Court Opinion

ID: 9624968
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 07:23:23.573969+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:05:57.902163
License: Public Domain

Jordan, Justice,
dissenting.
I would agree that the widow sustained a confidential relationship to the plaintiff by reason of their executrix-devisee relationship, which required that she deal with him in utmost good faith. Ringer v. Lockhart, 237 Ga. 166 (227 SE2d 57) (1976).
It is contended by the plaintiff that because of this confidential relationship and the statements made by her to him a short time after his father’s death, it was *87fraudulent for her to apply for a year’s support without giving him actual notice. The only evidence of statements by the widow to the plaintiff was in his deposition. He stated that she said to him, "Ken, I just want you to know, you don’t have a thing to worry about, everything will be handled fairly.”
The plaintiff relies on the following cases: Ellis v. Hogan, 147 Ga. 609 (95 SE 4) (1918); Johnson v. Bogdis, 205 Ga. 535 (54 SE2d 620) (1949); Hogg v. Hogg, 206 Ga. 691 (58 SE2d 403) (1950); Lewis v. Lewis, 228 Ga. 703 (187 SE2d 872) (1972).
The trial judge in his order granting summary judgment to the defendant found that the statement by the widow in the present case was not comparable to the agreements, promises, or representations held to allege a case of fraud in the cases relied on by the plaintiff, and further that the plaintiff did not allege that the year’s support award was excessive- or the estate undervalued.
In all of the cases relied on by the plaintiff it was alleged that the widow had made statements to the heirs or devisees that she would keep them informed as to her actions concerning the estate, or that she would not ask for a year’s support, or that the year’s support application would not affect their interest in the estate. It was alleged in each case that the year’s support awarded to the widow was excessive.
In the present case the widow had a legal right to apply for a year’s support. Her statement to the plaintiff, that he did not have anything to worry about, that everything would be handled fairly, would not prevent her, without fraud, from applying for a year’s support from her husband’s estate, without notifying the plaintiff. The plaintiff did not allege that the property awarded to the widow was excessive as a year’s support, nor did he introduce any evidence on the motion for summary judgment to show that it was excessive. The plaintiff showed no defense that he would have had to the year’s support application if he had been notified. It would be necessary that he have a good defense to that proceeding in order to set the judgment aside. Code § 37-220.
The evidence on the motion for summary judgment, when construed most favorably to the plaintiff, did not *88make an issue of fact for determination by a jury. In my opinion the trial judge did not err in granting summary judgment to the defendant.