McCalla v. McCalla
McCalla v. McCalla
Opinion of the Court
Miss Fannie A. McCalla brought suit in Catoosa superior court against H. C. McCalla as executor of J. C. McCalla, and in his individual capacity, alleging, in substance, that she was the owner, as an heir at law, of an undivided interest in certain
Plaintiff introduced as a witness her sister, Miss Lou O. McCalla, who testified that in December, 1917, plaintiff’s brother, J. C. McCalla, had paid plaintiff $25 on the purchase-price of her inter
The plaintiff testified that defendant came to her house on August 31, 1921, and stated that John (J. C. MeCalla) wanted the deeds fixed up to her interest in the Waterhouse place, and that he would be up in a few days and settle the bill off, but that she did not at that time expect J. C. to ever be there alive any more. On cross-examination' she testified that when defendant came to her home the deed which had previously been mailed to her was on the mantelpiece; that defendant took it off the mantelpiece, and she signed it in the presence of defendant. She testified, however, immediately after the foregoing testimony, that the deed was carried to Tunnelhill and signed there in the presence of George Head, and that defendant was not present. She had received $35 on the purchase-price of her interest in the place at the time she executed the deed; and the signature to the deed exhibited to her was her signature. At the time she signed the deed defendant stated that her brother, J. C. MeCalla, would be up in a few days and settle it off. The balance was $165. Defendant had proposed to pay the balance of the purchase-money to her, but she had declined it, stating that it was her father’s property and defendant was not the one to pay it. On examination by the court the plaintiff testified that
Plaintiff introduced S. P. Maddox, one of her attorneys, for the purpose of showing.a tender to defendant of the money paid to her on the purchase-price of her interest in the land. Mr. Maddox testified that he made the tender of the $35 to defendant, conditioned that defendant sign a deed of reconveyance to plaintiff. Plaintiff also introduced certain witnesses for the purpose of showing the value of her interest in the land. At the conclusion of plaintiff’s testimony the court, upon motion of defendant’s counsel, directed a nonsuit, and the plaintiff excepted'.
Cancellation of the deed was prayed on the ground that the defendant obtained the execution of it by fraud. It is claimed that the dee'd was executed for the purpose of placing title to the property in J. C. McCalla, who was to pay to the plaintiff a stated sum of money, and was to sell the land and pay over to the plaintiff her share. The instrument as drawn and signed is an unconditional warranty deed conveying the property to the grantee, J. C. McCalla; but the plaintiff contends that the conveyance was executed for the purposes set forth above, and that just before his death the grantee in the deed executed a will, wherein he bequeathed all of his interest in the land in question to his brother, the defendant in this suit, when in fact the deceased brother was not the owner of the land, though apparently title was vested in him by the deed which plaintiff seeks to have canceled. If jior the purposes stated the plaintiff executed the deed to the decedent, and he in turn executed a will bequeathing this property to the defendant in this suit, and the defendant, knowing of these facts and knowing of the execution of the will, concealed from the plaintiff the fact of the execution of the will "and its terms, and obtained the deed by representing to the plaintiff that the agreement as stated in the petition between the plaintiff and her brother, J. C. McCalla, would be carried out, then he perpetrated a fraud upon her, and the execution of the deed was obtained by such fraudulent practices as rendered it void and entitled the plaintiff to have it canceled. And under the evidence introduced in the case, it was for the jury to say whether, in consideration of all the evidence and the deductions which they were authorized to make therefrom, the plaintiff had established her case as set forth in her petition, and the trial
Judgment reversed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- McCALLA v. McCALLA
- Status
- Published