Lee v. Moseley
Lee v. Moseley
Opinion of the Court
(after stating the case.) The Constitution of the State confers a right of homestead in land, which shall be for a limited time exempt from execution or other final process obtained on any debt, with the dwelling and buildings used thereon, “ owned and occupied by any resident of this State,” not exceeding one thousand dollars in value — Cons., Art. X, Sec. 2 — and the only inquiry the appeal requires us to make is, as to the correctness of the construction put upon the words, “ a resident of this State,” by the Judge in his charge to the jury.
We think it clear that the Constitution does not contemplate a double or divided residence in different States, so that
Very little aid can be derived from the law of domicile, and little more from the adjudications in other States, where the homestead is deemed a home protected from the creditor only when occupied as such, and ceasing when the place is no longer the debtor’s home.
“ When a resident removes from the State and becomes a resident elsewhere,” remarks Merrimon, J., in Baker v. Leggett, 98 N. C., 304, “ he thereby abandons — relinquishes—his right of homestead; as to him, it becomes suspended — he
The same proposition is enunciated by the Court in Munds v. Cassidey, 98 N. C., 558, where the party had been absent seven or eight years, employed on board a steamboat in Florida, yet intended to return in the future to his former home in Wilmington. In reference to this point, the Court say:
“ Our Constitution and statute do not extend to such a case. The person must be a resident actual and not constructive, to be entitled to the exemption. This is made clear by the section securing the homestead to insolvent debtors, when “ owned and occupied by any resident of this State.” The benevolent provision is for our own citizens — those who have a residence among us — and must be construed as not embracing cases of mere domicile, when the rights incident to domicile may be retained until a domicile is obtained elsewhere.”
It suggested itself during the argument that perhaps the question of intent should have been left to the jury in determining whether the first residence is retained, so as to secure the home of the debtor for his occupation when he should return. But upon further consideration we approve of the form of the charge, because all the facts, forming the hypothesis upon which the construction is predicated, develop an intent to change, as in fact the debtor does change, his residence, and the effect of his acts cannot be defeated by his declaration that he did not so intend. It is important that legal rights should rest upon facts proved, with their attending consequences, and not upon an undisclosed purpose at variance with them. So we are of opinion that the enumerated facts do in law, if so found by the jury, constitute a change of residence under this clause of the Constitution.
There is no error, and the judgment is affirmed.
Dissenting Opinion
(dissenting.) Without scrutinizing the instructions which the Court gave the jury, I am of the opinion that it should also have given that, or the substance of it, which the plaintiff requested it to give, because, there were two distinct views of the evidence that might reasonably have been considered, one — that given — favorably to the defendant, the other, as certainly favorable to the plaintiff. When this is so, common justice requires that the Court shall submit both views, with proper instruction as to each, especially when the complaining party specially requests the Court to give that favorable to him. In such a case it is error not to do so; to submit one view and not the other will, generally, mislead the jury, more or less.
It is not questioned, it seems, that under the Constitution and statutes applicable, the plaintiff was entitled to a homestead, as claimed by him, if he had not abandoned it by removing from this State.
Parts of the evidence produced on the trial tended to prove that he did not leave with the view and purpose to abandon his residence in this State. On the contrary, he testified in his own behalf expressly, that he did not intend, by going to the State of South Carolina, to change his residence; that he went there for a special temporary purpose, mentioned and explained, to be absent two crop years, and to return in the winter of 1888; that he still expected to return; that he left some of his personal property in this State, and also certain real property — that in which he claims homestead — and to some extent he kept up his business relations in it. The purpose for which he went, was not, of itself, such as necessarily implied permanent residence in South Carolina, at a place not distant from his place of residence in this State. In view of such evidence, it seems to me, that the Court should have told the jury, that if it satisfied them that the plaintiff did not intend to
I do not question that if a resident of this State, entitled to a homestead therein, removes from it with the view of changing his residence, and does so, he thereby abandons his homestead and his right to have it, and leaves the real property in which it, was, or might - have been allotted to him, exposed to the rights of his creditors to subject the same to the discharge of their debts due from him; this is certainly true. Baker v. Leggett, 98 N. C., 304. But here the pertinent questions arise, who is such a resident? And when does he cease to be such? I will endeavor to answer them briefly.
The Constitution (Art. X, § 2,) secures to “ any resident of this State,” the right of homestead. Who is such a resident, in the sense of this provision? The plain purpose of it is to secure to such residents, as such, a home — a homestead — the same to be exempt from sale under execution, “ or other final process obtained on any debt,” and the interpretation of the word resident must be such as effectuates this purpose. A resident, then, in such sense, is a person who has his itome — not his temporary home — not his home for a temporary purpose, but his permanent home — that which is established' — in this State, and has no present purpose to abandon it, temporarily or permanently, while at such home or abroad, and when he leaves it, for any purpose, he has animus revertandi. It is not essential to such a home, nor does it in effect imply that the owner thereof — the resident therein— shall be constantly personally present at it; he may be temporarily absent from it, from the State in which it is situate, for the purposes of business or pleasure; his family may all be with him or absent elsewhere, and, nevertheless, his home — his residence — in a large sense, is in the State ; he continues to be a resident of it, and he and his family may return at their will and pleasure to their home. A resident
What I have said is not in any _ degree in conflict with what is decided in Munds v. Cassidey, 98 N. C., 558. There, clearly, the appellant had abandoned the State — he was a sort of wanderer, without any fixed purpose to return to it— had been absent seven or eight years — had a vague purpose to return to it. If it had appeared that he went abroad on a vessel ’ making a voyage to Liverpool, or around -the world, or to the Arctic seas, to -be absent a year, or two, or three years, but with a fixed, settled purpose to return to his home here — in this State — the case would have been very different. Mere removal from the State, no doubt, generally raises a presumption of abandonment, but this presumption may be rebutted by sufficient evidence.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- A. M. LEE, Ex'r of T. M. LEE v. A. A. MOSELEY
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