Title: MATTER OF DYGERT
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: 13239
State: Montana
Issuer: Montana Supreme Court
Date: May 13, 1976

No. 13239 I N T H E SUPREME C O U R T O F THE STATE O F M O N T A N A 1976 I N THE M A T T E R O F THE ESTATE O F LAURA M. DYGERT, Deceased. Appeal from: D i s t r i c t Court of t h e F i f t h J u d i c i a l D i s t r i c t , Hon. Frank E. B l a i r , Judge presiding. Counsel of Record: For Appellant : Chester L. Jones, County Attorney, Virginia City, Montana For Respondent: Morrow, Nash and Sedivy, Bozeman, Montana Argument submitted on b r i e f s . Filed: .' Submitted: A p r i l 20, 1976 Decided : $7,- < 1 , ? r:q M r . J u s t i c e John Conway Harrison d e l i v e r e d t h e Opinion of t h e Court. This is an appeal from an o r d e r of t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t , Madison County, g r a n t i n g a t t o r n e y f e e s and c o s t s t o an unsuccess- f u l a p p l i c a n t f o r letters of administration. Laura M. Dygert, an 87 year o l d r e s i d e n t of Madison County, died on May 9, 1975. She had been i n a nursing home s e v e r a l years before her d e a t h and during t h a t period a guardian- s h i p had been e s t a b l i s h e d t o p r o t e c t her estate and c a r e f o r her needs. By agreement of her r e l a t i v e s , Dan Vernon McLean had been appointed guardian of her e s t a t e . McLean is t h e son-in-law of Marie Paugh, a niece of Laura Dygert. O n May 12, 1975, McLean applied t o t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t f o r appointment a s s p e c i a l administrator f o r t h e probate of t h e w i l l and f o r l e t t e r s of administration. Marie Paugh, a n i e c e and l e g a t e e , f i l e d a p e t i t i o n nominating McLean, a l l e g i n g t h a t Pershing Pankey, a C a l i f o r n i a r e s i d e n t , joined i n t h a t nomination. Persh- ing Pankey is a l e g a t e e and t h e r e s i d u a r y devisee and l e g a t e e under t h e w i l l of Laura M. Dygert. Three days l a t e r , on May 15, 1975, Pershing Pankey, a c t i n g through h i s a t t o r n e y Chester Lloyd Jones, f i l e d o b j e c t i o n s t o t h e appointment of McLean by reason of a l l e g e d misconduct i n t h e handling of t h e guardianship. O n May 20, 1975, a p e t i t i o n f o r probate of w i l l and f o r letters of administration was f i l e d by Chester Jones, a s nominee of Pershing Pankey. Shortly t h e r e a f t e r Marie Paugh f i l e d a withdrawal of p e t i t i o n , a l o n g with McLean, f o r t h e appointment of McLean a s ad- m i n i s t r a t o r and on June 11, 1975, f i l e d o b j e c t i o n s t o t h e appoint- ment of Chester Lloyd Jones a s administrator. O n t h a t same d a t e she f i l e d her own p e t i t i o n t o be appointed. Hearing was held on t h e a p p l i c a t i o n s and o b j e c t i o n s and t h e r e a f t e r t h e c o u r t issued an order appointing Chester Lloyd Jones t o serve as administrator with w i l l annexed and he pro- ceeded t o probate t h e e s t a t e . On August 1, 1975, Marie Paugh, t h e unsuccessful pe- t i t i o n e r , submitted a claim t o Chester Jones i n t h e amount of $466.34 f o r her c o s t s of f i l i n g , p u b l i c a t i o n and a t t o r n e y f e e s . The claim was r e j e c t e d and Marie Paugh f i l e d a p e t i t i o n f o r allowance of t h e claim under t h e provisions of s e c t i o n 91A-3-806, R.C.M. 1947, Montana Uniform Probate Code. Objections w e r e f i l e d by t h e administrator. The d i s t r i c t c o u r t rendered a d e c i s i o n allowing c o s t s i n t h e amount of $32.20 and a t t o r n e y f e e s i n t h e amount of $300. This appeal followed. The s o l e i s s u e i s whether an unsuccessful a p p l i c a n t f o r letters of administration i s e n t i t l e d t o be paid a t t o r n e y f e e s and c o s t s o u t of t h e e s t a t e of t h e decedent? W e answer i n t h e negative. There i s no d i r e c t a u t h o r i t y i n Montana on t h i s p o i n t , so w e look t o o t h e r j u r i s d i c t i o n s . A s a matter of public policy it would