Hildebrand v. Hudson
Hildebrand v. Hudson
Opinion of the Court
On October 13, 1942, the last will and testament of Mary A. Del Fosse was admitted to probate and James B. Hudson, proponent of the will, appointed executor without bond in accordance with its terms. Some months later a contest was filed by two elderly aunts of decedent, her only heirs at law, praying that the probate of the will be set aside. This the court, sitting without a jury, refused to do, and from the judgment denying the petition for revocation and decreeing that the will was in all respects legal and valid this appeal is taken. An appeal is also claimed from the order of the probate court by which a new trial was denied, but such an order is not appealable under the law (Code Civ. Proc., § 963; Prob. Code, § 1240). The contest was answered by the executor and by George T. Schwemer, principal beneficiary under the will.
Mrs. Del Fosse, aged approximately seventy-five years, died in the city of Los Angeles on September 19, 1942, Leaving an estate appraised at $22,702.70. Her will, executed three days prior to her death, namely, on September 16, 1942, made no provision for contestants and all the beneficiaries named therein were unrelated to decedent. She declared in her will that she was a widow and had no lineal issue, but had taken George T. Schwemer into her home and treated him- as her son and “therefore make provision herein for him.” After the usual directives concerning the payment of debts, Schwemer was given by the will the decedent’s automobile and one of her diamond earrings, several other specific legacies were left to personal friends and the residue of the estate bequeathed to “James B. Hudson, in trust, to hold, manage and distribute as hereinafter provided.” He was directed to pay from the principal and income “the sum of Fifty Dollars each month to the said George T. Schwemer, so long as he shall live.” The will further provided:
‘1 The purpose of this trust is not to maintain the beneficiary [Schwemer] in idleness but to aid and assist him in developing his talents and ability to the greatest extent. It is my one request that he not be or become addicted to the habitual use of drinking intoxicants, in which event he is to receive nothing hereunder.
“In the event of disability, sickness or injury of the said George T. Schwemer, and the payments from this trust be insufficient, in the judgment of the trustee, to provide him with reasonable support, care and comfort, then the trustee*493 may pay to, apply or expend for his use and benefit so much of the principal as in the discretion of the Trustee may be advisable.
“Upon the death of George T. Schwemer . . . prior to full distribution of the trust estate as herein provided, or upon his failure to become entitled to the benefits hereof by reason of becomming addicted to drink so as to bring discredit to himself, the Trustee shall distribute the trust estate as follows:
“To George Lester Hudson, the adopted son of my good friend and attorney, James B. Hudson, to be distributed as in the judgment of Trustee may appear best.”
Two grounds of contest, testamentary incapacity and undue influence allegedly practiced upon decedent by respondent James B. Hudson, were set forth in the petition to revoke probate, but it was upon the latter ground only that contestants relied at the time of trial, the claim of incapacity apparently having been abandoned, no attempt being made to support it by evidence. The allegations in support of the undue influence charge were that decedent was “coerced into signing” the will by the “undue influence” and “false and fraudulent representations” of James B. Hudson “in that . . . Mary A. Del Fosse was confined to a hospital on the 16th day of September, 1942, preparatory to a major surgical operation”; that Hudson had “acted as her attorney and was in a confidential relationship with her and took advantage of her illness and mental weakness in order to have his adopted son named as the chief beneficiary of said will, and further, that said James B. Hudson as a result and by reason of his fiduciary’relationship with said Mary A. Del Fosse caused himself to be named as Trustee to determine whether said estate should be used for the beneficiary George T. Schwemer or for his own adopted son”; that decedent “did not know what she was doing or what kind of instrument she was signing, but that said James B. Hudson taking advantage of the relationship of attorney and client between himself and said Mary A. Del Fosse prepared a document which was signed by said Mary A. Del Fosse without her knowing the terms or contents thereof, and that thereby and not otherwise the said Mary A. Del Fosse was induced to execute the said pretended will.”
