Hunt v. Estate of Harold Guy Hunt
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Harold Keith Hunt, the surviving son of Harold Guy Hunt, who died testate in 2009, appealed a November 2011 circuit court order among other things, refused to issue him a deed to the real property devised to him in his father's will until all debts, claims, and costs of administration of the estate had been paid. Upon review of the matter, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal as having been taken from a nonfinal judgment.
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REL: 03/15/2013 Notice: T h i s o p i n i o n i s s u b j e c t t o f o r m a l r e v i s i o n b e f o r e p u b l i c a t i o n i n t h e advance s h e e t s o f Southern R e p o r t e r . R e a d e r s a r e r e q u e s t e d t o n o t i f y t h e Reporter of Decisions, Alabama A p p e l l a t e C o u r t s , 300 D e x t e r A v e n u e , M o n t g o m e r y , A l a b a m a 3 6 1 0 4 - 3 7 4 1 ((334) 2 2 9 - 0 6 4 9 ) , o f a n y t y p o g r a p h i c a l o r o t h e r e r r o r s , i n o r d e r t h a t c o r r e c t i o n s may b e made b e f o r e t h e o p i n i o n i s p r i n t e d i n Southern R e p o r t e r . ALABAMA COURT OF CIVIL APPEALS OCTOBER TERM, 2012-2013 2110768 H a r o l d K e i t h Hunt v. E s t a t e o f H a r o l d Guy Hunt e t a l . Appeal from Cullman C i r c u i t (CV-10-38) Court PITTMAN, J u d g e . H a r o l d K e i t h Hunt, t h e s u r v i v i n g s o n o f H a r o l d Guy Hunt, who d i e d t e s t a t e on J a n u a r y 30, 2009, a p p e a l s 21, 2011, o r d e r of the Cullman C i r c u i t Court f r o m a November ("the c i r c u i t c o u r t " ) t h a t , among o t h e r t h i n g s , r e f u s e d t o i s s u e h i m a d e e d 2110768 to the r e a l property all debts, claims, had been p a i d . this court, dismiss devised and c o s t s appeal to § as until of a d m i n i s t r a t i o n of the estate The supreme pursuant the t o him i n h i s f a t h e r ' s w i l l court t r a n s f e r r e d the appeal to 12-2-7(6), having been A l a . Code taken from 1975. We a nonfinal removed from the judgment. The Cullman administration County Probate of the estate Court was to the c i r c u i t court, and t h e c i r c u i t court took j u r i s d i c t i o n over the a d m i n i s t r a t i o n of the estate. and The c i r c u i t c o u r t d e t e r m i n e d t h a t t h e d e b t s , costs of the a d m i n i s t r a t i o n approximately estate was $50,000; insufficient c o s t s ; that Harold of the estate that the personal to pay those amounted property debts, claims, of the claims, K e i t h Hunt and two o f h i s s i s t e r s , and Anita L y n n Hunt and S h e r r i e Hunt W i l l i a m s , were s p e c i f i c d e v i s e e s real property further, under the terms of t h e i r father's will; that " e a c h s p e c i f i c d e v i s e e s h a l l be o b l i g a t e d t o p a y t h e p r o r a t a s h a r e t h a t he o r she i s t o r e c e i v e u n d e r t h e w i l l i n o r d e r t o p a y t h e c l a i m s , d e b t s , and costs of a d m i n i s t r a t i o n [ o f the e s t a t e ] . I f the d e v i s e e s a r e not a b l e t o pay t h e i r p r o r a t a s h a r e , t h e n h i s o r h e r r e s p e c t i v e d e v i s e may be s o l d t o satisfy the debts, claims, and costs of 2 to of and, 2110768 administration [in the amount of approximately $50,000]." Although order, the resolved circuit most of court, the issues surviving spouse and settlement of the e s t a t e when t h e circuit to i n i t s November children, between there appeal had was the 2011, testator's been no taken, final and the c o u r t d i d n o t d i r e c t t h e e n t r y o f a f i n a l j u d g m e n t as i t s order. See R u l e 5 4 ( b ) , A l a . R. C i v . P. In E u s t a c e v. B r o w n i n g , 30 So. 3d 445, 449 App. 21, (Ala. Civ. 2009), t h i s c o u r t s t a t e d : " T h i s c o u r t has p r e v i o u s l y h e l d t h a t , when a c i r c u i t court retains j u r i s d i c t i o n over the a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f a d e c e d e n t ' s e s t a t e , any o r d e r e n t e r e d b e f o r e t h e f i n a l s e t t l e m e n t o f t h e e s t a t e w o u l d be a n o n f i n a l j u d g m e n t u n l e s s c e r t i f i e d as f i n a l p u r s u a n t t o R u l e 5 4 ( b ) , A l a . R. C i v . P. See M o n t i e l v. E s t a t e o f M o n t i e l , 976 So. 2d 1043, 1044 (Ala. Civ. App. 2 0 0 7 ) . ... G e n e r a l l y , 'a n o n f i n a l j u d g m e n t w i l l n o t s u p p o r t an a p p e a l . ' N a y l o r v. N a y l o r , 981 So. 2d 440, 441 ( A l a . C i v . App. 2 0 0 7 ) . " A c c o r d i n g l y , we d i s m i s s the appeal as h a v i n g been t a k e n a n o n f i n a l judgment. APPEAL DISMISSED. Moore and D o n a l d s o n , J J . , c o n c u r . Thompson, P . J . , and Thomas, J . , r e c u s e 3 themselves. from
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