Title: In Re Estate of Billinger
Citation: 208 Kan. 327, 491 P.2d 924
Docket Number: 46,416
State: Kansas
Issuer: Kansas Supreme Court
Date: December 11, 1971

208 Kan. 327 (1971)
491 P.2d 924
In re Estate of Celia Dreiling Billinger, a/k/a Cecelia Dreiling Billinger
(KENNETH F. WOLF and DOROTHY J. WOLF, Appellees,
v.
G.J. DENNING, Executor, Appellant..)
No. 46,416

Supreme Court of Kansas.
Opinion filed December 11, 1971.
Stan E. Wisdom, of Jochems, Sargent and Blaes, of Wichita, argued the cause, and William Wagner, of Deines and Wagner, of WaKeeney, was with him on the brief for the appellant.
Norbert R. Dreiling, of Dreiling and Bieker, of Hays, argued the cause, and Dennis L. Bieker of the same firm was with him on the brief for the appellees.
The opinion of the court was delivered by
HARMAN, C.:
This is an action by claimants Kenneth F. Wolf and Dorothy J. Wolf, his wife, against the estate of Celia Dreiling Billinger, deceased, for specific performance of an oral contract between claimants and the decedent whereby she was to devise and bequeath her entire estate to them, except for one quarter section of land and a $5,000 bequest to the local Catholic church. The trial court ordered specific performance of the alleged contract and the executor of the decedent's estate has appealed.
Trial was to the court. The story developed therein may best be told initially by quoting the findings and rulings entered by the court as follows:
"No. 1
*328 "No. 2
"No. 3
"No. 4
"No. 5
"No. 6
"No. 7
"No. 8
"No. 9
The executor-appellant urges reversal upon four grounds which will be considered in the order presented and briefed. His principal *332 complaint is there was no clear and convincing evidence of the alleged oral contract. In support he relies on the following rule found in In re Estate of Shirk, 194 Kan. 424, 399 P.2d 850:
In the same case we defined the term "clear and convincing evidence" thus:
Despite this requirement of proof beyond that necessary in the ordinary civil action, every fact need not be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. In In re Estate of Wert, 165 Kan. 49, 193 P.2d 253, we find this:
In Jones v. Davis, 165 Kan. 626, 197 P.2d 932, the court held that although the evidence to establish an oral agreement to devise property must be clear and convincing, it is the trial court which is to be satisfied and convinced.
In In re Estate of Isom, 193 Kan. 357, 394 P.2d 21, we commented on the character of the evidence which may be received as proof of such an oral contract, thus:
And in Bichel v. Oliver, 77 Kan. 696, 95 Pac. 396, an action to enforce an oral agreement to devise property in consideration of services rendered, the court stated:
Appellant contends there was no clear and convincing evidence of the alleged oral contract entered into between appellees and the decedent, Celia Billinger, formerly Celia Dreiling; that their only evidence was circumstantial and had no corroborative support apart from their testimony. We cannot agree.
Five days were consumed in hearing the evidence in this case, most of the testimony and exhibits received being that produced on behalf of appellees. The record on appeal consists of more than five hundred pages, again most of it being evidence favorable to appellees. It would serve no useful purpose to anyone to detail it much beyond that stated in the trial court's findings. Suffice it to say, those factual findings are abundantly supported by competent evidence. That evidence reveals a long course of conduct by both Celia and the appellees supporting the latters' cause. The initial agreement, made shortly after the death of John P. Dreiling, was definitely and clearly shown by the direct testimony of each appellee, as set out in the court's finding No. 6. In addition each appellee testified that on several subsequent, plainly identified occasions Celia repeated the same promise to the effect they would receive all her property at her death except the bequest to the church and the Nick Dreiling quarter which Nick had previously owned but had lost during the depression. Corroboration of the agreement was shown in many respects as set forth in finding No. 7. Celia commented several times that various tracts of her land would make nice future homes for appellees' six children, identify-each tract with the name of a child.
