- 15 -15 excluded from sharing in the estate of their grandmother, Bertha Segerstrom (Bertha). C.J. Segerstrom (C.J.), the husband of Bertha, was a farmer. He and his wife, Bertha, had eleven children, one of whom was the mother of the plaintiffs. Some years before his death in 1928, C.J. had formed a partnership with four of his sons. The sons continued the partnership after C.J.'s death. By 1944, the partnership was farming about 2,000 acres, all of which were located in Orange County, California. The partnership filed tax returns after C.J.'s death in which Bertha was listed as owning a one-fifth partnership interest. However, Bertha's status as a partner was not recognized by her sons, except possibly for tax purposes. Bertha died intestate in 1944, survived by eight of her children and by the plaintiffs, children of a deceased daughter. Although the grandmother had died in 1944, the plaintiffs did not discover their possible lost inheritance and file suit until 1964. The 2,000 acres owned by the partnership had dramatically appreciated and were worth about $60 million by 1964. Litigation developed to quiet title to the partnership property. The plaintiffs filed a cross-complaint and sued for a share of the land represented by Bertha's one-fifth partnership interest, $5 million of lost income since 1944, and $10 million of punitive damages.Page: Previous 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Next
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