Livingston v. Holt
Livingston v. Holt
Opinion of the Court
- This is an appeal from the judgment of the district court of Cass county.
The issues of such case were tried to a jury, and a verdict was returned by them in favor of the defendant.
The facts in the case are substantially as follows: James H. Grady, deceased, Bose E. Livingston, and Mary Cary were brother and sisters. It is claimed by the plaintiff that, during the lifetime of Grady, she and Grady entered into an agreement whereby each was to contribute ratably to the support of Mary Cary. Plaintiff claimed that Mary Cary was an invalid and unable to care for or support herself. It appears that Grady had taken out a life insurance policy on his life for the sum of $3,000, which was payable to Mary Cary after the time of the insured’s death. Such insurance upon the life of Grady was collected after his death and paid to Mary Cary. Bose E. Livingston filed a claim against the estate of Grady for $1,921.38, claiming that Grady made an express contract with her during his lifetime to contribute ratably to the support of Mary Cary, and that the amount of said claim was the amount due from Grady, none of which had been paid except $405. The defendant, to the complaint of the plaintiff, entered a general or specific denial to all of the allegations thereof, except that he admitted the filing of such purported claim.
There are presented in this case but two questions for our consideration. Eirst, the insufficiency of the evidence to justify the verdict of the jury; second, errors of law occurring at the trial from the exclusion
In tbe trial court sucb agreement was claimed and relied upon as an express contract. Wbetber sucb contract was in fact made was a question of fact exclusively for tbe jury. There was some testimony tending to show that such contract was made. There was other testimony wbicb tended to show that sucb contract, was not made. Tbe testimony of Mrs. Grady, tbe widow of tbe deceased, was to tbe effect that she was present at tbe Nicollet Hotel, in Minneapolis, at tbe time when said alleged agreement was claimed by tbe plaintiff to have been made, and did not bear anything of tbe contract referred to. This tends of course to prove that no contract was made. While negative testimony may not be entitled to as much weight and credit as positive testimony, we must not overlook tbe fact that tbe weight of testimony is exclusively a question for tbe jury. Wbetber or not there was an express agreement was a disputed question of fact about wbicb there was conflicting testimony either of a positive or negative character, or both, and it was tbe exclusive duty of tbe jury to weigh all sucb testimony. It did so and returned a verdict in favor of tbe defendant, and sucb verdict was sufficiently supported by tbe evidence.
We have examined the instructions of the court with reference to the payments made from such $3,000 fund, and in them find no prejudicial reversible error. Mrs. Livingston had filed a large claim against the estate of Grady. Any testimony which would show that such claim was not owing to her was competent. We do not wish to set out the testimony in question and answers, but the testimony of Mrs. Cary shows in effect that she put the $3,000 in a bank in Syracuse; that she thought Mrs. Livingston drew checks thereon; that she paid for everything for her living for the past six or seven years, and that this included board and clothes and things of that kind, and also doctor bills.
One of the questions asked of Mrs. Cary is as follows:
Q. So you used these $3,000 to pay these living expenses ?
A. Yes.
The jury by their verdict simply found in effect that Mrs. Livingston had no claim against the estate of Grady, for the reason that she had received money sufficient from other sources for the purpose of dis
We have examined the eases cited by the appellant, and find nothing therein which would in any way conflict with the conclusion we have arrived at in this case.
The judgment is therefore in all things affirmed, with costs.
Concurring Opinion
(concurring). The plaintiff and appellant brings this action to recover nearly $2,000 from the estate of James Grady on an alleged contract to contribute to the care of his sister. The plaintiff avers that she and Mary G. Cary are sisters of James Grady; that in 1908 at the Nicollet Hotel, in Minneapolis, it was agreed between Mrs. Livingston and her brother that they should care for their sister Mary, and that on such agreement Mrs. Livingston had advanced and paid for the care of the sister various sums amounting to $3,824.75, while James Grady had paid only $405, and that balance of his share is $1,507.38.
The answer denies that there ever was any such agreement. The jury found a verdict for the defendant, and plaintiff appeals. There was no evidence to sustain a verdict for the plaintiff, and, hence it is needless to consider any assignments of error. The case depends on the testimony of the sister Mary. She testifies that in 1908 she was saleslady in a Detroit house, and she earned from $15 to $25 a week. Then a sister at Minneapolis died and at the time of the funeral, she, Mrs. Livingston, and James Grady met at the Nicollet Hotel, in Minne
Giving full faith and credit to all the testimony by the plaintiff, it fails to show a legal contract. It shows merely a commendable and customary arrangement between prosperous members of the family to contribute to the care and expense of an unfortunate member. At the time of the arrangement in the Nicollet Hotel, the sister Mary was earning from $15 to $25 a week, which should have given her the means of providing for a rainy day. She was then no object of charity.
In December, 1914, James Grady died leaving an insurance policy of $3,000 payable to the sister Mary. She got the money and gave it to Mrs. Livingston, and it was used to pay the expense for which suit is brought without giving Grady any credit. To show that Grady should have no credit, the sister Mary testified that she herself received the $3,000 and paid it out on her debts; that she owed her sister at Salt Lake $1,000 for money loaned, and had sent the sister two $500 checks. Then, on being pressed and cross-examined, she confessed that she did not owe the sister anything, and had never sent her the $1,000, and that all her detailed testimony in regard to the matter was untrue. Hence, all her testimony goes for nothing, and the case presents no proof to charge the estate with any liability.
The court might well have directed a verdict in favor of the defendant, but without any direction the jury returned a verdict for the defendant.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- ROSE E. LIVINGSTON v. DANIEL B. HOLT, as Administrator of the Estate of James H. Grady
- Status
- Published