Case Title: In Re Estate of Alexander

Citation: 445 So. 2d 836

Docket Number: 

State: mississippi

Court: Mississippi Supreme Court

Date: 1984-02-15T00:00:00Z

Document:
445 So. 2d 836 (1984) In re ESTATE OF Sam ALEXANDER, Deceased. Susie ALEXANDER, Administratrix v. Margie ALEXANDER, a/k/a Margie Moye. No. 54040. Supreme Court of Mississippi. February 15, 1984. David A. Smith, Columbus, for appellant. Charles L. Culpepper, Thomas C. Harvey, Jr., Columbus, for appellee. Before BROOM, P.J., and ROY NOBLE LEE and DAN M. LEE, JJ. *837 BROOM, Presiding Justice, for the Court: Services rendered "as a faithful spouse" are grounds upon which appellee, Margie Alexander, sought an "equitable lien entitling her to full use and occupancy" of the residence of Sam Alexander, deceased, for as long as Margie lives or occupies the property. Margie became married many years ago to one George Moye and without any divorce began to live with Sam Alexander as if married to Sam. Susie Alexander, administratrix of Sam's estate, appeals from the decree of the Chancery Court of Lowndes County, which in effect granted Margie a life estate to Sam's homestead property. We reverse on direct appeal. Argument of the Administratrix is that the lower court erred "in impressing an equitable lien against the property of the decedent Sam Alexander for the benefit of the respondent, Margie Alexander... ." In controversy is the dwelling house (deceased Sam Alexander's homestead) occupied by Margie and Sam during the last twenty years of his life. Without divorcing George Moye, her husband, Margie lived with Sam Alexander approximately thirty years from about 1946 until Sam's death in 1980. These proceedings were commenced in the Chancery Court of Lowndes County by petition of Sam's two sisters, Susie Alexander and Pearl Alexander, joined in by a nephew, William Alexander. The three of them, along with a second nephew, Willie Mack Shelton, appear to be Sam's sole and only heirs at law. The petition successfully sought appointment of Susie as administratrix. Margie Alexander (appellee) responded to the petition by pleading that she was entitled to an equitable lien on Sam's house. In answer to interrogatories, she stated that she had previously entered into ceremonial marriages with two men, the first of whom died prior to her second marriage. She (though not divorced from George Moye) averred that for many years she had lived with Sam and shared his name, assets and liabilities. Her testimony was that she did their cooking, washing, and ironing during those years, and that "we was considered man and wife". They used his wages and her wages (working for others) to pay their living expenses. Sam made the payments on the house until he got sick, after which time she paid them. Nowhere in her testimony did Margie establish or even estimate the amount of money she paid on the house which is titled *838 in Sam's name. He was hospitalized for a time and then returned home, where Margie nursed him until his death. According to her, Sam's relatives ignored him during his illness except for a nephew who helped with him on weekends for over a year. Margie took care of the funeral and had Sam buried "on my mother's square ...". She testified that she expected to live the rest of her life "in that house where I holp (sic) him pay for." Her and Sam's relationship had its inception when he moved in with her while she was living in her grandmother's house. Appellant's brief points to the lack of evidence that the deceased, Sam Alexander, knew of any expectation of Margie to be paid when he accepted her services. The transcript is also barren of evidence that he accepted her services under circumstances which indicate to a reasonable man that her services were offered with the expectation of compensation. In re Burkett's Estate, 185 Miss. 354, 186 So. 834 (1939), states: 185 Miss. at 360, 186 So. at 835. Hoyle v. Smith, 113 Miss. 729, 74 So. 611 (1917), involved a sister who took care of her infirm, elderly sister during her last years and subsequently sought compensation for her services. This Court held there was no contract, express or implied, to compensate the claimant sister for her services out of the estate's corpus. In denying recovery from the estate of the deceased sister, our opinion states: 113 Miss. at 734-35, 74 So. at 612-13. On the issue of whether the meretricious relationship between Sam and Margie precludes equitable relief in her favor, no Mississippi case precisely in point has been cited or called to our attention. Recently the Supreme Court of California in