Case Title: Ellis v. Sill

Citation: 190 Kan. 300, 374 P.2d 213

Docket Number: 42,850

State: kansas

Court: Kansas Supreme Court

Date: 1962-08-28T00:00:00Z

Document:
190 Kan. 300 (1962)
374 P.2d 213
HAROLD ELLIS, As Next of Kin of Harold Warren Ellis, Deceased, Appellee,
v.
CLAUDE ELLISON SILL, HENRY MARTELL, RICHARD TEICHGRAEBER, and HENRY MARTELL and RICHARD TEICHGRAEBER d/b/a EUREKA DRILLING COMPANY, Appellants.
No. 42,850

Supreme Court of Kansas.
Opinion filed August 28, 1962.
Gerald Sawatzky, of Wichita, argued the cause, and George Forbes, of Eureka, and George B. Powers, Carl T. Smith, John F. Eberhardt, Stuart R. Carter, Robert C. Foulston, Malcolm Miller, Robert N. Partridge, Robert M. *301 Siefkin, Richard C. Harris, Donald L. Cordes and Robert L. Howard, all of Wichita, were with him on the brief for the appellants.
O.J. Connell, Jr., and Gale Moss, both of El Dorado, argued the cause and were on the brief for the appellee.
The opinion of the court was delivered by
PRICE, J.:
This is an action for wrongful death. Defendants have appealed from an order overruling their demurrer to the petition.
The primary question presented is this:
Under our wrongful-death statute  where no personal representative of the decedent has been appointed  and where the decedent leaves no surviving spouse  are all of the next of kin of decedent indispensable parties to the action?
G.S. 1961 Supp. 60-3203, in material part reads:
G.S. 1949, 60-3204, reads:
We are not concerned with allegations of negligence on the part of defendants. Material portions of the petition read:
..............
..............
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We thus have a situation where a 14-year-old boy died as the result of the alleged negligence of defendants. No personal representative of his estate was appointed. At his age he of course left no surviving spouse. His "next of kin" were his father and mother, and her whereabouts is unknown. The father, as sole plaintiff, brought the action to recover the maximum amount allowed by statute  for the "exclusive benefit of the next of kin" of the boy  that is  for the benefit of plaintiff father and the boy's mother.
Defendants filed their demurrer as follows:
The demurrer was overruled  and defendants have appealed. They state the questions to be:
*303 With respect to the first question  defendants' contentions are summarized:
(1) The word "widow" as used in 60-3204, above, means "surviving spouse," and includes a "widower" (Shuffelberger v. Hopkins, 177 Kan. 513, 519, 280 P.2d 933). The phrase "next of kin" of a decedent means those who inherit from him under the law of descents and distributions (Railway Co. v. Ryan, 62 Kan. 682, 64 Pac. 603). The next of kin of a decedent leaving no spouse, children, or issue  are his parents (G.S. 1949, 59-507).
(2) Under 60-3203, above, an action for wrongful death may be brought only by the personal representative of the decedent. 60-3204 was subsequently enacted to preserve the remedy in case there is no personal representative (or in case of nonresidence of the decedent), and by its terms  absent a personal representative  the action may be brought by the widow or  where there is no widow  by the next of kin of the decedent. In any event, under 60-3203, the damages "must inure to the exclusive benefit of the surviving spouse and children, if any, or next of kin," to be distributed in the same manner as personal property of the decedent.
(3) There are, therefore, three classes of parties who are authorized to bring a wrongful-death action: (A) The personal representative of the decedent who brings it for the exclusive benefit of the surviving spouse and children, if any, or for the exclusive benefit of the next of kin. In such a situation he is the statutory representative of the mentioned beneficiaries  the surviving spouse and children, if any, or the next of kin. (B) The surviving spouse  in the event there is no personal representative  and in that situation such spouse is the statutory representative of the children, if any (White v. Atchison, T. & S.F. Rly. Co., 125 Kan. 537, 539, 265 Pac. 73, 59 A.L.R. 749). (C) The next of kin  where there is neither a personal representative nor a surviving spouse.
(4) When the action is brought by the personal representative (class A), or by the surviving spouse (class B), the statutory beneficiaries so represented need not be made parties. When, however, the action is brought by the next of kin (class C) there is no statutory representative provided for by which one person can represent and bind the interest of others in that classification, and, as only one action is permitted against an alleged wrongdoer for a single wrongful death, it follows that all next of kin must be parties to the *304 action in order to have their joint interest litigated and bound, citing G.S. 1949, 60-412, which reads:
and Price v. Carmean, 136 Kan. 744, 18 P.2d 197, where it was held:
and City of Eureka v. Merrifield, 53 Kan. 794, 37 Pac. 113, where it was said:
and E.G. Nicholas Const. Co. v. State Industrial Commission, 207 Okla. 428, 250 P.2d 221, in which, speaking of an action for wrongful death, it was said that if there be neither a personal representative nor widow the action must be prosecuted by the next of kin, all of whom are necessary parties (p. 429).
With respect to the second question presented  defendants contend:
(1) In a wrongful-death action the statute has set $25,000 as the maximum amount of recovery. Here the plaintiff father  and the mother  are the next of kin of their deceased son. Under the statute of descents and distributions (G.S. 1949, 59-507) each parent has a one-half interest in the cause of action  and, the father being the only party to the action  therefore is at best the real party in interest only as to his one-half interest  and therefore he, individually, can sue for and recover no more than one-half of the maximum recoverable  $12,500.
Concerning the last-mentioned point, plaintiff questions whether defendants' demurrer reaches the issue involved  citing Finkenbinder v. Dreese, 188 Kan. 544, 363 P.2d 465, in which it was held:
*305 As to the first and primary question presented  where no personal representative has been appointed and there is no surviving spouse of decedent  whether all next of kin are indispensable parties in a wrongful-death action  plaintiff's contentions in support of the overruling of defendants' demurrer to the petition are summarized:
