Drake v. Elliot
Drake v. Elliot
Opinion of the Court
This is an appeal by the plaintiff from a decree by a judge of the Superior Court dismissing her bill with costs. The evidence was taken by a commissioner and is all before us.
The bill alleges in substance that the plaintiff is the daughter of one Charles G. McKenzie who died in November, 1893; that at the time of his death McKenzie held a policy of insurance on his life for the sum of $2,000, issued by the Grand Lodge of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, which had formerly been made payable to the plaintiff; that defendant’s testatrix falsely and fraudulently represented to McKenzie that she was an unmarried woman and thereby induced him to marry her and to make the policy of insurance payable to her instead of the plaintiff ; that at his death the insurance money was paid to her by the lodge and at her death passed under her will as a part of her estate to the defendant; and that the facts as to the fraudulent representations to McKenzie by the defendant’s testatrix came only recently to the knowledge of the plaintiff. The prayer of the bill is that the defendant may be ordered to pay to the plaintiff the sum so received with interest.
It is to be hated that the essential allegations of the bill are those which relate to the alleged fraud on the part of defendant’s testatrix. The burden was on the plaintiff to establish them by a fair preponderance of the evidence. To sustain these allegations she relied on evidence introduced by her and tending, as she contended, to show that at the time of the marriage of defendant’s testatrix to McKenzie she had a former husband by the name of Finnegan living. This evidence consisted largely, if not wholly, of the deposition of one James Finnegan taken in Montreal in which he deposed to a former marriage between himself and the testatrix which was still in force. But there was evidence tending to show that if there was such a marriage, the testatrix at the time of her marriage to McKenzie had not heard from Finnegan for many years, and that she had been told that, he was dead. This and other evidence in the case warranted a finding, if believed, that she contracted the marriage with McKenzie in good faith, and that the substitution of her name as beneficiary for that of the plaintiff was not procured by fraud on her part. Further, if the presiding judge who heard the case found as a fact, as for aught that appears he did, that, upon all of the evidence and the inferences fairly to be drawn
We do not find it necessary to consider whether if the substitution had been brought about as alleged by fraud on the part of defendant’s testatrix the plaintiff would have any such vested right as to enable her to maintain this bill, nor to consider the question of loches. On the whole case we are of opinion that the decree should be affirmed.
So ordered.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Alice Drake v. Maria T. Elliot & others
- Status
- Published