Kelley v. Kelley
Kelley v. Kelley
Opinion of the Court
On December 28,1949, Frederick P. Kelley, then a 69-year-old widower of 4 months’ standing, now deceased, said to plaintiff, 10 years his junior, “Why don’t you come to California with me ?” Plaintiff thought he was joking, thought nothing of it, considered it “just conversation.” Nothing was said between them that day or at any previous time about marriage. They were not then close-friends and had seen each other only a few times before. On December 29th deceased deeded his farm to his 2 adult sons, the defendants, reserving a life .estate unto himself, and on the nest day caused the ■deed to be recorded in the office of the register of deeds. On December 31st, for the first time, he proposed marriage to plaintiff and at the outset she took it as a joke, but later realized that he was serious about it. She did not accept the proposal at that time and on January 1, 1950, had not yet made up her mind to marry him, but “left it this way,” that she would think it over and, if he did not hear from her to the contrary before January 4, 1950, he could call for her at her home on that date for the purpose of 'going to Indiana to be married. Plaintiff did not see deceased, nor did they hear from each other, from January 1st'until January 4th, on which latter date he came for her and they went to Indiana and were married. A few days later they went to California.
After their return to Michigan, a meeting between plaintiff, the’2 defendants, the deceased and his lawyer occurred in the lattef’s office. At that meeting
Plaintiff filed her bill of complaint herein, alleging that the deed to defendants was never delivered, or, if delivered, that it was in fraud of her dower interests, and praying that it be set aside and the farm decreed to be a paid of deceased’s estate passing to plaintiff under the will, or, in the alternative, that a dower interest therein be set aside and assigned to her.
"VYe think the recording of the deed by deceased, coupled with what the record discloses to have been an expressed intention by him that title pass at once, effectually disposes of plaintiff’s claim of nondelivery. Flood v. Flood, 295 Mich 366; Griffin v. Hovey, 179 Mich 104; Blanchard v. Kingston, 222 Mich 631.
In support of her contention that deceased’s attorney should not have been permitted to testify concerning deceased’s statements made when the will was executed and facts and circumstances surrounding the event, plaintiff cites authorities to the effect that extrinsic evidence may not be permitted to show an intention of the testator, not expressed in the will, to put the widow to her election or that the testamentary provisions be in lieu of dower, or to amplify, modify or alter the terms of the will or supply omissions therefrom. The cited authorities fail to establish plaintiff’s contention. The challenged testimony given by the attorney did not serve to alter or amend the will or to show that testator intended to put plaintiff to her election between dower or taking under the will. Eather, it was offered to ^how that the deceased was satisfied that he had nothing to which dower could attach and, for that reason, made testamentary provisions for plaintiff and that she, in thus permitting deceased to act, as previously pointed out, to the detriment of defendants for plaintiff’s benefit, thereby became estopped from challenging the validity of the deed to defendants after the death of deceased. For that purpose the testimony was admissible.
Decree dismissing plaintiff’s bill of complaint affirmed, with costs to defendants.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.