Court Opinion

ID: 9633266
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 11:40:55.020006+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:08:32.127310
License: Public Domain

SHINN, P. J.
I concur. The findings were sufficient to show the nature and value of the estate and its condition with relation to indebtedness. The widow has a claim of some $241,000 as the value of her interest in community property which she alleges decedent gave away without her consent. She also asserts a claim that all the remaining property is community property. Both of these claims are disputed. If they are established in full the widow will take everything that is left after the taxes, debts and expenses of administration are paid. Upon the other hand, after the claims of the widow are adjudicated and settled, there may be sufficient estate left for payment of the legacies. The court should take a broad view of this situation and of the powers of the probate court in such matters. The law should not be given a narrow, technical application. The widow is not the only one who has rights in the matter. The legatees are entitled to be paid if that can be done without prejudice to the rights of the widow. If there is uncertainty on that point the uncertainty does not have to be resolved in favor of the widow. The court was not required to assume that her claims will be established to such an extent that she will take the entire estate. The litigation may continue for years and the final result may show that there was no necessity to defer payment of the legacies. The law does not require that all uncertainties as to the indebtedness of the estate be resolved before there can be a *239partial distribution. Oftentimes that cannot be done by the court in probate. It sometimes happens that claims are asserted against an estate in a sufficient amount to wipe it out entirely. The claims may be good or they may be spurious. The court should be accorded a wide discretion in such situations and I think the law was framed to that end. If there must be absolute certainty as to the amount of the indebtedness of the estate before a partial distribution may be had, a bond would serve no purpose. It would be folly to refuse to order partial distribution upon the giving of bonds until the estate was in .such condition that bonds were unnecessary. I think the provision for the giving of bonds was intended to meet situations (among others) where there are contingent or uncertain liabilities which will probably be the subject of protracted litigation. I grant that the widow should not have to bring suit upon the bonds of the distributees in order to enforce her rights, but who can say that she will have to sue on the bonds? The trial court was confronted by that possibility and also by the prospect that a refusal to order the legacies paid might result in serious inconvenience or injustice to the legatees. Appellant does not want to be placed in a position where she will have to sue on the bonds. I do not think the court was required to protect her against that possibility, where to do so would in all probability postpone payment of the legacies for years. It was a proper ease for an order for payment of the legacies upon the giving of bonds.
A petition for a rehearing was denied November 7, 1949.