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