Case Title: Matter of Estate of Holt

Citation: 622 P.2d 1032, 95 N.M. 412

Docket Number: 

State: new-mexico

Court: New Mexico Supreme Court

Date: 1981-01-26T00:00:00Z

Document:
622 P.2d 1032 (1981) 95 N.M. 412 In the Matter of the Estate OF Ruby HOLT, Deceased. COMMERCE BANK & TRUST, Personal Representative of the Estate of ruby Doris Holt, Deceased, Appellant, v. Tammy Anne BRADY, Appellee. No. 13074. Supreme Court of New Mexico. January 26, 1981. *1033 Dow & Feezer, James L. Dow, Carlsbad, for appellant. Watson & Watson, John W. Fisk, Artesia, for appellee. SOSA, Senior Justice. This is an appeal from the district court's grant of summary judgment in favor of appellee Tammy Anne Brady establishing her as an heir to her natural grandmother's estate. The issue is whether an adopted child can inherit from her natural grandmother when (1) the child's natural father predeceases the grandmother and (2) the adoption occurs subsequent to the natural father's death but prior to the grandmother's death. We reverse the district court and hold that the child cannot inherit under these circumstances. Ruby Holt, the deceased, had eight children, seven of whom were named in the petition for probate, and a son, Tommy Holt, appellee's natural father. Tommy Holt predeceased his mother in 1971. In 1975, appellee was adopted by her natural mother's husband, Steven Brady. Ruby Holt died intestate in 1979. An order of intestacy and determination of heirship was entered by the probate court in favor of Ruby Holt's seven surviving children. Appellee petitioned the court to set aside its order establishing heirship in the seven children and to recover estate assets distributed to them. The court granted her summary judgment and the Commerce Bank & Trust Co. (trustee for the seven children) appealed. This case involves the heirship of Ruby Holt, which must be determined according to the New Mexico laws on descent and distribution in effect at the time of her death intestate in 1979. Since this case also involves the adoption of one claiming to be an heir, we must also consider what effect, if any, the adoption has upon inheritance by the adopted person. Section 45-2-103, N.M.S.A. 1978 provides that intestate succession for heirs other than a surviving spouse is as follows: Appellee Tammy Brady claims heirship to Ruby Holt's estate by right of representation through her natural father. Appellant, however, claims that Section 45-2-109, N.M.S.A. 1978 bars her from receiving a share because Tammy Brady, having been adopted four years prior to Ruby Holt's death, was no longer the legal child of Tommy Holt in 1979. Section 45-2-109 provides: It is also appellee's contention that Section 40-7-15, N.M.S.A. 1978 preserves her right to inherit through her father. The statute establishes the effect of an adoption on the rights of inheritance. It states: Appellee argues that "individual" in subsection (2) above refers to her natural father, Tommy Holt. Since she was adopted subsequent to the death of her natural father, she is entitled to inherit through him. Again, this is erroneous because the case involves the intestate succession of Tammy Brady's grandmother, not that of Tammy's natural father. Appellee has placed the emphasis of the adoption on the wrong period of time. The question is not when the adoption took place with respect to the natural father's death but when it took place with respect to the death of the person whose heirship we are determining. In this case, the fact that Tommy Holt died prior to the adoption is irrelevant to the determination of his mother's heirship. It would be relevant only to his heirship. Therefore, we hold that "individual" in the statute refers to Ruby Holt, and at the time of her death Tammy Brady was no longer her lawful descendant under the present laws of descent and distribution. Tammy Brady's adoption cut off the right to inherit from her grandmother. Otherwise, under appellee's construction, Tammy Brady would be allowed a dual inheritance, once from her natural father's bloodline, and again from her adoptive parents' bloodline. It would also allow a stranger into the Holt bloodline if Tammy Brady predeceased Ruby Holt since Tammy's adoptive parents would be her heirs. It was not intended by the legislature to allow such a situation. If we construe Section 40-7-15 to mean "an individual [whose estate succession is at issue] dies," it will be consistent with the sections dealing with intestate succession. "It is a familiar rule of statutory construction that all of the provisions of a statute, together with other statutes in pari materia, must be read together to ascertain the legislative intent." Allen v. McClellan, 75 N.M. 400, 402, 405 P.2d 405, 406 (1965). The foregoing provisions reflect a legislative intent to treat adopted children as if they were the natural children of the adopting parents. This is consistent with the public policy in New Mexico as first announced by this Court in Delaney v. First National Bank In Albuquerque, 73 N.M. 192, 386 P.2d 711 (1963). In re Estate of Shehady, 83 N.M. 311, 312, 491 P.2d 528, 529 (1971). In the Shehady case the adopted children were precluded from inheriting from their natural father because they had been adopted prior to his death. In the same case this Court cited with approval a Wisconsin case, In re Estate of Topel, 32 Wis.2d 223, 145 N.W.2d 162 (1966), which involved the identical fact pattern to the case at bar and which involved a statute similar to Section 40-7-15, N.M.S.A. 1978. In the Topel case, three grandchildren were denied heirship to the estate of their natural paternal grandfather who had died intestate. The children had been adopted prior to the grandfather's death, but subsequent to their natural father's death, which is a situation identical to Tammy Brady's situation in the present case. The Wisconsin statute provides that, after adoption, the parent-child relationship and all rights and legal consequences arising therefrom exist between the adopted child and the adoptive parents. The adopted child and adoptive parents are entitled to inherit from each other in accordance with the laws of descent and distribution. Wis. Stat. § 48.92 (1975). Subsection (2) of the same statute provides that all rights and legal consequences between the adopted child and the natural parents (unless the natural parent is the spouse of the adoptive parent) are cut off. The Wisconsin Supreme Court held that 145 N.W.2d at 164. The same intent to substitute the legal rights of the adoptive parents for those of the natural parents is manifested in our statutes. We, therefore, reverse the district court and hold that Tammy Brady, having been adopted prior to the death of her natural grandmother Ruby Holt, is no longer an intestate heir of Ruby Holt. FEDERICI and RIORDAN, JJ., concur.