Manwaring v. Reynolds
Manwaring v. Reynolds
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
This appeal concerns a mere question of pleading.
The plaintiff commenced this action to set aside the will, alleging fraud, and undue influence on the part of Susan in procuring the making of it, and narrating in detail the long-continued illicit relationship of Susan and John.
The trial court sustained defendant’s motion to strike' these details from the petition.
Plaintiff appeals.
The trial court might have let the petition stand as written by the pleader, but it cannot be said as a matter of law that it was error to strike out the details touching the illicit relationship of Susan and the testator. (Davies v. Lutz, 107 Kan. 199, 191 Pac. 485.) The circumstantial facts narrated in the petition can be shown in evidence along with whatever other evidence may be available (Moon v. Moon, 102 Kan. 737, 741, 173 Pac. 9), to establish the important and controlling ultimate fact alleged — undue influence or fraud of defendant in procuring the making of the will. But it is a trite rule of pleading that one should plead his facts and not his evidence. (21 R. C. L. 438, 443, 445.) In 31 Cyc. 49, it is said:
“It is neither necessary nor proper to allege matters of evidence in a pleading;. only ultimate facts should be alleg’ed, not the circumstances which tend to prove them.”
Both plaintiff and defendant seem to misconceive the consequence of the trial court’s ruling on the motion to strike. They devote most of their briefs not to the sufficiency of the pleading but to the interesting question of law whether illicit relationship or concubinage is in itself sufficient to justify a finding and
Plaintiff correctly concedes that another order made by the trial court — requiring the petition to be made more definite and certain, is not appealable.
The judgment is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Nellie Manwaring v. Susan A. Reynolds
- Cited By
- 4 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- SYLLABUS BY THE COURT. 1. Action — To Set Aside Will — Pleading Evidential Facts — Not Good Pleading. In an action by a widow 'to set aside her deceased husband’s will which cut her off with a pittance and left the bulk of his estate to a woman alleged to have lived with, him for years as his concubine, the details of the testator’s illicit relationship with the beneficiary are not a necessary part of the petition where the cause of action is grounded on the fraud and undue influence of the beneficiary in procuring the making of the will. Such details are merely evidential ■ facts, and not the ultimate facts which alone are required to be stated under the rules of good pleading. 2. Same. Under the rules of good pleading, the ultimate facts should be narrated and not the evidence by which those facts may be established. 3. Pleadings — Certain Recitals Stricken from Petition — No Prejudicial Error. When there remains a cause of action stated in a petition after certain recitals of fact provable as evidence are stricken therefrom, it is not prejudicial error to strike such recitals from the petition.