Legal Opinion
in the Matter of the Estate of Vernon Lee Downing
Texas Court of Appeals, 8th District (El Paso)
Decided February 25, 2015No. 08-14-00030-CVPublishedCited by 10 opinions
1Opinion of the Court
OPINION
STEVEN L. HUGHES, Justice
When Vernon Lee Downing died in 2010 and granted his second wife, Ruth June Downing, a life estate in his house, cars, and IRA, he likely did not suspect that she, his children, and the bank holding the mortgage would become involved in a complicated dispute involving foreclosure, a will contest, and accusations of fraud and waste of estate assets. In the end, the probate court declared the will Vernon signed in 2000 was valid and the life estate it granted had terminated, allowed the bank to foreclose on the house, ordered Ruth June Downing to turn over the…
2Cases cited32 opinions
- City of Keller v. WilsonTexas Supreme Court · 2005
- Tony Gullo Motors I, L.P. and Brien Garcia v. Nury ChapaTexas Supreme Court · 2006
- Stewart Title Guaranty Co. v. SterlingTexas Supreme Court · 1992
- Tenneco Inc. v. Enterprise Products Co.Texas Supreme Court · 1996
- MBM Financial Corp. v. Woodlands Operating Co.Texas Supreme Court · 2009
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3Cited by10 opinions
- Duchene v. HernandezCourt of Appeals of Texas · 2017
- Hess v. HobartColorado Court of Appeals · 2020
- Happy Jack Ranch, Inc. and Frederick J. Behrend v. HH&L Development, Inc. Matthew Stolhandske, Trustee Michael Strnad, Texas Court of Appeals, 3rd District (Austin)2015
- In the Interest of E.A., C.A., L.A., and E.A., Children v. the State of Texas, Texas Court of Appeals, 2nd District (Fort Worth)2025
- In the Interest of K.W., a Child v. the State of Texas, Texas Court of Appeals, 10th District (Waco)2025
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