Grimes' Estate, In re
| Decision Date | 22 February 1973 |
| Docket Number | No. 11124,11124 |
| Citation | 87 S.D. 187,204 N.W.2d 812 |
| Parties | In the Matter of the ESTATE of Everett C. GRIMES, also known as E. C. Grimes, Deceased. |
| Court | South Dakota Supreme Court |
Stephens, Riter, Mayer & Hofer, Pierre, and Brost & Brost, Presho, for appellants Dan Parish and Lewis E. Grimes.
Donald L. Heck, Kadoka, and Martens, Goldsmith, May, Porter & Adam, Pierre, for respondent John W. Grimes.
This appeal involves proceedings in the probate 1 of the will of Everett C. Grimes who died in 1970. By his will dated April 6, 1967, which was admitted to probate, he bequeathed some farm machinery and equipment to one son and the rest of his real and personal property in equal shares to his three sons, John, Lewis and Lornce Grimes.
In the fall of 1967 Lewis Grimes decided to purchase real estate referred to as the Gilchrist land. The land did not represent sufficient security for him to borrow the whole purchase price from the Federal Land Bank. As his father had helped one brother in a similar deal, Lewis had discussions with his brothers, the decedent, a land bank agent and an attorney that either his father's land be used as security for the loan to Lewis or the loan be made to his father with his land as security and the proceeds then loaned by his father to Lewis so he could complete the purchase of the Gilchrist land.
The transaction ended with his father executing a note to the Land Bank for $35,000 and mortgaging 2240 acres of his land to secure the loan. The proceeds of the loan were turned over to Lewis who assumed the obligation of repaying the loan. Lewis admitted 'This agreement I made with my father (was) to repay this loan.' He contended however that he owed the $35,000 to the Federal Land Bank and not to his father.
The Inventory and appraisement of the property of the estate included the 2240 acres of real estate stated to be subject to a mortgage on which the balance due on the date of decedent's death was $35,784.30. It also listed a loan to Lewis Grimes of $34,034.30 which together with stock 2 in the Federal Land Bank Association of $1,750 totals and balances the mortgage noted above.
During the probate, a Petition for Partial Distribution of the estate was filed by the executor, and, pursuant to a notice of hearing given to the three sons, the court entered a Decree of Partial Distribution in which the real estate included in the Land Bank mortgage was distributed in equal shares to John, Lewis and Lornce Grimes. This Decree made the share of Lewis' subject to his indebtedness to the estate of $35,784.30, set out in the Inventory. A proceeding to partition the real estate was commenced and notice of hearing the Petition was likewise given to the three sons.
The record shows that about a month after the Inventory had been filed Lewis and Lornce each executed assignments of their interests in the 'real property' in the estate to one Dan Parish. These assignments were filed with the clerk of courts a few minutes before the hearing on the Petition for Partition. The court's Order of Partition states that in addition to appearances by the executor and his attorney, John W. Grimes appeared personally and by another attorney, Lewis and Lornce Grimes appeared in person and Dallas Brost appeared for assignee Parish. The Order further stated that no objection having been made that the real estate be partitioned in accord with SDCL 30--24, commissioners be appointed after a Decree of Distribution has been entered vesting title in the real estate in undivided one-third interests in each of the sons. In addition to this Order for Partition of real estate, the court entered an Order appointing commissioners for partition of real estate and a Decree of Partition. This Decree approved the report of the commissioners, vested title in separate parcels to each of the three sons and (as the Decree of Partial Distribution did) declared the real estate vested in Lewis subject to the lien of his indebtedness to the estate. Based upon his affidavit that as assignee of the interests of Lornce and Lewis he was a party in interest in the estate and entitled to appeal from the Decree of Partition, Parish, on June 11, 1971, by the same attorney, gave written Notice of Appeal from that Decree on both questions of law and fact to the circuit court. John Grimes likewise appealed. Both appeals were dismissed by the circuit court.
At that state of the record, on November 19, 1971, Lewis Grimes and assignee Parish filed a verified Petition in Probate court to amend the Inventory filed December 10, 1970, the Decree of Partial Distribution of March 25, 1971, and the Decree in Partition of April 15, 1971. The Petition alleged: (1) the Inventory was in error insofar as it showed Lewis was indebted to the estate in the sum of $34,034.30, as Lewis, by affidavit attached to the Petition, denied such debt; (2) the Decree of Partial Distribution was erroneous in showing the land subject to the lien for the aforesaid debt of Lewis to the estate when he claimed no such debt existed and the court should have distributed Lewis' share to Parish, and (3) the Decree in Partition divided the land between Lewis and Lornce Grimes rather than to Parish and repeats the claim that the Decree is erroneous in concluding the land subject to the lien.
At the hearing held on this Petition, John Grimes appeared individually as an heir and as executor of the estate in objection to the Petition. Motions to dismiss the Petition on the ground the court had no jurisdiction to grant the relief requested were overruled. The court, after hearing the evidence presented, denied the relief requested. Assignee Parish and Lewis Grimes appeal; Lornce does not appeal.
The evidence taken in the probate court and the briefs in this court cover a wide range of questions of law, but in the view we take of the record it is necessary to consider the much narrower questions presented.
The Notice of Appeal to this court states it is from the Order dated February 11, 1972, the Order denying relief requested in the Petition to amend the Inventory and two Decrees. The two Decrees were entered on March 25, and April 15, 1971. At those times, SDCL 30--35--1 provided:
'An appeal may be taken to the circuit court from a judgment, decree, or order of the county court:
(5) Against or in favor of directing the partition * * * of real property; * * *
(7) Refusing, allowing, or directing the distribution or partition of an estate, or any part thereof, of the payment of a debt, claim, legacy, or distributive share; * * *
(9) Any other judgment, decree, or order of the county court * * * affecting a substantial right in probate matters.'
It is clear that this section allowed an appeal from the two Decrees--indeed an appeal taken to the circuit court from the Partition Decree of the district county court was dismissed. Those Decrees therefore are final and binding, the one because no appeal was taken and the other because the Order dismissing the appeal is in effect an affirmance of the Decree. SDCL 30--35--20. The statute (SDCL 30--35--19) then allowed the appeal to be, as the Parish appeal requested, on both law and fact, with trial de novo in circuit court. A decree, even though erroneous, is final and conclusive and binding on the heirs--not only as to claims they made but also as to claims they could have made. White v. White, 76 S.D. 503, 81 N.W.2d 606.
In re Schocker's Estate, 79 S.D. 11, 107 N.W.2d 295, held that when the circuit court on appeal had determined an issue on remand the county court had not authority to determine the issue anew. The effect of the dismissal is by statute an affirmance of the order and judgment and the issues therein settled and affirmed cannot be determined anew on remand. Both the appealed and unappealed Orders are final.
Notice of hearing the Petition for Partial Distribution on March 25, 1971, was given by mailing a copy to the three sons and posting as required by the court Order of March 5, 1971, but not to assignee Parish. Ap...
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