be unwise t o allow t h e funding of l i t i g a t i o n o u t of an e s t a t e residue. The c o u r t s are not i n agreement as t o whether a t t o r n e y f e e s incurred i n proceedings t o determine who should be appointed t o administer an estate a r e allowable a s charges a g a i n s t t h e e s t a t e . The annotation a t 90 A.L.R. 101, (Pingree v. F i r s t Savings Bank of Ogden, 82 Utah 437, 25 P.2d 937) notes t h a t a decedent's es- tate may not be charged with expenses i n c i d e n t t o l i t i g a t i o n be- tween r i v a l claimants of t h e r i g h t t o letters of administration. Pingree was c i t e d and discussed by t h i s Court i n I n re Ruane's E s t a t e , 125 Mont. 2 0 4 , 233 P.2d 400, where t h e adminis- t r a t r i x of t h e e s t a t e appealed from a disallowance of c e r t a i n expense i t e m s a f t e r submitting her f i r s t annual account and her a t t o r n e y appealed t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t ' s f a i l u r e t o allow him t r a v e l expenses from h i s home t o t h e probate c o u r t where t h e estate w a s being administered. This Court found t h e l i t i g a t i o n t h a t ensued i n a c o n t e s t t o administer t h e e s t a t e was n o t i n anywise bene- f i c i a l t o t h e e s t a t e o r t h e b e n e f i c i a r i e s and t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t properly r e j e c t e d a t t o r n e y f e e s and expenses f o r conducting t h a t l i t i g a t i o n . W e n o t e t h a t s e c t i o n s 93-8601 and 91-3405, R.C.M. 1947, which w e r e i n e f f e c t a t t h e t i m e of t h e hearing f o r letters of a d m i n i s t r a t i o n should be considered. Section 93-8601, permits t h e determination and allowance of a t t o r n e y f e e s f o r "adminis- t r a t o r s , executors, guardians, and t r u s t e e s , and a g e n t s appointed by t h e c o u r t . " Emphasis h e r e should be made t o t h e words "appoint- ed by t h e c o u r t . " Under t h e language of t h e s t a t u t e , t h e r e is no a u t h o r i t y f o r payment of f e e s t o a n unsuccessful a p p l i c a n t . Section 91-3405, R.C.M. 1947, provides f o r determination of a t t o r n e y f e e s by t h e c o u r t t o be allowed t o t h e executor o r a d m i n i s t r a t o r , b u t n o t t o any p a r t y applying f o r t h o s e p o s i t i o n s . Montana's r e c e n t l y enacted probate code, s e c t i o n 91A-3- 7 1 3 ( 2 1 ) , allows t h e personal r e p r e s e n t a t i v e t o employ a n a t t o r n e y . Section 91A-3-721 provides f o r a t t o r n e y f e e s t o a personal repre- s e n t a t i v e f o r defending o r prosecuting any proceeding, and g r a n t s p r o t e c t i o n t o t h e personal r e p r e s e n t a t i v e i n s o f a r as a t t o r n e y f e e s and c o s t s a r e concerned. However, even under t h e new probate code, w e can f i n d no a u t h o r i t y t o pay a c o n t e s t a n t o r an unsuccess- f u l a p p l i c a n t c o s t s and a t t o r n e y f e e s . The order of t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t allowing t h e claim i s reversed. J u s t l c e W e concur: Chief J u s t i c e u / J u s t i c e s I N THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF MONTANA No. 13239 IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF LAURA M. DYGERT, Deceased, MAY 2 6 7976 -7LQInad $' x a r n e g O R D E R CLEWI( OF SUPREME CQURT STATE OF MONTANA I T I S ORDERED t h a t t h e above c a p t i o n e d o p i n i o n b e amended i n t h e f o l l o w i n g manner: On page 4, l i n e 3 from t h e end o f t h e o p i n i o n , w h i c h r e a d s : " f u l a p p l i c a n t c o s t s and a t t o r n e y f e e s . " , p l e a s e s t r i k e t h e words " c o s t s and" s o t h e l i n e w i l l r e a d " f u l a p p l i c a n t a t t o r n e y f e e s . " On t h e l a s t l i n e of t h e o p i n i o n on t h e same page, s t r i k e t h e p e r i o d a f t e r t h e word " r e v e r s e d " and add " w i t h each s i d e t o pay t h e i r own c o s t s . " DATED t h i s 2 6 t h day o f May, 1976. J u s t i c e J u s t i c e s