Swenson v. Swenson
Swenson v. Swenson
Opinion of the Court
This action was instituted for tbe purpose of having it decreed that defendant Swen Swenson holds title
Do the facts alleged in the complaint show, that defendant Swen Swenson acquired title to the property in trust for the plaintiff? It is alleged that the plaintiff, for the purpose of paying certain mortgages thereon, made, executed and delivered a certain warranty deed of the premises to him; that thereupon he made, executed and delivered a certain mortgage thereon; that with the proceeds of such mortgage the former mortgages were paid; and “that the conveyance of plaintiff to the defendant Swen Swenson was made to said defendant merely in trust and for the purpose aforesaid, and that the defendant Swen Swenson holds the title to said premises in trust for plaintiff.” The demurrer does not, of course, admit the correctness of any legal conclusions; and appellant contends that the only fact alleged is that the plaintiff “made, executed and delivered a warranty deed,” all the other allegations relative to the creation or existence of the alleged trust being merely erroneous conclusions of law. Though it may be the rule in some jurisdictions that all the facts and circumstances relied upon to show the creation or existence of a trust in favor of the plaintiff must be more distinctly alleged than are the facts relied upon in other civil actions, such distinction cannot exist in this .state, where in all civil actions in courts of record the complaint “shall contain a plain and concise statement of the facts constituting a cause of action, without unnecessary repetition, ” and where the allegations of all pleadings “shall be liberally construed, with a view of substantial justice between
It is further contended that plaintiff had no- title to convey in trust or ortherwise, because it affirmatively appears that the conveyance by John Swenson to the trust company, though a warranty deed in form, was in fact a mortgage, and merely created a lien upon the property. Assuming, as we must, that the contract between John Swenson and the plaintiff .was in writing, and. it appearing that she has performed all of the conditions of such contract on her part, she is entitled in this action to a specific performance if such relief be necessary. In other words, if the allegations of the complaint, construed as we think they should be, are true, she is the equitable owner of the land in controversy, and entitled to such a decree as will give her a complete and perfect record title thereto.
Reference
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- 1. Under Rev. Code Civ. Proo. § § 117, 119, 136, providing that the complaint in all civil actions in courts oí record shall contain a plain statement of the facts constituting a cause of action, and declaring that the allegations of all pleadings shall be liberally construed, the facts relied on to show the creation of a trust in favor of. plaintiff need not be more-distinctly alleged in the complaint than the facts relied on in other, civil actions. ‘ , , 2. An allegation in a complaint that plaintiff executed and delivered s warranty deed to defendant to satisfy certain mortgages, and that the. title was conveyed to defendant in trust for that purpose, was sufficient' to show that defendant acquired title in trust for plaintiff; the acceptance by defendant of the trust being involved in the allegation of delivery of the deed in trust, and in the absence of any averment on the subject it being presumed that such acceptance was in writing. 3. The allegations in a complaint that a husband, being in debt to a trust company, gave it a warranty deed on certain land to secure the debt, and thereafter agreed with plaintiff, his wife, that he would convey to her the mortgaged property, she to pay the debt, that she paid a part of the debt, and for the purpose of paying the balance the company gave a deed to her daughter, who remortgaged the property to secure the balance due, and then gave a warranty deed to plaintiff, who for the purpose of paying the mortgages executed and delivered to the defendant a deed of the premises in trust for her, show that plaintiff ■ was the equitable owner of the premises, entitled to a perfect record title thereto on her performance of the contract, assumed to be in writing, between her and her husband. .