Matter of Norwest Capital Managemen ( 1985 )

I N THE SUPREME COURT O F THE STATE OF MONTANA
I N THE MATTER O F NORWEST CAPITAL
MANAGEMENT AND TRUST COMPANY,
e t al. a n d MARCELLA E. MAKI,
Joint Petitioners.
CLERK O f SUBIZE&%E
COURT
STATE OP tt4OHTbSR
O R D E R
The o r i g i n a 1 o p i n i o n , M a t t e r o f N o r w e s t C a p i t a l Manage-
ment and T r u s t Co. (Mont. 1 9 8 5 ) , 697 P.2d 930, 4 2 St.Rep.
493, i s c o r r e c t e d t o d e l e t e t h e l a s t p a r a g r a p h o f t h e o p i n i o n
and s u b s t i t u t e t h e r e f o r e t h e f o l l o w i n g :
I n 1 8 9 5 , t h e S t a t e o f Montana a d o p t e d t h e
Montana C o d e s A n n o t a t e d o f 1 8 9 5 . In
a d o p t i n g t h e Code, t h e L e g i s l a t u r e e n a c t -
e d § 579 o f t h e Code o f C i v i l P r o c e d u r e ,
w h i c h was a r e e n a c t m e n t o f 5 1 4 of t h e
Code o f C i v i l P r o c e d u r e o f 1 8 7 7 ; by d o i n g
s o , t h e L e g i s l a t u r e adopted t h e c u r r e n t
w ro n g f u l d e a t h s t a t u t e l a n g u a g e found i n
§ 27-1-513, MCA. Also i n 1895, t h e
Legislature adopted a new succession
s t a t u t e which d e f i n e d h e i r s which d e f i n i -
t i o n c o n t r o l s t h m e a n i n g of h e i r s f o u n d
~
i n t h e enactment o f Montana's wrongful
death statute. S e c t i o n 1852, Probate
Code of 1 8 9 5 , p r o v i d e s i n p a r t :
2. I f t h e d e c e d e n t l e a v e no i s s u e , t h e
e s t a t e goes one-half t o the surviving
h u s b a n d o r w i f e , and t h e o t h e r t o t h e
d e c e d e n t ' s f a t h e r and m o t h e r i n e q u a l
s h a r e s , a n d i f e i t h e r be d e a d the w h o l e
of said h a l f goes t o t h e other. If there
be no f a t h e r o r mother, then one-half
goes i n e q u a l s h a r e s t o t h e b r o t h e r s and
sisters o f t h e d e c e d e n t , and t o t h e
c h i l d r e n of any deceased b r o t h e r or
s i s t e r , by r i g h t o f r e p r e s e n t a t i o n . I f
t h e d e c e d e n t l e a v e no i s s u e , n o r husband
nor w i f e , t h e e s t a t e must go t o h i s
f a t h e r and mother i n e q u a l s h a r e s , o r i f
e i t h e r be d e a d t h e n t o t h e o t h e r .
The p l a i n l a n g u a g e o f t h e s t a t u t e makes
t h e mother t h e o n l y h e i r under t h e f a c t s
o f t h i s c a s e s i n c e ' h e i r ' m e a n s t h o s e who
t a k e upon d e c e d e n t ' s d e a t h u n d e r t h e
intestacy statute. We affirm t h e t r i a l
c o u r t ' s judgment r p l y i n g upon t h e Johnson
rationale denying Marcella Maki the
s t a t u s o f ' h e i r ' and d e c l a r i n g Ruth Maki,
d e c e d e n t ' s m o t h e r , a s sole h e i r . "
With t h i s c o r r e c t i o n , t h e o r i g i n a l opinion is approved.
DATED o n t h i s 2 7'idr d a y
- o f August, 1985.
A
671 P.2d 583, 40 St.Rep.
1681, this Court defined "heirs" as "those persons who are
entitled to the property of a decedent under the statutes of
intestate succession."
The trial judge in this appeal correctly adopted the
rationale in the concurring opinion of Johnson v. Marias
River Electric Coop. (1984), 687 P.2d 668, 41 St.Rep. 1528,
by applying the statutory definition in effect at the time of
the enactment of the wrongful death statute to determine
which parties qualified as "heirs. " We reject the
appellant's argument that the date of the original enactment
of the wrongful death statute, 1871, is the determinative
date by which "heir" is defined. Montana's 1871 intestate
succession laws included "sisters" in the same line as
mothers and fathers.
Both Montana's intestate succession and wrongful death
statutes were amended in 1877. The Wrongful Death Act
changed the class of individuals allowed to recover from "the
widow and next of kin of such deceased person . . ." to
"heirs and personal representatives." Since the operative
term "heirs" was introduced. by this 1877 enactment, the
definition in the 1877 intestate succession statutory scheme
is the controlling law. The intestate succession statute was
amended in 1-877 to drop "sisters" from the same succession
line as parents. "Heir" means those who take upon decedent's
death under the intestacy statute. After the 1877 amendment
the Maki heir is the mother only. We affirm the trial
court's judgment relying upon the Johnson rationale denying
Marcella Maki the status of "heir" and declaring Ruth Maki,
decedent's mother, as sole heir. ,
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