(1) The statute (60-3204) provides that  lacking a personal representative the action may be brought by the widow (surviving spouse)  or, if none  by the next of kin, and that damages must inure to the exclusive benefit of the surviving spouse and children, if any, or to the next of kin  to be distributed in the same manner as personal property of the decedent (60-3203). The right of a person to the damages  or a part thereof  allowed by the statute, should not be of any concern to the negligent wrongdoer, and such wrongdoer is not to be relieved of responsibility or liability because of the inability, for any reason, of the persons suffering the loss to agree as a class  to consolidate their efforts in a single petition.
(2) It is not contended that more than one action may be filed as the result of a single wrongful death, and neither is it contended that the single statutory cause of action may be split into as many actions as there may be individuals eligible to participate in the division of damages recovered. "Next of kin" constitute a class  just as do a widow (surviving spouse) and children, and justice requires that anyone in the class of next of kin should be permitted, for himself and on behalf of all others in his class  to maintain the action for the exclusive benefit of that class, and, once recovery is had  only the court and members of the class are concerned with the distribution of the sum recovered as personal property of the deceased.
The questions involved have never been presented to and decided by this court.
Defendants contend  and plaintiff concedes  and we believe correctly so  that the wrongful-death statutes creates but one cause of action  and that a negligent wrongdoer can be compelled to answer but once for a single wrongful death.
When, under 60-3203, the personal representative brings the action he does so in his statutory capacity  for the exclusive benefit of the surviving spouse and children, if any, or next of kin. When, under 60-3204, the widow (surviving spouse) brings the action  she does so for the benefit of herself and children. If there is no *306 widow (surviving spouse) then the action may be brought by the next of kin of the deceased. True, the statute does not say the action may be brought by one of several next of kin  but neither does it say that all next of kin must join in the action. Under such a situation it is doubtful that the "unity of interest" rule for the bringing of actions generally, is applicable, for if a personal representative or a surviving spouse can maintain the action on behalf of the mentioned beneficiaries it is logical to conclude that a next of kin should be permitted to bring it on behalf of other next of kin. The surviving spouse and children of a decedent are his or her next of kin  that is, they inherit from such decedent under the law of descents and distributions. If the surviving spouse can bring the action on behalf of the children, then why, in a case where the next of kin are brothers and sisters, or nephews and nieces, or, as here, the parents  cannot one of such class bring the action for the benefit of the others in that class? As only one action can be maintained against a negligent wrongdoer for a single wrongful death, we fail to see how a defendant can be prejudiced by permitting such to be done. As a practical matter, in a given case it could very easily work to his advantage  for a plaintiff next of kin might have great difficulty in establishing that others in such class have sustained damages as the result of the death of their relative.
Here the father is the sole plaintiff  but he brings the action for the "exclusive benefit of the next of kin"  and we feel compelled to hold that under the statute he may do so.
Our conclusion as to the point just mentioned provides the answer to the second question presented. Having brought the action on behalf of the next of kin for their "exclusive benefit"  plaintiff can sue for the full amount of recovery allowed by statute  $25,000. In event of recovery the distribution of the proceeds of the judgment is of course no concern to the defendants and is solely within the province and jurisdiction of the trial court. They cannot be compelled again to answer at the suit of anyone else for the alleged wrongful death of the boy.
Defendants' demurrer to the petition was correctly overruled, and the order is affirmed.
PRICE, J., dissenting in part:
A cause of action for wrongful death is purely statutory, and the right to damages under the statute is statutory and conditional, and cannot be enforced except within the *307 prescribed statutory limitations. The provision of the statute that the damages must inure to the "exclusive benefit of the surviving spouse and children, if any, or next of kin, to be distributed in the same manner as personal property of the deceased"  disposes of property. The cause of action to recover the damages accrues when death occurs, and the interest of a beneficiary in those damages vests at that time. (White v. Atchison, T. & S.F. Rly. Co., 125 Kan. 537, 538, 539, 265 Pac. 73, 59 A.L.R. 749.)
In the present case the decedent left no surviving spouse or children. His parents, therefore, were his next of kin. There being no personal representative or surviving spouse, they, as next of kin, are authorized by the statute to sue for damages. But suppose, for example, we have a case where the next of kin consist of numerous nephews and nieces  scattered all over the country  and the whereabouts of many being unknown. One "local" nephew, as sole plaintiff, brings the action on behalf of the others for the "exclusive benefit" of all in the class. The "ramifications" of such a situation are obvious. Could he, for example, make a settlement with the defendant which would bind those not even parties to the action?
Notwithstanding that a negligent wrongdoer can be compelled to answer but once for a single wrongful death, it is my opinion that in a situation where there is no personal representative or widow, and the action is sought to be brought by the next of kin, all of them, as statutory beneficiaries of damages, are the real (and only) parties in interest, and, therefore, all are indispensable parties to the action. If for any reason all are not joined as plaintiffs  those not so joined should be made defendants  otherwise, it seems to me, it would behoove them  the next of kin  to secure the appointment of a personal representative of the decedent so that he, in such statutory capacity, can bring the action.
If, however, one of the class of next of kin can bring the action for the "exclusive benefit" of the class  as the court today holds  then I agree that such sole plaintiff should be permitted to sue for the maximum amount of damages allowed by the statute.
SCHROEDER and JACKSON, JJ., join in the foregoing partial dissent.