Bridgeford v. Williams
Bridgeford v. Williams
Opinion of the Court
This cause is an aftermath of the case of Williams v. Bridgeford, Executor, etc., et al., 53 Tenn. App. 381, 383 S.W.2d 770, and results from the denial by Hon. Greenfield Polk, Judge of Division 5 of the Circuit Court of Shelby County, Tennessee, of a petition filed by Mary Guidi and/or Coreda Williams for attorneys fees in that case. In that case there was involved the question of which of two wills executed by Martha Thornton was her last will and testament. Coreda Williams was named as executrix under a will executed by Martha Thornton February 13, 1953, and Harry Bridge-ford was named as executor under a later will executed
The general rule on the subject of attorneys fees is stated by the Supreme Court in Gilpin v. Burrage, 188 Tenn. 80, 89, 216 S.W.2d 732, 736, as follows:
“Ordinarily one who did not employ an attorney» cannot be required to pay that attorney a fee even though the services of the attorney may have been of value to such person. Draper v. Draper, 24 Tenn.App. 548, 553, 147 S.W.2d 759. An exception has been made at times with reference to legal services rendered in connection with the estate of a decedent or trust.”
Phillips’ Pritchard’s Wills and Estates, section 378, says:
“An executor who in good faith propounds a will for probate is entitled to his costs and attorneys fees whether the will is set aside or not. ’ ’
In Lassiter v. Travis, 98 Tenn. 330, 39 S.W. 226, which case is mainly relied on by counsel for appellants, it was held:
“The nominated executor, who acts in good faith, is entitled to have the costs and reasonable attorney fees incurred by him in an unsuccessful effort to have the will probated, paid out of the assets of the estate, although he was a legatee and the only person interested in sustaining the' will; ”
“It is their contention that they were given substantial legacies under the 1915 will and that so long as the widow remained executrix of that will it was her duty in every way possible to uphold that will; and that when she sought to have the 1933 will established, the duty devolved upon them as contestants to try to sustain the 1915 will.
It is true that complainants had the right as legatees under the 1915 will to contest the later one, and that in doing so they acted in entire good faith. But they were under no obligation to contest the 1933 will, and we cannot see that in doing so they were acting in the interest of the estate. Manifestly, they did so with the hope of saving their legacies for themselves rather than with a view of rendering a service to the estate. It is true that their attorneys have represented them with great skill and ability throughout the entire litigation, but, as we see it, their services were rendered to the complainants and have not resulted in any benefit to the estate.” Podesta v. Podesta, 28 Tenn.App. 294, 189 S.W.2d 418.
In the Eppinger’s Estate case, the sole question before the Supreme Court was whether or not fees should be allowed attorneys employed by unsuccessful contestants of a will. That case resulted from a former case in which petitioners representing some of the lawful heirs of the
The Supreme Court held that costs adjudged in the former case did not include attorneys fees. The Supreme Court, after reviewing authorities relied on by petitioners, said:
“As a matter of fact, the Meadors case [American Nat. Bank v. Meadors], supra, (162 Tenn. 324, 326, 36 S.W.2d 86) is authority for just the opposite of the contention in behalf of plaintiff in error. It is there held that the allowance of attorneys’ fees are not ordinary costs. That point is also clearly brought out in Gillespie v. Federal Compress & Warehouse Co., 37 Tenn.App. 476, 499, 265 S.W.2d 21, in which case an individual filed a suit against the Compress Company attacking its insurance program, but was unsuccessful.*700 The ordinary costs were adjudged against the unsuccessful individual hut the court declined to include counsel fees for the successful party; the distinction is pointed out between ordinary costs designated as ‘party to party’ costs and extraordinary costs designated as ‘costs between solicitor and client’, which includes counsel fees.
We accordingly hold that an adjudication of costs does not include the allowance of attorneys ’ fees unless expressly so specified and this assignment is overruled.
We think it would unduly extend this opinion to attempt to analyze all the cases cited by respective counsel. The general summary of the law in this State is well stated by Tomlinson, J., in Gilpin v. Burrage, 188 Tenn. 80, 89 and 90, 216 S.W.2d 732; we see no need to repeat same. Counsel for plaintiff in error, however, have not cited any case wherein an unsuccessful contestant of a will has been allowed an attorney’s fee to be paid out of the estate and the statement in Podesta v. Podesta, 28 Tenn.App. 282, 294, 189 S.W.2d 413, 418, is still true: ‘ So far as we have been able to ascertain there is no reported case in this State in which the unsuccessful contestant of a will has been allowed to have the fees of his attorneys paid out of the estate. * * *’ It is there further stated that this rule is supported by the great weight of authority.” In re Eppinger’s Estate, 207 Tenn. 59-60, 336 S.W.2d 30.
In the instant case, Coreda Williams testified that she hired Miss Guidi as her personal attorney, knew that she would have to pay her attorney, that she instructed her attorney to appeal the case after it was lost, and
In the case at bar, as was said of the contestants in Podesta v. Podesta, Coreda Williams contested the 1961 will of Martha Thornton for her own benefit exclusively ; and, therefore, it is our opinion that it is to her that Miss Guidi must look for compensation for conducting that contest. Codera Williams, as executrix under the will of Martha Thornton, dated February 13, 1953, was, however, in our opinion, not only within her rights, but she had a duty to offer that will for probate. Consequently, she had the right to employ an attorney for that purpose; but we know of no reason why she was obligated to contest the 1961 will in the Circuit Court, or in this Court, and on to the Supreme Court. The proof as to the value of the services of Miss Guidi includes her services in the Circuit Court in the Court of Appeals and in preparation of the petition for certiorari to the Supreme Court which was denied. Remuneration for those services is clearly an obligation of Coreda Williams and not of the estate of Martha Thornton. Whatever claim Coreda Williams may have against the estate of Martha Thornton for reimbursement or acquittal of her obligation to pay her attorney, Miss Guidi, is, however, in our opinion, limited to the services rendered by Miss Guidi in the Probate Court of Shelby County, Tennessee, and excludes any compensation for services of Miss Guidi in the Circuit Court of Shelby County, the Court of Appeals, or the Supreme Court. As appears from the sworn petition of Miss Guidi and Coreda Williams, Harry Bridgeford has not yet qualified as executor under Martha Thornton’s will dated March 31, 1961. It is
Our conclusion is that all assignments of error filed in this Court by Miss Mary Guidi and/or Coreda Williams must be overruled and the judgment of the Circuit Court of Shelby County, Tennessee, affirmed.
The costs of the appeal will be adjudged against Coreda Williams, her appeal having been m forma p'cmperis, and against Miss Mary Guidi and her surety on her appeal bond.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.