Case ID: ohio-st_33/html/0308-01.html
Source: Caselaw Access Project
Author: {"author": "Wright, J.", "license": "Public Domain", "url": "https://static.case.law/"}
Date Created: 2024-08-24T03:29:51.129683

Oyler v. Scanlan.
    1. Although the statute providing for the sale of estates tail, directs that the petition shall contain a copy of the will, deed, or instrument creating the estate, yet an omission in this particular is not a ground of error, where the party appearing and contesting has taken no steps to compel a correction of such omission.
    2. The act of April 4, 1859, S. & C. 550, and acts amendatory thereto, of March 30,1864, and April 13,1865, are not unconstitutional as to estates vesting after the passage of those acts.
    3. A tenant for life asked for the sale of the undivided half, held by remainder-men, who objected that such sale would injure them. It was competent for the court to order sale of the whole, with the consent of the tenant for life who held the other undivided half, it appearing that such sale would not injure remainder-men.
    Error to the District Court of Hamilton county.
    On the 4th day of October, 1862, George Selves, of Cincinnati, died, leaving a will, by the terms of which he gave to his widow, Sarah Selves, now Sarah S. Scanlan, the defendant in error hereiu, the life estate of certain real estate described in the petition, with remainder over to Eleanoi Beard, Mary Oyler, Sophia Watterman, his sisters, and to Charles Selves, Jr., in trust for his niece, Mary Paul, wife ■of Thomas Paul, and to his brothers, Richard Selves, Charles Selves, Sr., Edward Selves, and to his nephew, Charles Selves, Jr., their heirs and assigns forever, share .and share alike. The share of Mary Paul to be held by said trustee for her benefit during her life, and after her death to pass to her brothers and sisters, children of David and Mary Oyler, share and share alike. That is, the widow ¡Sarah Selves, now Sarah Scanlan, took the life estate in all the property, aud each of the remainder-men took the undivided one-eighth of the property iu fee, subject to the life estate, except Mary Paul, who took the life estate in •one-eighth, subject to the life estate of Sarah Selves, the fee to go to the children of David and Mary Oyler. Subsequent to the death of George Selves, as follows: on July 14, 1864, the said Eleanor Beard ; on December 16, 1864, the said Richard Selves; and on April 13, 1872, the said Edward Selves and Sophia Watterman, sold their respective interests in said property to Sarah Selves, the widow, now Sarah. Scanlan; and that on Eebruary 1,1871, the children ■.of David and Mary Oyler conveyed their interests in said •estate to Mary Paul.
    Thereupon, the property was held as follows:
    Sarah Selves, now Sarah Scanlan, owned the life estate in the whole property, under the will. She also owned the fee of the undivided one-half by purchase.
    Mary Oyler owns the fee of one-eighth, subject to the life •estate, under the will.
    Charles Selves, Sr., owns the fee of one-eighth, subject to •the life estate, under the will.
    Charles Selves, Jr., owns the fee of one-eighth, subject to .the life estate, under the will.
    Mary Paul owns the fee of one-eighth, subject to the life ■estate, by purchase from the children of David and Mary •Oyler.
    Sarah S. Scanlan, formerly Sarah Selves, files her petition in this case for the sale, in fee simple, of the undivided one-half of said real estate, being the undivided one-half of which she owns the life estate, with remainder over, and’ for the reinvestment of the proceeds under the statute providing for the sale of entailed estates.
    The case was tried in the court of common pleas, and from the judgment then rendered, an appeal was taken. Upon the hearing in the district court, evidence was offered to show that a sale of an undivided half would sacrifice the' interest of owners, and it is so argued here, and probably such would be the fact. The decree, however, was that Sarah S. Seanlan was owner in fee of an undivided half,. Avith life estate in the remainder, and that the sale of said one-half in Avhich she has such life estate, Avith remainder-over to said defendants, will be for her benefit and will do-them no substantial injury, provided the other one-half in which she has the fee simple estate be sold at the same time and place and upon the same terms, to which said plaintiffs have agreed to consent.
    The court do therefore order and direct the whole of thereat estate described in said petition to be sold.
    The defendants excepted to this decree, and filed a petition in error in the Supreme Court.
    
