Jones v. Van Doren
Jones v. Van Doren
Opinion of the Court
This is a suit in equity, brought by the complainant, Sarah M. Jones, a citizen of Pennsylvania, against Matilda M. A. Van Doren, a citizen of Indiana, and Samuel J. Jones and Samuel G-. Glover, citizens of Illinois. The relief prayed for in the bill is for permission to redeem from a mortgage, should she be entitled to redemption, and that the defendant Mrs. Van Doren might be ordered to reconvey the land still held by her, on the payment of such sums as might appear from an account taken, and also for such other or different relief as the nature of the case might require, and might be agreeable to equity.
The only relief which the complainant is entitled to, in my opinion, is her right of dower in the premises covered by the mortgage foreclosed by Mrs. Van Doren, and I shall confine myself to that view of the case. The bill charged fraud by Samuel J. Jones in procuring a deed to be executed to himself by his mother, the complainant, of her dower interest in the premises covered by the Van Doren mortgage, which descended to her son, Samuel J. Jones, on the death of Robert H. Jones, intestate; and notice of this fraud by Mrs. Van Doren, who took the mortgage through her husband, and foreclosed it by sale of all the land. Mrs. Van Doren is the only defendant answering the bill, and she denies all knowledge of the fraud of Samuel J. Jones, and denies that the dower interest is of any value, and, in fact, puts in issue by her answer the material allegations in the bill of complaint. A replication is filed, and the case is heard upon the testimony taken. The defendant Samuel J. Jones is the only witness introduced by the complainant to sustain the allegations of the bill, and Mrs. Van Doren is the only witness for the defense. There is no effort made to contradict Samuel J. Jones, or impeach his veracity, and full effect must be given to his evidence.
The facts are these: Robert H. Jones died in April, 18(53, intestate, and, at the time of his death, was seised in fee of an undivided one-fourth of certain lands in Minnesota. He left surviving him the complainant, his widow, and the defendant Samuel J. Jones, his son and only heir at
The relation of parent and child is one of mutual confidence, and, while no positive fraud is shown, I think this case develops facts which, in law, are regarded constructively fraudulent. The rule is that acts, in certain cases, growing out of some special and confidential relation between the parties, are carefully watched, because they afford the means of taking undue advantage of others; and when an absolute conveyance is obtained for one purpose, and afterwards made use of for another, a court will relieve against it, under the head of fraud. Transactions between parent and child are of this class, and a court of equity will grant relief when a child obtains from a parent, who is wholly unacquainted with business affairs, a conveyance of her estate for a nominal sum. Abused confidence may exist, and the surrounding circumstances may repel the idea that it was intended as a gift. Courts of equity do not sanction, but will interpose, in a transaction between a •child and his parent, where great confidence has been reposed. When the least imposition is apparent, a court of equit}*- will extend protection in such case, and administer the relief to which the party is entitled; and, if constructive fraud is a fair inference from the facts proved, the court is authorized to draw such conclusion. The act of Samuel J. Jones in using the property to raise money for his own purposes, and his conduct in keeping his mother in ignorance of the Van Doren mortgage, and of all proceedings relating to the foreclosure, are constructively fraudulent, and as reprehensible as positive fraud. The husband of the defendant Mrs. Van Doren, although he took the mortgage in his own name, and immediately- assighed it, acted as her agent in loaning the money, and in managing the transaction with Samuel J. Jones. He knew that the complainant had an interest of some kind in the mortgaged property, — either one-third in fee, or a life-estate. Jones so informed him at the time the mortgage or trust-deed was given, and Mrs. Van Doren is bound by the notice her husband had of the complainant’s interest in the mortgaged property. The complainant never-lost her dower interest in the land left by her husband; the consideration was entirely inadequate, and the testimony shows there was no intention to part with the interest as a gift, by the conveyance which was given. The defendant through her husband, acting as her agent, had notice of the fact. There was no statutory bar of dower, as the statute of limitations did not commence to run until the complainant discovered, just before this suit was brought, that her interest in the property would not be recognized by Mrs. Van Doren, who purchased most of it at the foreclosure sale. In the partition suit, 110 acres being set off to the heir at law, S. J. Jones, his mother, the complainant, hada dower interest in this tract,, after the decree made .in that suit. Inasmuch as out of the 110 acres 60 acres onljr are now' held by Mrs. Van Doren, and the remainder was conveyed to innocent ■purchasers, the value of the dower interest of the complainant must be ■obtained from this 60 acres. The interest of the complainant is one-
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.