The only evidence introduced by appellants with reference to the facts surrounding the actual execution of the will was elicited from respondent Hudson under section 2055, Code of
He testified further that he prepared a second draft of a will but before he had an opportunity to present it decedent called him on the telephone and made another change in the specific legatees; that he next saw Mrs. Del Fosse on Tuesday the following week, September 15th, on the street outside his office, accompanied by John Cosgrove, a legatee under the will; that she told him she was going to the hospital, gave him some specific instructions about business matters, including directions concerning an auto court which she operated, and asked him if the will was ready for her signature; that he told her it was not, that it hadn’t been completed with particular reference to the paragraph providing for the ultimate beneficiary of the trust in the event that Schwemer didn’t become entitled to it or upon his death before the exhaustion of the trust. Hudson stated that he told Mrs. Del Fosse that he “wasn’t satisfied” that she had properly given him “instructions with reference to.that; in other words, I had hesitated about putting my son’s name in there. . . . She said that ‘I think you know me well enough that when ! tell you anything, you know I mean it.’ I said, ‘All right; if that is what you want, that’s what I’ll do”; that on the same day* September 15th, between 4 and 5 o’clock in the afternoon, he again saw Mrs. Del Fosse, this time at the Glendale Sanitarium ; that after she read the will she decided to make “two more changes . . . she wanted Mrs. Hudson to have a brooch that was in her safe deposit box [subsequently appraised at $30.00], and . . . John Cosgrove to have $500 in cash”; that these two latter legacies had not appeared in any of the prior drafts; that he told her “it would necessitate redrafting the will . . . She said that was quite all right; she was there for X-rays for a few days, anyway”; that he told her he would return in the morning with the will.
With reference to the actual execution of the will, Hudson testified that a little after 9 o’clock in the morning of the following day, September 16th, he presented the final draft of the will to Mrs. Del Fosse at the hospital. She “sat up in bed, read the will and said it was just what she wanted; . . . I asked her if she was ready to sign it. She said yes. I told
An attempt was made by counsel for contestants to impeach the testimony of Hudson concerning the matter of his being named as executor-trustee without bond in place of the bank and the naming of his adopted son as contingent beneficiary. Hudson had testified, as we have indicated, that this change was made after he discussed the first draft of the will with Mrs. Del Fosse on the second visit to her home and that these particular provisions were contained in all the drafts subsequently submitted or discussed with her. Upon being asked to produce these drafts, Hudson testified that since they were not used they had been destroyed. One of appellants’ counsel took the witness stand and testified (it being stipulated that his colleague and appellants’ other counsel would also so testify) that ten days previously, at a meeting held in the offices of respondent’s attorney, Hudson stated that the first three drafts contained the name of the bank as trustee and executor and it was not until the final will was drawn that his name, as executor and trustee, and his adopted son’s name, as contingent beneficiary, appeared for the first time. It is apparent that the trial judge determined this conflict in the evidence in favor of Hudson’s version and under the circumstances we may not question his decision on the point. (27 Cal.Jur. 186; 2 Cal.Jur. 926.)
Appellants argue that since a confidential relationship existed between Mrs. Del Posse and Hudson and since “he was active in the "preparation of the will” and “stands to gain considerably ...” the presumption of undue influence arises and the burden is upon him to rebut that presumption. That a confidential relationship existed between Mrs. Del Posse and Hudson is not denied, but this fact alone does not create a presumption of undue influence. (Estate of Burns, supra, 26 Cal.App.2d 741, 749; Estate of Presho (1925), 196 Cal. 639, 651 [238 P. 944]; Estate of Arnold (1940), 16 Cal.2d 573, 581 [107 P.2d 25]; Estate of Purcell (1912), 164 Cal. 300, 303 [128 P. 932]; Estate of Higgins (1909), 156 Cal. 257, 261-262 [104 P. 6]; 26 Cal.Jur. 652.) Nor is the fact that he was named executor-trustee sufficient to raise the presumption (Estate of Kilborn (1912), 162 Cal. 4, 11 [120 P. 762]). Nothing in the record indicates that Hudson was active in procuring the will or that he obtained any enrichment thereunder. Mrs. Del Posse’s reasons for establishing the trust were fully explained as were the circumstances
Since, contrary to the argument of appellants, no presumption of undue influence arose in this case, the burden of proving, by a preponderance of the evidence, the charges made in their pleadings was upon the appellants. The record indicates that they failed to carry that burden.
The judgment is affirmed and the purported appeal from the order denying motion for new trial is dismissed.
Shinn, J., and Wood (Parker), J., concurred.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Estate of MARY A. DEL FOSSE, KATE HILDEBRAND v. JAMES B. HUDSON, as etc.
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published