Davidson v. Davidson
Davidson v. Davidson
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
Defendant appeals from a decree of the court below directing him to render an account to plaintiff as trustee for shares of stock coming into his hands from time to time for the benefit of plaintiff. The appeal is taken under the provisions of the Act of June 24, 1895, P. L. 243, allowing an appeal by defendant in equity cases upon the preliminary question of liability where complainant prays for an account and defendant denies liability.
Plaintiff and defendant are brothers, and for a number of years previous to August 30, 1901, defendant made investments for and attended to the financial affairs of plaintiff. On the date mentioned an account was agreed upon between them and an agreement signed wherein
Consideration of the extent or details of the account, or whether any amount is, in fact, due plaintiff is unnecessary at this time. The sole question before us under the act is that of liability to account: Beatty v. Safe Deposit & Title Guaranty Co., 226 Pa. 430. The agreement the court found existed between the parties, though oral, created a valid and enforceable trust (Dickey v. Stevenson, 198 Pa. 447; Washington’s Est., 220 Pa. 204) which was a continuing one and, consequently, not barred by the statute of limitations (Barton v. Dickens, 48 Pa.518), in absence of a termination by settlement or repudiation by the trustee: Marshall’s Est., 138 Pa. 285; Smith v. Smith, 38 Pa. Superior Ct. 251. The transactions between the parties were an open running account, the last item consisting of a payment by defendant March 1,1911, which was within the limitation period before filing the bill.
Defendant also complains of the action of the court below in adopting the requests for findings of facts and conclusions of law submitted by plaintiff. There is no merit in this complaint as Equity Rule 62 specifically authorizes the judge to adopt or affirm requests submitted by the parties or state his findings and conclusions in his own language. This practice was approved in Dickey v. Stevenson, supra.
The decree of the court below is affirmed without prejudice, however, to the rights of defendant to set up such defense he may have either as to the stocks to be included in the account or their amounts and values.
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- Equity — Equity practice — Trust and trustees accounting — Appeal from decree directing cm account — Act of June 2k, 1895, P. L. 2kS. 1. An appeal taken under the Act of June 24, 1895, P. L. 243, from a preliminary decree in an equity suit, directing the defendant to account, will not be reversed where the evidence for complainant tends to show that, for a number of years, the defendant made investments for and attended to the financial affairs of the complainant, that the transactions between the parties were an open running account, the last item of which was a payment by defendant within the limitation period at the time the bill was filed; and that moneys were due to complainant. 2. On such an appeal the appellate court' will not take into corn sideration the extent or details of the account, or whether anything was in fact due the complainant. Equity — Equity practice — Findings of plaintiff — Adoption of finding by the court — Equity Buie 62. 3. It is not error for the trial court, in an equity case, to adopt the requests for findings of fact and conclusions of law submitted by one of the parties. Such practice is authorized by Equity Rule 62. Practice, C. P. — Continuance—Discretion of court. 4. An .order refusing a continuance is within the sound discretion of the trial court, and will not be reversed unless an abuse of discretion is shown.