. Hathaway, 29 Kan. 434; Busenbark v. Busenbark, 33 Kan. 572, 7 Pac. 245; McKelvey v. McKelvey, 75 Kan. 325, 89 Pac. 663; Putnam v. Putnam, 104 Kan. 47, 52, 177 Pac. 838; In re Estate of Williams, 158 Kan. 734, 737, 150 P.2d 336. It may be said that 59-505, supra, protects the interest in the real property during the marital relation which a spouse has the right to inherit under the provisions of G.S. 1949, 59-504.
Heirship and the right of inheritance, including the right of a spouse, are governed by other provisions of the statute. The right of heirship is determined by the laws of intestate succession. G.S. 1949, 59-502 provides in part:
The right of a surviving spouse to inherit is governed by G.S. 1949, 59-504, which reads:
Other provisions of the statute (G.S. 1949, 59-506 to 59-509, incl.) provide for a complete line of intestate succession. If there are no heirs such as are mentioned in the statute the property *44 escheats to the state (G.S. 1949, 59-514). Contrary to a suggestion by appellants, the common law as to heirs and intestate succession has no application in this state, it has been superseded by our statutory laws of intestate succession.
Heirship is a legal right regulated by law. It is not a mere privilege. It is to be enjoyed subject to the conditions prescribed by statute. An "heir," as the word is commonly understood in this state, is one who takes by intestate succession under the Kansas statutes. This appears to be the rule elsewhere.
See 26A C.J.S., Descent & Distribution, § 19, pp. 558, 559, where the meaning of the word heirs is discussed:
See, also, 95 C.J.S., Wills, § 673, pp. 994, 995, which reads:
This court has defined "heirs in fee simple" and has held that under the statutes of descent and distribution one spouse is the heir of the other.
In Newby v. Anderson, 106 Kan. 477, 188 Pac. 438, we held:
In Grossenbacher v. Spring, 108 Kan. 397, 195 Pac. 884, we said:
We cannot agree with appellants' contention that the phrase "heirs in fee simple" should be construed to mean "children" or "issue." We disposed of that contention in Gardner v. Anderson, Trustee, 116 Kan. 431, 227 Pac. 743, where it is stated:
"Blackstone says:
Appellants cite numerous cases in support of their position. The cases deal with the right of a spouse under the provisions of 59-505, supra, and are not applicable here. In the case at bar we are not dealing with the right of one spouse to an interest in the real estate of the other. We are considering whether the wife is the heir of the husband where a third party devises real property to the husband's heirs in fee.
In view of what has been heretofore stated and held we are forced to conclude that the appellee, Mildred Jackson, was an heir of her husband, Robert S. Jackson, as that term was used in Charles H. Jackson's will.
*46 In passing it should be pointed out that, like the trial court, we base the foregoing conclusion upon the language of the will itself without resort to oral testimony of record regarding the intent of the testator. Where a testator uses familiar words, having a peculiar and appropriate meaning in law, it must be presumed, in the absence of a clearly indicated contrary intent in the will, that he used them in their ordinary legal sense. Nevertheless, having examined the record, we are constrained to state that we agree with the trial court's heretofore quoted comment that the testimony introduced did establish the intent of the testator to be in accordance with our conclusion.
Appellants next contend that if the appellee, Mildred Jackson, is entitled to take anything under the will of Charles H. Jackson, she is entitled only to a per capita share, or an undivided one-sixth interest. In support of their contention they make the following statement:
For reasons to be presently stated we cannot agree with appellants' contention on this point. Although this court has not passed specifically on the particular question, the general rule appears to be that a devise or bequest to "heirs," whether it be the testator's heirs or the heirs of a third person, designates not only who are to take, but also the portions in which they are to take. The law will presume an intention that the heirs take according to the law of descent and distribution unless there is language in the will indicating a contrary intention.
In 96 C.J.S., Wills, § 711, pp. 85, 86, the rule of construction is stated thus:
57 Am. Jur., Wills, § 1303, p. 862, deals with the same subject. It states:
The foregoing rule of construction appears to be supported by ample authority.
See Kramer v. Larson, 158 Neb. 404, 63 N.W.2d 349, which reads:
See, also, Runyan v. Rivera, 99 Ind. App. 680, 192 N.E. 327, where it is said:
And see In re Derby, 13 N.J. Misc. 562, 180 Atl. 216, which reads:
Other cases discussing the same question may be found in Katz Investment Co. v. Lynch, 242 Iowa, 640, 47 N.W.2d 800; Hafner's Ex'r v. Hafner, 306 Ky. 93, 206 S.W.2d 196; Duty v. Van Meter's Adm'rs, 303 Ky. 440, 197 S.W.2d 916; Cross et al v. O'Cavanagh et al. 198 Miss. 137, 21 So. 2d 473; Powers v. Dossett, 78 R.I. 235, 81 A.2d 275; Felts et al. v. Felts et al., 188 Tenn. 404, 219 S.W.2d 903.
