Wallace v. Williams
Wallace v. Williams
Opinion of the Court
The exception here is to a judgment overruling general and special demurrers to an equitable petition.
Eva Mae Williams filed an equitable petition against L. B. Wallace, executor under the will of Dr. Andrew E. Maxwell, alleging that the testator died on June 5, 1952, leaving a will, which was probated in common form on June 13, 1956. The amended petition alleged: that, in April, 1947, the testator agreed with the petitioner that, if she would permit him to reside in her home, rendering him nursing care, feeding him, laundering his clothes, he being ill at the time, and looking after his welfare, comfort, and health, and collecting the rents from his property and paying the same over to him, for the remainder of his life, he would make a will devising to petitioner property adequate in value to the services performed and to be performed by 'her; and that, while he was in her home in a paralytic condition, he again agreed with her in 1950 that, if she would continue to render the services she had agreed to in April, 1947, for the rest of his life, he would make a will devising to her property from his estate equal in value to the services performed by her for his benefit. She alleged that she had fully complied with the agreement as to the matters she agreed to do, until his death, and that he had left a will, but did not devise any property to her; and that she had never been paid anything for the services she rendered to him. She alleged that, at the time of his death, the testator was sixty years of age, and that the value of the services she rendered to him from April, 1947, through January, 1952, were reasonably worth the sum of $11,200, and she prayed judgment for this amount. The defendant filed general and special demurrers to the petition. Thereafter the plaintiff filed an amendment to her petition, in which she alleged that the estate of the testator at the present time is practically insolvent, and there remains only $350 in the estate, which was wholly inadequate to remunerate her for the services rendered; that on January 31, 1948, the testator made a trust deed to L. B. Wallace in fee simple to seven lots of realty of the present value of $25,000, in trust for the benefit of his nieces and their descendants, a copy of said deed being incorporated by reference in the amendment. It was alleged that the testator by such deed conveyed practically all of his estate, for the purpose of defrauding petitioner, and did not
L. B. Wallace, as executor of the will of Dr. Maxwell, insists that the petition as amended, which seeks relief against him as executor, shows on its face that it is a suit to recover on quantum meruit, and is barred by the statute of limitations. We cannot agree with this contention, as we construe the petition to be a suit brought to recover damages for the breach of an express contract. The petition alleges a clear and definite contract, whereby the testator agreed that, if the petitioner would permit him to reside in her home, he being partially physically incapacitated at the time, and would render certain enumerated services in caring for him and looking after his personal and business needs for the remainder of his life, he would compensate her by devising her a portion of his estate in his will for services rendered to him in his lifetime. She alleged that she had fully complied with her agreement by rendering services until his death; that this agreement had been broken by the testator’s failure to leave her anything in his will; and that the reasonable value of the services rendered by her was a specified sum, and she prayed judgment for such amount.
The petition does not allege merely a cause of action based upon quantum meruit for the value of such services, but seeks to recover a certain sum by reason of the breach of a contract. The petitioner’s cause of action accrued at the time of the testator’s death, when he failed to devise any property to her, it being alleged that he died on June 5, 1952, and letters testamentary were issued to his executor on June 13, 1952; and the instant suit having been instituted in March, 1956, the action was not barred by the statute of limitations. See Banks v. Howard, 117 Ga. 94 (3) (43 S. E. 438).
On May 29, 1956, the petitioner filed an amendment to her petition, alleging that the testator on January 31, 1948, conveyed, by trust deed to L. B. Wallace as trustee, fee-simple title to seven lots of realty of the present market value of $25,000, in trust for the benefit of his nieces and their descendants. In this amendment it was alleged: “Petitioner shows that the said Dr. Andrew E. Maxwell did convey practically all of his estate by trust deed, as aforesaid for the purpose of defrauding your petitioner. . . Petitioner shows that the said Dr. Andrew E. Maxwell did not retain sufficient amount of his estate to remunerate your petitioner and that he did not as previously agreed make provisions in his will for your petitioner, as aforesaid. . . Petitioner shows that the estate of Dr. Andrew E. Maxwell being wholly inadequate to compensate petitioner for services rendered, that in equity and good conscience she should be allowed to proceed against the property listed in the trust indenture”; and in the same connection, it was alleged in the amendment filed June 22, 1956, as follows: “petitioner shows that when the said Dr. Andrew E. Maxwell conveyed the property listed in the trust deed attached, the said Andrew E. Maxwell was insolvent in that he did not retain sufficient property to amply pay his existing debts nor to compensate your petitioner for the services performed and to be performed.” The prayers of the amendment of May 29 were that L. B. Wallace, in his capacity as trustee, be made a party defendant, and for a judgment against the trustee for the principal and interest sued for. Wallace as trustee filed his objections to being made a party defendant, and his general and special demurrers to these amendments. These objections and demurrers were overruled, and the defendant trustee assigns error on these rulings, the contention of the trustee being that the amendments to the petition, in which the plaintiff seeks equitable relief against the trustee, failed to state a cause of action.
The right of the plaintiff to have the court grant her relief against Wallace as trustee, either in'setting aside the trust deed or for a money judgment to be paid out of the trust property, can
The court did not err in overruling the general and special demurrers of Wallace as executor of the will of Dr. Maxwell, but committed error in overruling the demurrers of Wallace as trustee.
Judgment affirmed in part and reversed in part.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- WALLACE v. WILLIAMS
- Cited By
- 2 cases
- Status
- Published