Court Opinion

ID: 878912
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2013-06-04 23:01:31.026284+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:11:13.789794
License: Public Domain

I N THE SUPREME COURT O F THE STATE OF MONTANA

I N THE MATTER O F NORWEST CAPITAL
MANAGEMENT AND TRUST COMPANY,
e t al. a n d MARCELLA E. MAKI,
Joint Petitioners.

                                                                      CLERK O f SUBIZE&%E
                                                                                        COURT
                                                                         STATE OP tt4OHTbSR
                                           O R D E R

        The o r i g i n a 1 o p i n i o n , M a t t e r o f N o r w e s t C a p i t a l Manage-

ment     and     T r u s t Co.      (Mont.       1 9 8 5 ) , 697 P.2d 930,   4 2 St.Rep.

493, i s c o r r e c t e d t o d e l e t e t h e l a s t p a r a g r a p h o f t h e o p i n i o n

and s u b s t i t u t e t h e r e f o r e t h e f o l l o w i n g :

            I n 1 8 9 5 , t h e S t a t e o f Montana a d o p t e d t h e
            Montana C o d e s A n n o t a t e d o f 1 8 9 5 .               In
            a d o p t i n g t h e Code, t h e L e g i s l a t u r e e n a c t -
            e d § 579 o f t h e Code o f C i v i l P r o c e d u r e ,
            w h i c h was a r e e n a c t m e n t o f 5 1 4 of t h e
            Code o f C i v i l P r o c e d u r e o f 1 8 7 7 ; by d o i n g
            s o , t h e L e g i s l a t u r e adopted t h e c u r r e n t
            w ro n g f u l d e a t h s t a t u t e l a n g u a g e found i n
            § 27-1-513,            MCA.        Also i n 1895, t h e
            Legislature            adopted         a    new      succession
            s t a t u t e which d e f i n e d h e i r s which d e f i n i -
            t i o n c o n t r o l s t h m e a n i n g of h e i r s f o u n d
                                           ~
            i n t h e enactment o f Montana's wrongful
            death statute.                 S e c t i o n 1852, Probate
            Code of 1 8 9 5 , p r o v i d e s i n p a r t :

            2.      I f t h e d e c e d e n t l e a v e no i s s u e , t h e
            e s t a t e goes one-half              t o the surviving
            h u s b a n d o r w i f e , and t h e o t h e r t o t h e
            d e c e d e n t ' s f a t h e r and m o t h e r i n e q u a l
            s h a r e s , a n d i f e i t h e r be d e a d the w h o l e
            of said h a l f goes t o t h e other.                If there
            be no f a t h e r o r mother, then one-half
            goes i n e q u a l s h a r e s t o t h e b r o t h e r s and
            sisters o f t h e d e c e d e n t , and t o t h e
            c h i l d r e n of        any deceased b r o t h e r         or
            s i s t e r , by r i g h t o f r e p r e s e n t a t i o n . I f
            t h e d e c e d e n t l e a v e no i s s u e , n o r husband
            nor w i f e ,        t h e e s t a t e must go t o h i s
            f a t h e r and mother i n e q u a l s h a r e s , o r i f
            e i t h e r be d e a d t h e n t o t h e o t h e r .

            The p l a i n l a n g u a g e o f t h e s t a t u t e makes
            t h e mother t h e o n l y h e i r under t h e f a c t s
   o f t h i s c a s e s i n c e ' h e i r ' m e a n s t h o s e who
   t a k e upon d e c e d e n t ' s d e a t h u n d e r t h e
   intestacy statute.                   We affirm t h e t r i a l
   c o u r t ' s judgment r p l y i n g upon t h e Johnson
   rationale           denying          Marcella       Maki      the
   s t a t u s o f ' h e i r ' and d e c l a r i n g Ruth Maki,
   d e c e d e n t ' s m o t h e r , a s sole h e i r . "

With t h i s c o r r e c t i o n ,   t h e o r i g i n a l opinion is approved.

DATED o n t h i s      2 7'idr d a y
                           -           o f August,     1985.
                                                             A

                                 671 P.2d 583, 40 St.Rep.
1681, this Court defined "heirs" as "those persons who are
entitled to the property of a decedent under the statutes of
intestate succession."
        The trial judge in this appeal correctly adopted the
rationale in the concurring opinion of Johnson v. Marias
River Electric Coop.        (1984), 687 P.2d 668, 41 St.Rep. 1528,
by applying the statutory definition in effect at the time of
the enactment of the wrongful death statute to determine
which     parties    qualified      as   "heirs. "       We     reject        the
appellant's argument that the date of the original enactment
of the wrongful death statute, 1871, is the determinative
date by which "heir" is defined.              Montana's 1871 intestate
succession laws         included    "sisters" in      the     same    line as
mothers and fathers.
       Both Montana's intestate succession and wrongful death
statutes were       amended   in    1877.     The Wrongful Death Act
changed the class of individuals allowed to recover from "the
widow and next of kin of such deceased person                        . . ."   to
"heirs and personal representatives."                Since the operative
term    "heirs" was      introduced. by      this    1877 enactment, the
definition in the 1877 intestate succession statutory scheme
is the controlling law.       The intestate succession statute was
amended in 1-877 to drop "sisters" from the same succession
line as parents.        "Heir" means those who take upon decedent's
 death under the intestacy statute.       After the 1877 amendment
 the Maki    heir     is the mother   only.   We   affirm   the trial
 court's    judgment relying upon the Johnson rationale denying
 Marcella Maki the status of "heir" and declaring Ruth Maki,
 decedent's mother, as sole heir. ,
                                  ,

  //.H        -
              /
B i e f Justice

  J
  I               P          U        *

 Justices