Farmers State Bank v. Wheeler
Farmers State Bank v. Wheeler
Opinion of the Court
This is a suit in equity for an injunction preventing Grace Wheeler, one of the defendants, from assigning or otherwise transferring, prior to the satisfaction of plaintiff’s claim, a legacy of $5,000 bequeathed to her by her father, John Rupe, deceased, and to prevent Fred Rupe, her brother, another defendant, as special administrator of the estate of decedent and as executor of his will, from turning her legacy over to her.
The petition contains pleas that plaintiff, in an action on a note, recovered a judgment against Grace Wheeler and her husband, Charles B. Wheeler, for $1,285.62 November 16, 1936; that the judgment is unpaid; that Grace Wheeler pledged her separate estate for payment of the debt evidenced by the judgment and promised to pay the debt; that resort to her legacy is the only means of enforcing payment; that she is estopped to deny liability for the debt.
In her answer, Grace Wheeler admitted plaintiff recovered judgment on the note signed by her and her husband but denied unadmitted allegations of the petition; pleaded coverture ; alleged she signed the note as surety for her husband and bound only the separate estate then possessed by her for payment of the debt; alleged further that her subsequent legacy cannot be subjected to the payment of plaintiff’s judgment for the debt of her husband.
Upon a trial of the cause, the district court found that plaintiff was not entitled to any equitable relief and dismissed the suit. Plaintiff appealed.
The question presented by the appeal is the asserted equitable right of plaintiff to impound in the hands of the exec.utor enough of the legacy to pay the debt of the husband and apply the impounded fund to the satisfaction of the judgment.
The cashier of plaintiff, however, testified that, in the negotiations resulting in the release of the brothers of Grace Wheeler, she said, “If you will leave my brother Ed off , the note, I will sign the note in Ed’s place and see that it is paid.” An oral promise to see that the note is paid was denied by her and the circumstances tend to substantiate her denial. The cashier himself testified she said she would sign, “if you will leave my brother Ed off the note.” This was in harmony with her own testimony. Her brother Ed’s place on the note was that of surety for her husband as shown "by the evidence. She expressed a natural wish to release him and stated her purpose frankly. The cashier was an experienced banker and took the precaution to insert in the note the recital that she bound her separate estate. He signed an agreement that her brother Grover’s interest in the Banner county land would not be held for her husband’s debt, but he did not reduce to writing any oral promise by her to see that the note was paid. Nothing was said about a prospective inheritance. The preponderance of the evidence on the disputed fact is in favor of Grace Wheeler. She did nothing to deceive or mislead the cashier or to estop her from denying she was a principal debtor on the note. The evidence does not prove fraud or estoppel and arguments by plaintiff for a reversal on such grounds, though plausible, are found to be without merit. The legacy was not included in the pledged estate and was not property belonging to the married woman when the pledge was made. The case is controlled by the following principles of law:
“A mere hope of succession to an estate is not property.
“Authority to contract with reference to, and upon,the faith and credit of, the separate estate of a married woman does not include an inheritance acquired after the making of a contract by her.” Kocher v. Cornell, 59 Neb. 315, 80 N. W. 911.
Proof of facts showing an exception to these rules in the case at bar has not been found in the record. There is no error in the proceedings and judgment of the district court.
Affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Farmers State Bank of Eustis v. Grace Wheeler
- Status
- Published