Cravens v. Cravens
| Decision Date | 24 June 1933 |
| Docket Number | No. 30380.,30380. |
| Citation | 61 S.W.2d 739 |
| Parties | SAM CRAVENS, GEORGE CRAVENS, GLEN CRAVENS, EVA ALLEGA and ANNIE L. VEATCH v. MORTIMER CRAVENS, Appellant. |
| Court | Missouri Supreme Court |
Appeal from Chariton Circuit Court. — Hon. Paul Von Osdol, Judge.
REVERSED.
Gilbert Lamb for appellant.
(1) The burden is on those who assert a forfeiture to prove it. Hilton v. Sherman, 118 S.E. 356; Burrows v. Madison Park, 189 N.W. 537. (2) Mortimer Cravens was under the direction and control of his adoptive mother during his minority. 29 Cyc. 1584. (3) The undisputed evidence in this case shows Mortimer Cravens to have complied with the terms of the will of R.L. Cravens, in a legal sense, hence appellant was the owner of the lands sued for at the date of the bringing of this action. Boggess v. Crail, 5 S.W. (2d) 906; Jackson v. Knapp, 130 N.E. 527; Seeley v. Hincks, 31 Atl. 537; Packholder v. Rosenheim, 99 Atl. 673; Clark et al. v. Barton, 51 Ind. 168; Hawkins v. Hausen, 142 Pac. 284; Lynch v. Melton, 64 S.E. 497; Hill v. Gianelli, 77 N.E. 461; Lynch v. Melton, 27 L.R.A. 686; Harris v. Wright, 24 S.E. 751; Burrows v. Madison Park, 189 N.W. 537; Bonniwell v. Madison, 77 N.W. 532; Rose v. Hawley, 36 N.E. 338; Morrall v. Morrall, 86 N.E. 581.
Roy McKittrick for respondents.
(1) The testator had the right to impose a condition precedent that Mortimer Cravens live with his mother until he reached the age of twenty-one years. Stevens v. DeLaVauix, 166 Mo. 20; 40 Cyc. 1686. (2) The clause No. 2 in testator's will clearly shows that the testator intended and did limit the acquisition of the real estate, and the condition, is, of course, precedent. Alexander v. Alexander, 156 Mo. 420; 40 Cyc. 1689, 1691. (3) The elementary meaning of a condition precedent is one which must be fulfilled before the estate can vest. Kerns v. St. Louis Union Trust Co., 223 S.W. 648. (4) Courts have frequently sustained conditions precedent that a devisee or legatee should reside in a particular place. 40 Cyc. 1708. The failure of Mortimer Cravens to perform the condition precedent, the title to the property vested in the respondents in whose favor the gift over is made and equity cannot interfere. Hollinrake v. Lister, 39 A.L.R. 333. (5) Precedent conditions must be literally performed or the estate will not vest at law. Pomeroy Eq. 933. A precedent condition is one which must take place before the estate can vest. 21 C.J. 922; Jarboe v. Hey, 122 Mo. 353; 40 Cyc. 1694. (6) The life tenant, Minnie Cravens could not waive, alter or change the condition precedent, and could not in any manner vest the title of the property in Mortimer Cravens. Burnet v. Burnet, 244 Mo. 491; Johnson v. Warren, 74 Mich. 491, 42 N.W. 74. A life tenant nor a court has power to make a new will for a testator and disregard a lawful precedent condition that is imposed. Johnson v. Warren. 74 Mich. 49; Mills v. Michigan Trust Co., 82 N.W. 1047.
Respondents, plaintiffs below, filed this suit against appellant, defendant below, in the Circuit Court of Chariton County, Missouri. The nature of the suit was to try title to certain real estate. The prayer of the petition asks for possession of the land and asks the court to declare plaintiffs the owners in fee. The trial court entered a decree for plaintiffs and defendant appealed.
Plaintiffs and also the defendant claimed title to the land by virtue of the second clause of the last will and testament of R.L. Cravens, deceased, dated July 4, 1921, which reads as follows:
"To my wife, Minnie Cravens, I give, devise and bequeath the home place whereon we now live, in the City of Salisbury, Missouri, complete, together with thirty acres of land, being the east part of the north half of the northeast quarter of section sixteen, township fifty-three, range seventeen, Chariton County, Missouri, for and during her natural life, with full power of disposal in any way she may desire, by sale, will, mortgage or otherwise, but in the event that she fails to make disposition of the same, or any part thereof during her life, that part remaining undisposed of shall pass to my son, Mortimer Cravens, on this condition: That he has lived with his mother until reaching the age of 21 years, and is still living at the time of her death, but in case he has not remained with his mother until reaching the age of 21 years, or is dead at the time of her death, leaving no descendants, then the same shall pass to and become the property of my living brothers and sisters, or the descendants of such as may be dead, per stirpes, in equal portions, share and share alike."
Plaintiffs are the brothers and sisters of R.L. Cravens and their descendants, referred to in the will. The contention of plaintiffs at the trial was that defendant, Mortimer Cravens, had not performed the condition mentioned in the will of living with his mother until he reached the age of twenty-one years. The trial court so found and for that reason entered a decree for plaintiffs.
The undisputed facts in the case are about as follows: Mortimer Cravens was born December 8, 1906. When he was about ten years old he was legally adopted by the testator, R.L. Cravens and his wife, Minnie Cravens, who had no children of their own. Mortimer finished high school in May, 1924. In August of the same year R.L. Cravens, the testator, sent Mortimer to the Chillicothe Business School at Chillicothe, Missouri. The testator purchased a life scholarship for the defendant at that school. Mortimer began taking a typewriting, stenographic and bookkeeping course. The testator died in August of the same year. Defendant continued his studies until the latter part of 1925. During the time he attended the school he visited his mother during vacations and at other times. He remained at home a short time after he finished school and then in obedience to the advice and request of his mother went to Kansas City and obtained employment with the Kansas City Power and Light Company, where he was employed until the time of the trial. After the death of the testator, Minnie Cravens, the mother, paid the necessary expenses for keeping defendant in school and also paid Mortimer's expenses of going to Kansas City to seek employment. Defendant visited his mother or various occasions and the mother visited defendant at Kansas City. While defendant was employed in Kansas City, he was married. The wife of defendant visited the mother of Mortimer both before and after the marriage.
It is apparent from the evidence that it was the wish of the widow that her adopted son be employed and remain at his work rather than spend his time with her at her home. There is no evidence whatever in the record tending to prove that defendant and his mother ever had the slightest misunderstanding. We infer from the record that the defendant willingly complied with the wishes expressed by his mother. She died during the month of April, 1929, without having conveyed or devised any part of the real estate in controversy.
[1] The law would certainly be harsh if, under the circumstances of this case, it would declare that the defendant had by his conduct forfeited his inheritance. The law does not favor forfeitures of this kind. [Harrison v. Harrison, 31 S.E. 455; 40 Cyc. 1717; McMahan v. Hubbard, 217 Mo. 624 (Syl. 7), 118 S.W. 481 (Syl. 6).]
[2] The provision in the will that the son remain with his mother was evidently made for the benefit of the mother. The mother did not need the help of the son for the purpose of making a living. She was entirely satisfied with the son's conduct. For the son to have literally complied with the condition of the will he would have been compelled to abandon his work at school, that he had commenced as planned by the testator, and to remain at home, perhaps idle, contrary to his mother's wishes. In 46 Corpus Juris, page 1221, section 4, we read: "In the absence of the father, the mother may direct the child's conduct, residence, education, occupation, and associates." The mother, Minnie Cravens, had the legal authority to and did direct defendant's conduct. By her own acts she waived a strict...
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