Marvin v. Marvin, 18 Cal. 3d 660, 557 P.2d 106, 134 Cal. Rptr. 815 (1976), a case involving a woman's "palimony" claim against a movie star, dealt with a similar issue and stated: *839 18 Cal. 3d at 665, 557 P.2d at 110, 134 Cal. Rptr. at 819. The Marvin case suggests several theories under which an agreement between Margie and Sam Alexander could be implied. Marvin seems to have fashioned a judicial remedy upon some kind of a "tacit understanding" between the parties about some expected "monetary reward" to Margie. Such an understanding does not appear here as between Margie and Sam. Hewitt v. Hewitt, 77 Ill. 2d 49, 31 Ill.Dec. 827, 394 N.E.2d 1204 (1979), involved a claim similar to the one asserted here. In rejecting the claim, the Illinois court stated that to award equitable relief under such circumstances would contravene public policy. Chrismond v. Chrismond, 211 Miss. 746, 52 So. 2d 624 (1951), and Taylor v. Taylor, 317 So. 2d 422 (Miss. 1975) are factually quite dissimilar and thus not controlling. In both of those cases the litigation was brought by a woman against the man with whom she had entered into an actual ceremonial marriage. In the present case, there was not even any attempted legal ceremonial marriage but a mere "live-in" relationship which cannot be allowed to negate the law of descent and distribution. As contradistinguished from Chrismond and Taylor, in the present case the suit is not against a living so-called husband who mistreated or attempted to mistreat the woman (Margie). Here the man is dead and the suit is an attempt to gain a part of his estate. The Taylor opinion states the "separation cast her adrift", but here there is no separation except by death, and in no wise would Margie be cast "adrift" because by her own testimony she owns her grandmother's former house which is rented. As was true in Aldridge v. Aldridge, 116 Miss. 385, 398, 77 So. 150, 151 (1918), the present litigant, Margie, "to all intents and purposes was simply his (Sam Alexander's) mistress." Georgia's Supreme Court recently decided a case where a cohabitant filed an action seeking her portion of purchase money interest in a house. Rehak v. Mathis, 239 Ga. 541, 238 S.E.2d 81 (1977). There the court held that the fact that the parties were unmarried and cohabiting would constitute immoral consideration in an agreement to live together, and denied relief to the claimant cohabitant. Beal v. Beal, 282 Or. 115, 577 P.2d 507 (1978), was a recent case wherein a claim similar to that asserted here was upheld based upon intent of the parties. Other cases scattered across this nation show diverse theories used by different courts in deciding controversies similar to that before us here. We think the logical view is that stated by a Michigan court. Carnes v. Sheldon, 109 Mich. App. 204, 311 N.W.2d 747 (1981). The following, excerpted from Carnes, expresses our view: 109 Mich. App. at 216-17, 311 N.W.2d at 753. Earlier, in Creasman v. Boyle, 31 Wash. 2d 345, 196 P.2d 835 (1948), the Supreme *840 Court of Washington succinctly stated: 31 Wash. 2d at 351, 196 P.2d at 838. Having carefully studied the briefs and oral arguments made, we think that if a remedy is to be given to a cohabitant situated as was Margie in this case, the Legislature should provide the remedy.[1] Of course, it is obvious that had Sam wanted Margie to have an interest or right to his property, a simple will would have been appropriate but none was executed. A deed or contract would also have sufficed. We think that the chancellor exceeded his discretion in his attempt, noble and compassionate as it was, to fashion a remedy favorable to Margie. As was true in Hoyle v. Smith, supra, Margie's claim naturally arouses our sympathy, but absent any evidence of "an implied obligation or contract" the record before us fails to establish any proper basis for relief to her. Of course, equity is a laudable goal in any case, but equity generally must follow established law. At oral argument Margie's counsel conceded that the record is barren of evidence that Margie and Sam had any agreement that she would be compensated for her services. By way of cross-appeal, Margie asserts that the Chancery Court wrongfully dismissed her petition to revoke letters of administration issued below. We find no merit to the cross-appeal, and affirm the chancellor's refusal to revoke the letters of administration. REVERSED AND RENDERED AS TO DIRECT APPEAL; AFFIRMED AS TO CROSS-APPEAL. PATTERSON, C.J., WALKER, P.J., and ROY NOBLE LEE and PRATHER, JJ., concur. DAN M. LEE, BOWLING, HAWKINS and