      Sayler § Sayler, for plaintiffs in error.
    
      Stephen Coles, for defendants in error.
   Wright, J.

The first poiut of error argued by counsel is, that a copy of the deed from David and Mary Oyler to Mary Paul should have been given by the petitioner.

The statute for the sale or lease of estates tail (S. & C.. 550) in its second section provides that: “ The petition shall contain a description of the estate to be sold, a clear' statement of the interest of the petitioner therein, and a copy of the will, deed, or other instrument of writing by which the estate is created.”

This seems to refer to the will, deed, or instrument which creates the estate of the petitioner and defendants, and not subsequent conveyances, by which parties defendant may have changed their interests. But if this were not so, by proper action in the court below, defendants there might have had the desired copy produced, and as no point seems: to have been made on the subject in the district court, we do not find such error as is fatal.

It is further claimed that these acts with regard to entailments — act of April 4, 1859 (S. & C. 550), March 30, 18(34, and April 13, 1865 (S. & S. 346) — are in conflict with, section 19 of article 1, and section 28, article 2, of the-constitution. In Gilpin v. Williams, 23 Ohio St., and 25-Ohio St. 283, they were so held as to estates vesting before their passage. But as to estates vesting after their passage, it has already been held by this court that they were not. unconstitutional, and that each person took his estate subject to existing laws on the subject. Nimmons v. Westfall,. ante, 213.

The will took effect 4th October, 1862, the date of George Selves’ death. By its provisions, Sarah Selves,, now Scanlan, testator’s widow, took a life estate in the property, and subsequently bought the fee of one-half, so' that she holds the fee of one-half and a life estate in the other half undivided.

Mary Paul took a. life estate in one-eighth, and she bought in the fee to that eighth, so as to hold it, subject to Mrs. Selves’ (Scanlan’s) life estate. Mary Paul made this purchase of the fee February 1, 1871.

Thereupon counsel argue that Mary Paul holds the fee to her one-eighth by purchase, and not as “heir” or “in succession, reversion, or remainder,” which are the words of the statute, and therefore she does not hold under the will. Hence it is claimed she holds, not under the statute of 1859, but under the statute of 1864. Then it is said the estate vested in 1862, and therefore, as to an estate vesting at that date, the statute is unconstitutional, under Gilpin v. Williams.

But counsel had already said that Mary Paul’s estate did; not vest under the will, which was in 1862, but did vest under the deed, which was in 1871. And if she claims to hold by purchase, her estate must vest as of the date of that purchase, which'was long after the act of 1864. But the attempt to take the estate in question out of the operation of the act of 1859 can not be successful. That act distinctly provides that on application of the donee for life, the court may authorize the sale of the estate for life with-remainder over, when the sale would be for the benefit of the applicant and not to the injury of those in succession, reversion, or remainder. This will created a life estate in Mrs. Selves with remainder over, and is entirely within the provisions of the act.

It is true that Mary Paul, by purchase from remainder-men, created a new estate in herself, but it could not have been the intention of the law that the remainder-men, by any transactions among themselves, can deprive the tenant-for life of his rights under the statute.

In our view, therefore, the estates vested under the will of 1862, and with regard to them the statute of 1859 is not obnoxious to the charge of unconstitutionality.

It is also objected that the sale of the undivided half would injure the remainder-men, and this is probably so. But it appears that Mrs. Seanlan consents to a sale of the whole, and it is so decreed. This removes the objection on the ground of injury, and the suggestion that Mrs. Seanlan is not bound by that provision of the decree is not sound. If the sale should take place, she could not be heard to-object in the face of the consent which she has given.

Judgment affirmed.