- 13 - your mother discussed these options to continue leasing the properties? A Well, as the years went on and Mother was getting older and as a mother myself, my mother as I would, want my children to always be equal. I would want to be equal. She wanted to be equal and fair with David and I. So she was very pleased at this point that we had a fair, equal operation, each of us, and she was happy that as she got older up until the last year before she died she said, This is something I would like to see you and your brother do for the rest of your lives. And-- * * * * * * * But it was an agreement, verbal agreement, but we were a close family. David and I were very close and my mother and I and David were very close, and this was her wish. The estate asserts that Edwards and Carson “understood” from their discussions with decedent prior to her death that each had received a definite right and commitment from decedent to continue to lease their respective ranch properties for an indefinite time and each committed substantial resources to their ranching operations based on their understanding. The belief of Edwards and Carson as to what may have been the desire of their mother is not an oral option to lease land for an indefinite period of time. Decedent’s desire to have her children continue the ranching operations on the Sinton Ranch and Cotulla Ranch is not equivalent to the granting of an oral option to her children to lease the ranch properties for an indefinite time. Decedent’s desire to have her children continue the ranching operations wasPage: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Next
Last modified: May 25, 2011