ROBERTSON, JJ., dissent. DAN M. LEE, Justice, dissenting: Occasionally, a court's well-intentioned efforts to see that a rule of law is promoted results in principles of justice being ignored. The inequity that results from the majority's opinion makes it evident that this is one of those instances. Because I believe that the remedy fashioned by the chancellor was eminently correct in assessing where the real equities of this case lie and in preventing a travesty of justice, I must respectfully but adamantly dissent. For centuries of Anglo-American jurisprudence the chancellor has stood for equity, fairness and good conscience. As all first year law students are taught, the role of the chancellor came about as an attempt to provide solutions to problems the law did not adequately address. The chancellor was the keeper of the king's conscience, the guardian against injustices that overly strict or dogmatic interpretations of law created. From these beginnings the concept of the chancery court has developed and along with it several maxims of equity to guide that development. These maxims or principles have so often been discussed that they are familiar to anyone versed in chancery practice; however, because they have been ignored by the majority's opinion, I will set out some of the authorities' comments. From Griffith's Mississippi Chancery Practice, 2nd Ed. come the following: From 21 Am.Jur.2d Equity come the following: Let us now examine the circumstances surrounding the instant dispute with an eye for locating where the equities and justice lie. Margie and Sam Alexander lived together in excess of 33 years. As the chancellor found, they were not married because they were ignorant of the fact that Margie could obtain a divorce from a husband who had previously deserted her because his address was unknown. Still, they lived together as man and wife, each considering and treating the other as a partner in the journey through what we all realize is but a brief earthly existence. Together they worked to buy the property in *842 question, each contributing their separate incomes towards the purchase price. They tended each other in good times and bad, and when Sam entered his last illness it was Margie who nursed him. Ultimately it was Margie who buried him. During all of this time, the appellants were no where to be found. They came forward only when it became apparent that they might extract some personal gain from Sam's estate. The majority opinion makes the assertion that there was no evidence that Margie expected to be paid for her services or that Sam expected to pay her. Such comments amount to nothing more than a straw man set up for the purpose of knocking down without having to give a true assessment of the couple's relationship. Of course there was no expectation of payment for services! Margie and Sam clearly considered themselves man and wife, sharing equally in both their assets and liabilities. They spent over 33 years together, sharing without expecting payment. At least they were joint adventurers. McCartney v. McKendrick, 226 Miss. 562, 85 So. 2d 164 (1956). The majority completely ignores the legitimate interest Margie has in the household she and Sam worked together to acquire. Also, the reference to Margie as "simply his mistress" is inappropriate to the facts of this case. It must be remembered that the chancellor had the discretion to mold his remedy to meet the equities of the situation, with justice as his polestar. Certainly the solution arrived at here was fashioned with those standards in mind. This is evident from a reading of the chancellor's opinion, a portion of which we quote: Certainly the chancellor was following guideposts of equity and our decision in Taylor v. Taylor, 317 So. 2d 422 (Miss. 1975). In Taylor we stated: Taylor v. Taylor, 317 So. 2d at 423. The chancellor's creation of an equitable lien or the granting of an equitable use of the property for the extent of Margie's life takes into consideration both Margie's interest and those of the appellants. As stated above, the appellants must be prepared to yield to whatever equity Margie has before they are permitted to petition a *843 court of equity for relief. While justice should be blind, we must not be blind to it. Therefore, based on all of the foregoing, I would affirm the decision of the chancellor. BOWLING, HAWKINS and ROBERTSON, JJ., join this dissent. [1] Common law marriage was not asserted in this case for obvious reasons. Historically, as of April 5, 1956, such marriages were no longer allowed. Mississippi Code Annotated § 93-1-15 (1972).