Beringer v. Lutz
Beringer v. Lutz
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
■ The questions raised by the several assignments of error will be readily comprehended after a glance at the facts out of which they grow. The plaintiff is a purchaser at sheriff’s sale of a farm sold as the property of Daniel Lutz. This proceeding was instituted by the purchaser for the purpose of obtaining possession. The defendant in the judgment concedes that such title as he had has passed by the sheriff’s sale to the purchaser, but alleges that as to about twenty twenty-ninths of the title he held for the use of Ms wife, Henrietta Lutz, under a trust resulting from the payment of $2,000 of the purchase money by her upon a parol agreement that she should be an owner in proportion to the purchase money paid by her. To establish this trust it was mcumbent on Mrs. Lutz to show by evidence that was clear and satisfactory, first, that she did pay a portion of the purchase money for the farm in controversy, as alleged; second, that it was paid upon an agreement that she was to have the title to the land, or such portion of it as she paid for; and third, that the money so paid belonged to her as her separate estate. Upon the trial of the cause Mrs. Lutz gave evidence tending to prove the payment of $2,000 of the purchase money, and that it was paid upon the agreement alleged. To show that the money was her own, and received from her father’s estate, she proved by the testimony of several witnesses that not long after her marriage her father proposed to advance to her the sum of $400 in land if she and her husband would move upon the land and improve it. To this they both agreed., Her father had however the opinion that because the note of a married woman was not valid as an obligation
'The allegation of the defendant was that the conveyance to Lutz and the taking of his note as a memorandum was the method by which Pyle sought to secure the land to his daughter, and charge its value to her to be paid out of her distributive share of his estate. If this was believed it would not matter when the deed was made or the note taken. It was a gift to Mrs. Lutz. The answer of the learned judge to the plaintiff’s third point is also clear error. It affirms that a resulting trust can be raised only by payment of purchase money at the time
The judgment is reversed and a venire facias de novo awarded.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- George Beringer v. Henrietta Lutz and Daniel Lutz, her husband
- Cited By
- 7 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Husband and wife — Resulting trust — Evidence. Where a married woman seeks to establish a resulting trust in land the record title of which is in her husband, she must show by evidence that is clear and satisfactory, first, that she paid a portion of the purchase money for the land in controversy; second, that it was paid upon an agreement that she was to have the title to the land or such portion of it as she paid for; and third, that the money so paid belonged to her as her separate estate. The resulting trust must be impressed on the title when it passes to the alleged trustee, and cannot be engrafted upon it afterwards. The agreement to advance the purchase money, or a portion of it, and take title to the land, or a proportional part, must precede or be contemporaneous with the purchase. In proceedings by a purchaser at sheriff’s sale to recover possession, the wife of the defendant in the execution claimed an interest in the land under an alleged trust resulting from the payment of $2,000 of the purchase money. The evidence tended to show that some years before, the wife’s father gave a deed for thirteen acres of land to the husband, and took his note for $400, the price of the land, and charged the note to his daughter’s share in his estate. This was done because the father had an erroneous opinion that a married woman could not lawfully take title to land. The husband and wife went upon the land, improved it, and subsequently sold it with other land of the husband, and divided the money according to their respective interests. The money thus received by the wife, together with other moneys received from her father’s estate, made up the $2,000 contributed towards the purchase money of the land in controversy. The evidence for the wife tended to show that she furnished $100, the hand money paid upon the preliminary contract, and $1,000, the amount paid upon the delivery of the deed; that this was furnished upon the express agreement with her husband that she was to have an interest in the title corresponding to the amount of purchase money she should furnish, and that she subsequently furnished $900-more in pursuance of this agreement. Held, (1) that the presumption of title arising from the form of the deed and tire note was such a presumption as might be rebutted; (2) that as the testimony was in apparent contradiction of the deed and note, the question for the jury was whether the papers were so explained and accounted for by the testimony as to overcome the presumption arising, prima facie, upon them, and establish the title of the wife in the thirteen acres admittedly paid for out of her share in her father’s estate; (3) that if the testimony introduced by the defendant was believed, the money paid by her for the land in controversy was paid in time to establish a resulting trust in her favor; (4) that the whole case was for the jury under proper instructions. Practice, G. P. — Points—Review. It is error to affirm a point which is argumentative in character, and drawn for the purpose of securing from the court an indorsement of the line of argument the plaintiff is about to present to the jury upon the facts and of the credibility of the witnesses, and which contains an assumption of the truth of the plaintiff’s contention upon questions that are properly for the jury. ■ Practice, S. G. — Stenographer's notes — Record. The Supreme Court will not consider a paper signed by the stenographer of the court below and handed up at the argument, expressing an opinion that a certain instruction contained in the certified record had been incorrectly transcribed by him.