Cohen v. Goldberg
Cohen v. Goldberg
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
Morris and Frances Cohen were married on July 19,1948 and lived together until Frances Cohen’s death on January 1, 1965. During their marriage, the Cohens opened three savings accounts in the names of “Frances Cohen or Morris Cohen.”
On December 16, 1964, Mrs. Cohen instructed her nephew, Jerry Goldberg, to take from a safe deposit box rented jointly by Mrs. Cohen and Goldberg the passbook for the savings account in the Beneficial Savings Fund Society of Philadelphia and withdraw therefrom $2,000; a check was drawn payable to Frances Cohen, which she endorsed and returned to Goldberg who cashed the check and retained the proceeds. Pursuant to similar instructions given on the 17th, Goldberg withdrew $2,000 from a savings account in ■ the Philadelphia National Bank and delivered these funds to a sister of Mrs. Cohen. Finally, on the 30th in compliance with Mrs. Cohen’s instructions, Goldberg withdrew from a savings account in the Bell Savings and Loan Association $3,000, purchased four $1,000 United States savings bonds (at a cost of $750 per bond) in the name of Frances Cohen payable on Frances Cohen’s death to four selected grandnieces and grandnephews.
Prior to these withdrawals, the total balance in the three above accounts was $12,551.30. The amount of the withdrawals (a total of $7,000) left a balance in these accounts at Mrs. Cohen’s death of $5,551.30. Subsequent to Frances Cohen’s death Morris Cohen learned of these withdrawals and then instituted an equity action in Court of Common Pleas No. 4 of Philadelphia County to recover the proceeds from Goldberg. The
We are in complete accord with the lower court’s determination that these savings accounts were held by Mr. and Mrs. Oohen as tenants by the entireties. “A deposit in a banking account or in a checking account or in a savings account, which is opened or registered in the name of a husband and wife, or of a husband or wife, or of two persons who are husband and wife although not so denominated, creates a tenancy by the entireties, irrespective of whether the money deposited is payable to husband and wife or to husband or wife, or is denominated a joint account or a joint tenancy.” Brose Estate, 416 Pa. 386, 390, 206 A. 2d 301, 304 (1965) (emphasis in original). The source of the funds is not-relevant. See Shapiro v. Shapiro, 424 Pa. 120, 136, 224 A. 2d 164, 172 (1966) ; Nachman v. Nachman, 417 Pa. 389, 394, 208 A. 2d 247, 250 (1965) ; Holmes Estate, 414 Pa. 403, 200 A. 2d 745 (1964).
Finally, appellants contend that they cannot be held liable as constructive trustees and that, if they can, each trustee should be accountable only for the amount each received. We find it unnecessary to decide whether a constructive trust was properly imposed by the court below for, although in its opinion it mentions the creation of a constructive trust, its decree merely requires that the funds be returned, thus operating as if a judgment had been rendered, in effect holding that vis-a-vis Mrs. Cohen’s donees Mr. Cohen has title to the funds in question. The court below has merely decided a question of title and thus
The decree of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County is vacated and the record remanded for entry of a decree consistent with this opinion. Each party to pay own costs.
The appellants place considerable reliance on cases such as Shapiro v. Shapiro, supra, and Werle v. Werle, 332 Pa. 49, 1 A. 2d 244 (1938), holding that there exists a strong presumption that, when a wife transfers her property without consideration to her husband, this transaction creates a resulting trust rather than a gift. We can find no record evidence, however, which demonstrates that the funds in the accounts in dispute were solely airs. Cohen’s. Appellants’ reliance on Uccellini v. Uccellini, 423 Pa. 273, 223 A. 2d 694 (1966) is equally misplaced. We there held that no tenancy by the entireties was created where there was a mutual agreement between husband and wife that both would contribute funds to their joint accounts but the wife did not perform her part of the agreement. This case is thus inapposite for there was no contention below either that there was an agreement or that Mr. Cohen failed to perform.
See, e.g., Achenbach v. Kurtz, 306 Pa. 384, 159 Atl. 718 (1932).
The record leaves unclear exactly in whose possession the funds presently are; if appellant Goldberg still retains the entire $7,000, he must return it. To the extent that he has disbursed the funds in accordance with Mrs. Cohen’s wishes, the recipients would be liable for the amounts they received. Appellants also contend that Doris Kurland, the sister of Mrs. Cohen who was to receive $2,000, has not been joined as a party-defendant and that there was therefore a failure to join a necessary party. Since Doris Kurland is not a party, then the modified decree will have no impact upon her. However, she was not a necessary party as we view this action because it was within Mr. Cohen’s discretion to pursue any or all of the individuals who allegedly received the disputed funds — his failure to join Doris Kurland merely results in a situation in which any funds received by her are not reached by the decree as modified.
Concurring Opinion
Concurring Opinion by
I concur in the result reached by the majority but would like to comment on the state of the law with respect to the fictional offer and acceptance doctrine.
I agree with Stemniski v. Stemniski, 403 Pa. 38, 169 A. 2d 51 (1961), that an offer to sever an entireties account (withdrawal of part or all of the fund) is deemed accepted when suit is brought during the lifetime of the withdrawing spouse for one-half of the withdrawal. However, there is no fictional acceptance of an offer to sever when the aggrieved spouse is seeking to recover all of the funds wrongfully withdrawn.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Cohen v. Goldberg, Appellant
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- 27 cases
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- Published