Moreover, appellees had had two previous experiences of employment with Celia which did not turn out well for them with the result they quit and left Celia and her then husband, John Dreiling. In returning again only after Celia's repeated urgings, they gave up a way of life more agreeable to them than that which they knew from past experience they were likely to endure in the future. Celia was portrayed by all as a parsimonious, suspicious, *334 demanding person, whose wants and needs were not easy to satisfy. Appellees put forth tremendous effort to comply with all requests asked of them and dutifully carried out their part of the bargain. They did many things for her of a personal nature which an employee or tenant would never have been expected to do for the wages paid. For example, Celia did not operate an automobile until taught by Kenneth shortly before her death, and while Mr. Dreiling lived, Dorothy drove her mother from Celia's home and beauty shop in Hays to the farm and back, a distance of nearly ten miles each way, at noon and again at night. After Mr. Dreiling's death these trips were reduced to one every evening, the purpose being for Celia to check up on all farm work done and produce gathered. On Sundays appellees chauffered Celia over the countryside to look over her extensive land holdings, which were located in five counties. Generally they were not reimbursed for the expense of these trips, nor were they always repaid by Celia for other items expended in her behalf or upon her property. They also performed many other services for Celia of an intimate nature to the extent she virtually dominated their lives while, at the same time, they were having and rearing their children. Celia appeared to be genuinely fond of these grandchildren and participated completely in, and enjoyed, appellees' family life. In addition to the ordinary farm work entailed in producing crops, appellees also raised chickens and kept cattle, both dairy and beef, and sold eggs and cream for Celia. They repaired, remodeled and repainted at least five of her tenant properties with the expectation they were going to occupy them  which occurred but once. They performed many other tasks and errands for Celia, being virtually on call at all hours of day or night. More could be said respecting their performance under difficult conditions, all of which properly can be considered as further corroborative evidence that such a contract as alleged by appellees was in fact made. We must conclude the evidence was sufficiently clear and convincing to support the findings made.
Appellant's next two specifications of error may be treated together. He contends it would be inequitable to enforce the contract and that specific performance should be denied because appellees' services are fully compensable in money. He argues appellees did not perform the contract to Celia's expectations and were well compensated for what they did and should not inherit an estate which is said to be valued at about one million dollars. The trial *335 court specifically found Celia, and not appellees, had breached the contract and that appellees had performed their part of the bargain. These findings too are amply supported by evidence. Even after appellees had left Celia's farm at her request, she continued to insist that appellee Kenneth do many things for her until shortly before her death, including farm work and personal services, all of which requests Kenneth fulfilled. The fact that Celia saw fit to renounce her part of the bargain by executing a new will does not relieve her estate. A similar instance arose in Heery v. Reed, 80 Kan. 380, 102 Pac. 846, where this court said:
Dorothy was Celia's only heir at law and, with her children, the natural object of her bounty. The group represented by appellant were collateral heirs, Celia's brothers and sisters and the brothers and sisters of her deceased husband, John Dreiling, as well as the children of any deceased brothers and sisters, a group with which Celia had little association. Appellees had sustained Celia prior to and throughout the life of the contract with material aid, comfort and assistance beyond that which could normally have been expected under the circumstances and they stood ready to continue to do so. As indicated, much of the service rendered was of a personal and intimate nature upon which it would be difficult, if not impossible, to place a monetary value. In Jones v. Davis, 165 Kan. 626, 197 P.2d 932, this court, in a similar situation, said:
Again, without further detailing the evidence, we think it may not be said as a matter of law that the record discloses a situation where specific performance should be denied for the reason such *336 relief would be inequitable or because appellees' demands may be compensated in money.
Finally, appellant complains generally respecting the reception of certain evidence offered by appellees, particularly that as to events occurring prior to the making of the August, 1964, contract and evidence respecting Celia's personality. Actually there were few objections to evidence made on any ground during the course of the entire trial and nearly all that now complained of was received without objection. We discern no error in that received to which objection was made or of which complaint is now made. Essentially it was relevant to an understanding of the terms of the contract contemplated by the parties and how each performed under it.
No error appears in the trial court's judgment and it is affirmed.
APPROVED BY THE COURT.
O'CONNOR and PRAGER, JJ., not participating.