Scott v. Mullins
Scott v. Mullins
Opinion of the Court
This action is appealed from the District Court of Pottawatomie County, State of Oklahoma, and is brought by Kenneth J. Scott, Lynn B. Scott, Lenora Scott David, Carl C. Scott and James A. Scott, as next of kin and guardian of the estate of Chauncey H. Scott as appointed by the Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division of the County of Trumbull, State of Ohio, referred to as appellants hereafter. The interlocutory order appealed from arises from the following facts.
Chauncey H. Scott and Adelaide M. Scott were husband and wife and they were long
The appeal considered here arises from an order of the District Court entered pursuant to an application for an order for instructions filed by the Oklahoma guardian of Chauncey H. Scott, an incompetent person, as to whether the guardian should elect to take his intestate share of his deceased wife’s estate or elect to take under her will.
The trial court directed the guardian to take under the will after hearing testimony of witnesses and examining various exhibits, and this order is now appealed from.
Although the portions of the record designated on this appeal are limited to the testimony at the last mentioned hearing and the application for instructions, objection thereto, and resultant order, it appears from the testimony that Chauncey and Adelaide Scott were both possessed of a substantial estate in their own right of an amount sufficient to care for each during this life.
The first proposition of error raised by the appellants is that the trial court erred in directing the guardian to take under the will instead of under the laws of intestate succession because that direction is contrary to the presumption that the spouse takes under the laws of intestate succession. Three cases are cited in support of this point, Fox v. Fox, 117 Okl. 46, 245 P. 641 (1926); Bank of Commerce & Trust Co. v. Trigg, 138 Okl. 216, 280 P. 563 (1926), and
Prior cases from this jurisdiction have outlined the considerations which guide the court and guardian in determining whether to elect for the ward to take under the will or under the laws of intestate succession. Turner v. First National Bank & Trust Co. of Muskogee, supra, at p. 901 contains a set of guiding precepts for the court to be mindful of in making an election in the best interests of an incompetent spouse, which are quoted from First National Bank v. MacDonald, 100 Fla. 675, 130 So. 596, at 598. Summarized, these are as follows: First. A spouse’s right to dispose of his estate is limited by the right of the surviving spouse to renounce the provisions of a will, but the sole reason in law for giving the widow the right to renounce is to insure ample provision for the survivor’s needs and comforts. Second. These personal needs and comforts may not be confined to pure monetary considerations. Third. The matter of enriching the spouse’s estate, thereby passing property to the survivor’s estate thus enriching the survivor’s kinspeople has little place in the consideration. Fourth. The kinspeople of the survivor have no direct or indirect claim on the estate of the decedent. Fifth. The court may consider the fact that the survivor is incompetent and cannot use money with discretion and thus has no need for property save to furnish the comforts and needs of life. Sixth. It is proper to notice that when the spouse has made ample provision for the incompetent, he has an inherent right to dispose of his property as he pleases.
Appellants contend, contra to the language in Turner, supra, that the disparity between the value of the shares dictates the guardian should elect the alternative procuring the larger share for the ward. The Turner case also speaks to the effect of differing monetary benefits accruing to the incompetent ward by virtue of the guardian’s election between the intestate share and that provided in the will. If the court must elect for the incompetent survivor solely upon the basis of which choice renders the greater material value, the matter would merely be a question of mathematics — a task for appraisers and accountants. The word election, however, means the right and power to choose without restriction, and such a rule would destroy the freedom of election.
A review of the record reveals the following facts are material to the choice to be made by the guardian.
There is evidence in the record that points to the fact that the now surviving husband transferred a substantial portion of his estate to his wife at a period of time in which he was seriously ill. Such act shows that the husband was, at one period, willing to allow the now deceased spouse to exercise her independent control over those funds, just as she ultimately did. Such fact bears out the statement found in Turner, supra, 262 P.2d at 903, 904, quoting with approval In re Harris’ Estate, 351 Pa. 368, 41 A.2d 715, to the effect that not every surviving spouse disregards the deceased spouse’s wishes for the disposition of property simply on the basis of obtaining a greater quantum of his estate; sentiment enters the consideration as well as material advantage. If the needs of the survivor are otherwise adequately satisfied, it does not necessarily follow that the survivor will elect the choice of the larger estate.
The testimony bearing upon the facts surrounding the later will in which Mr. Scott left all his estate to appellants, his heirs, show Mr. Scott was declared incompetent shortly after the later will was executed; the testimony states explicitly that the surviving spouse did not know the extent of his estate or the objects of his testamentary bounty at the time of the execution of the last will; preliminary arrangements for the execution of this will were made by the beneficiaries thereof. Under these circumstances it cannot be said that the trial court erred in refusing to attach overriding significance to the plan set out in that instrument.
It is thus our conclusion that the order of the trial court is in accord with the law and the weight of the evidence, and it is accordingly affirmed.
AFFIRMED.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.