Farrell's Admr. v. Records
Farrell's Admr. v. Records
Opinion of the Court
Opinion of the Court by
-Affirming.
In an action to settle the estate of Mary Farrell, deceased, James A. Records was adjudged entitled to a one-sixth undivided interest after the payment of debits. All the property was sold and it was found that Records’ share was worth about $1,100.00. Mrs. Farrell in her lifetime had boarded, lodged and cared for the daughter of Records for which the estate held a claim against Records for $1,500.00. It was barred by the statutes of limitation, but the administrator, William Farrell, and his attorney, J. T. Murphy, went to Louisville and called on Records and presented the claim of the estate for taking care of his child, Records conditionally acknowledged his indebtedness but said he had no money with which to pay the claim. Thereupon the administrator suggested that Records could satisfy the claim by turning back to the estate his one-sixth interest therein. This Records did not want to do, but finally agreed with the administrator to pay $700.00 in full satisfaction of his indebtedness to' the estate provided hi© interest was reckoned at $1,200.00, and the estate would pay him the balance or its value, $500.00. This the administrator agreed to do and he and his attorneyJeft for home with an agreement to return within a few days with the proper deed to be'signed and executed by Records conveying his interest to the estate and a check for $500.00 payable to Records. When the litigation started there was some question whether Records, who was the son-in-law of Mrs. Farrell, was entitled to a one-sixth in the estate, and he employed John L. Vest as attorney to represent him, and Vest did represent him in the two actions, which had been consolidated and were then pending. For his services Vest was to receive a fee equal to fifty per cent of the amount recovered by Records, and this wa© a lien upon Records’ one-sixth interest. As soon as the ad
As soon as the administrator of the Farrell estate learned of these facts, he brought this action against James A. Records and John L. Vest, praying a cancellation of the deed from Records to Vest and for judgment against Records for $700.00 oh the claim of the administrator of the Farrell estate, and the subjection of the interest of Records in the estate to the payment of this claim. Records did not answer, but John L. Vest filed answer traversing all the allegations of the petition in so far as fraud and collusion were averred against Vest and Records, and he affirmatively set up his claim and right to a one-half undivided interest in the one-sixth interest of Records in the Farrell estate under his contract for an attorney fee equal to fifty per cent of the amount recovered by Records. Issue was joined by reply filed by the administrator. Proof was taken and the cause being submitted for final judgment, the petition of the administrator was dismissed and the estate adjudged not entitled to take anything thereby. From this judgment the administrator appeals.
From the evidence we have no doubt that Records acknowledged his indebtedness to the estate and agreed to pay same according to the terms of the contract recited by the administrator and his witnesses; nor have we any doubt of the right of John L. Vest as attorney to a fee equal to fifty per cent of the amount recovered by Records. This attorney fee was a lien upon the Records interest in the Farrell estate. If Records had carried out the contract with Farrell’s administrator as alleged by the plaintiff, the estate would not have been greatly benefited thereby, because the administrator had agreed
The acknowledgment - of his indebtedness by Eecords and his promise to pay was conditionally made. He agreed to pay the debt to the estate only on condition that the value of his one-sixth interest be estimated at $1,200.00 and the estate would accept $700.00 in full satisfaction of the $1,500.00 claim and would pay him $500.00 in cash. While there was a tentative acceptance of this proposition, it is evident from the whole record that it was not the purpose of the administrator to actually pay or allow Eecords to receive the $500.00 in cash, but to allow Vest, the attorney, to take this $500.00 on his fee, and thus deprive Eecords of anything whatever from the one-sixth interest in the Farrell estate which was valued at $1,200.00, This is manifest from the letter Murphy, the attorney for the administrator, had written to Attorney John L. Vest, immediately after Murphy reached home after making the compromise agreement with Eecords in Louisville. However this may be, there was no actual acceptance of the proposi
Applying this rule to the facts before us, we are persuaded that the conditional promise of Records to pay his obligation to the Farrell estate did not revive the debt or remove the bar of limitation because Records only promised to allow a part of the $1,200 due him from the Farrell estate to be applied upon his- indebtedness to that estate, if the estate would pay him $500.00 in cash. These conditions were not fulfilled, nor would they ever have been fulfilled if we may rely upon the evidence in the record. At any rate, the proposition was withdrawn before its acceptance by the administrator and Records; the debtor, was, therefore, left under the protection of the statutes of limitation.
We, therefore, conclude as there was no subsisting enforceable claim of the Farrell estate against Records, at the time he made the conveyance to John L. Vest which this action seeks to set aside, the relief sought must be refused; but the chancellor should correct and modify the judgment so that the $55.00 allowed to John L. Vest as attorney fee paid out of the funds of the estate, be returned to it.
Judgment affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.