Although considering a case in which the facts and issues were somewhat different than those in the case at bar this court has held that a devise to "my then surviving heirs' after the death of a life tenant forms the basis for per stirpes distribution. In Solomon v. Morse, 188 Kan. 156, 360 P.2d 1049, this court, in considering the summarized provisions of a will, stated:
We have carefully considered, not overlooked, numerous cases cited by appellants in support of their position on the point now under consideration. The trouble with all such cases from their standpoint is that they deal with devises to groups which constitute a definite class such as children or grandchildren and for that reason have no application where  as here  the devise is to heirs in fee simple. Therefore, based on the decisions and legal treatises to which we have just referred, we conclude that under the will of Charles H. Jackson the heirs of Robert S. Jackson take such portions of the real estate as the statutes of intestate succession designate and not per capita.
Nothing would be gained by prolonging this lengthy opinion. It suffices to say that what has been heretofore stated and held compels an over-all conclusion the trial court's judgment was not erroneous and should be upheld; and that there is nothing in the record which warrants or permits a conclusion such court erred in overruling appellants' motion for a new trial.
The judgment is affirmed.
FATZER, J., dissents:
I am in accord with the court's holding in the first paragraph of the syllabus that the heirs of Robert S. Jackson, the life tenant, are to be determined by the statutes of intestate succession, but I cannot agree with the court's further holding that the heirs so determined take such portions of the real estate as the statutes designate.
Since no one questions the fact that the five children of Robert S. Jackson are his heirs at law, this dissent relates only to whether Mildred Jackson is an heir at law, and if she is, what share of the remainder estate she is entitled to receive.
At common law a spouse was not an heir, only those who were of the blood line of the decedent could be heirs. The surviving husband was entitled to estate by curtesy in his wife's estate, and the surviving wife had her right of dower in the husband's reality. In this state curtesy and dower have been abolished, and the rights of surviving spouses are regulated by the statutes of intestate sucession, *50 giving to the survivor one-half of the deceased spouse's property of which he or she died seized or possessed. (G.S. 1949, 59-502, 59-504, 59-505.) The surviving spouse cannot, perhaps, be said to be an heir in the strict common-law sense of the term, but the statute at least clothes such a spouse with the material attributes of an heir, and places him or her in that relation. (G.S. 1949, 59-504.) An heir at law is simply one who succeeds to the estate of a deceased person. Whether one is an heir at law is determined by statute, and the decisions and statutes of other states with respect to who are heirs, or who inherit, or what share, have little application in this state. Hence, I am in accord with the court's conclusion that Mildred Jackson is an heir of her deceased husband.
Even though Mildred Jackson is an heir of her husband, it is clear to me that the statutes of intestate succession may not be used either directly or indirectly to award her an undivided one-half interest in the remainder in fee. The testator's will in the instant case passed the whole estate. Robert S. Jackson took a legal estate and instead of taking the whole estate, he took a life estate. The remainder vested in his heirs in fee simple. The character and extent of the estate which he took was not affected in the slightest degree by the fact that he had a wife who might outlive him. The estate which he took did not survive him. He had no interest capable of inheritance and had no legal or equitable interest in the remainder in fee. After his death, by virtue of the testator's will, the whole estate vested in fee simple in his heirs and there was nothing to set apart to his widow Mildred Jackson under our statutes of intestate succession. Those statutes refer to an estate capable of inheritance from the husband and do not apply to interests in land which are extinguished and terminated by his death. (Osborn v. Osborn, 102 Kan. 890, 172 Pac. 23.)
The statutes of intestate succession are to be applied as of the date of the death of the life tenant to ascertain his heirs (Jones v. Petrie, 156 Kan. 241, 132 P.2d 396), and the court, in concluding that Mildred Jackson took an undivided one-half interest in the fee under a per stirpes distribution, is extending the statutes clearly beyond their plain and unambiguous language. While those statutes may be used to determine the persons who are to take the remainder in fee under the testator's will as the heirs of Robert S. Jackson, it does not follow that they may be used to fix the shares *51 which those persons will take. On the contrary, those statutes determine the shares to be taken only where the deceased spouse was the owner of property which was capable of inheritance upon his death. They do not apply to interests in real estate which were extinguished and terminated by the spouse's death (Osborn v. Osborn, supra), or devised to his heirs under the will of another. There is nothing in the decedent's will to show that the statutes were to be used to fix the share that each heir of the life tenant would take. That being the case, Mildred Jackson stands simply as another heir of the life tenant and she may only share equally in the remainder in fee with the decedent's children. She stands in no different relation to the testator's property than any other heir of Robert S. Jackson and the statutes of intestate succession may not be used to award her an undivided one-half interest in the remainder estate under a per stirpes distribution.
The court refers to a statement in Grossenbacher v. Spring, 108 Kan. 397, 195 Pac. 884, that where lands are devised by will to any person for his life, and after his death to his heirs in fee (not restricted to heirs of his body), such a devise vests a life estate in the person so named and a remainder in fee simple in his statutory heirs. The statement is authority that the statutes of intestate succession may be used to identify the life tenant's statutory heirs as of the date of his death but does not purport to state, as the court holds in this case, that those statutes may be used in such a case to determine what share the statutory heirs take.
I would reverse the judgment of the district court and direct it to enter judgment that Mildred Jackson, as an heir of the decedent Robert S. Jackson, is entitled to one-sixth of the remainder in fee and that the five children of the decedent are each entitled to an undivided one-sixth interest.