Hobbs v. Fenton
Hobbs v. Fenton
Opinion of the Court
Plaintiff, the duly qualified administrator of the estate of Joseph Buhler, who died testate in March of 1968, initiated this action to recover certain personal property, namely, stocks and a checking account from defendant, who claims the property as the surviving joint tenant. Plaintiff alleged that the property was held in joint tenancy with the decedent’s daughter, the defendant, for the purpose of convenience. Plaintiff demanded that he, as administrator, be adjudged the owner of the personal' property and entitled to the possession thereof, that defendant be declared to hold the property in trust and be required to make an accounting of all the transactions which occurred from the time that Joseph Buhler placed the first property in joint tenancy, and that defendant be compelled to execute such instruments as might be necessary to pass legal title to plaintiff. By answer, defendant asserted her ownership of the property and denied that plaintiff or the heirs of the estate possessed any rights thereto.
At the conclusion of a trial upon the merits, the court granted defendant’s mo
On appeal, plaintiff has reargued the evidence in an attempt to prove that Joseph Buhler and his daughter did not intend by these written instruments to create a j oint tenancy arrangement.
The findings of fact which are substantiated by the record reveal that decedent transferred all of his property to joint tenancy with defendant except for an unpaid judgment of $18,000. In the early 1950’s decedent expressed an intent to distribute his property equally among his five children, but beginning in 1954 and continuing over the following eleven years, he transferred various stocks held by him into his and defendant’s names as joint tenants with full rights of survivorship. In 1955, decedent consulted legal counsel and executed a deed placing his home and building lot in joint tenancy.
The bank account and stock certificates
In the instant action, the following statement in Continental Bank and Trust Co. v. Kimball
Since the appellant is not trying to reform the contract and is not claiming fraud, mistake, incapacity, or other infirmity, we think that it is conclusively bound by the contract as made and cannot show that the parties intended a result contrary to that which the law of joint tenancy relationship imposes.
The judgment is affirmed; costs are awarded to defendant.
. This property was sold prior to his death and is not involved in this action.
. The will bequeaths $100 to each of the - three sons'; the defendant and her sister are to receive all the remaining property equally.
.“Besides acting as a muniment of title, a certificate of stock serves the additional purpose of expressing the contract which exists between the holder thereof, the corporation, and all other holders of stock therein. . . . ” 18 Am.Jur.2d, Corporations, Sec. 246, p. 770.
. gee 45 Am.Jur., Reformation of Instruments, gee. 2, p. 584; Restatement of Contracts, gee. 504, p. 968: “Except as stated in gees. 506 and 509-511, where both parties have an identical intention as to the terms to be embodied in a proposed written conveyance, assignment, contract or discharge, and a writing executed by them is materially at variance with that intention, either party can get a decree that the writing shall be reformed so that it shall express the intention of the parties, if innocent third persons will not be unfairly affected thereby.”
. 21 Utah 2d 152, 154, 442 P.2d 472, 474 (1968).
Concurring Opinion
(concurring specially) :
I concur upon the basis of the law as stated in Hanks v. Hales, 17 Utah 2d 344, 411 P.2d 836, to which I refer in order to avoid repetition here. See also Greener v. Greener, 116 Utah 571, 212 P.2d 194. I am not sure that in practical application to any given fact situation there would be any substantial difference between the statement I refer to and the principle as stated in the main opinion. But in view of the fact that these joint tenancy account contracts are often used for some special purpose, in my judgment it is important to tie in certain previously expressed ideas: (1) that as to an account in joint tenancy there is a presumption that the agreement is as expressed therein; (2) that as to the depository, under its agreement, it would be protected upon payment to either joint tenant or his proper representative; (3) that as between the parties or their representatives the agreement is presumptively valid and must be given effect unless under equitable principles it is shown by clear and
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Lee W. HOBBS, as Administrator With Will Annexed of the Estate of Joseph Buhler, Deceased, Plaintiff and Appellant, v. Ethel Jeanne Buhler FENTON and James E. Fenton, Defendants and Respondents
- Cited By
- 10 cases
- Status
- Published