Court Opinion

ID: 9811114
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 22:09:35.233429+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:40:24.187365
License: Public Domain

Montgomery, J.,
dissenting: In the original complaint it was alleged that the feme plaintiff, wife of the other plaintiff, bad furnished one half of the purchase money, six hundred dollars, toward the purchase money of a tract of land of 154 acres which was conveyed by Tbos. IT. Long to the husband, and that the plaintiffs were entitled each to a deed for one half of the 154 acres; “that of the tract of 154 acres 59 and 15-100 acres were conveyed by the plaintiffs to a son of the husband by a former marriage upon an agreement that the wife should have a larger interest in the remaining 94 and 85-100 acres and her interest in said 94 85-100 acres has thus been raised from half which it was originally to 6-7 as stated in the first Article of this complaint in regard to the 60 acres therein described,” and that the defendant Long is in the unlawful possession of the same having purchased it at execution sale, the execution having been issued against the husband. The prayer for judgment is in the following words: “Wherefore the plaintiffs demand judgment that the feme plaintiff Elizabeth A. Ray is entitled to 6-7 of said land and that the said II. M. Ray be declared to have held the same as a trustee for her, and that her interest could not be sold under execution, and that the said defendant could not acquire the interest which said Elizabeth A. Ray bad in said land, and that she forbidding the sale, the defendant took subject to all equities which she had in said land, and for such other and further relief, etc.”
*898An amended complaint was afterwards filed as follows:
1. That at the time of the purchase of the 154 acres it was expressly agreed that the deed should be made to both the plaintiffs, IT. M. Nay and Elizabeth Nay, and their, heirs by Thos. IT. Long, but that through mistake the deed yras made to H. M. Nay and his heirs; that said Elizabeth A. Nay having paid $600 toward the purchase money, under the agreement, was entitled to have had said deed made to said Ií. M. Nay and Elizabeth and their heirs.
2. That the equitable title to said land at the time of the same under execution of the 60 acres described in the complaint, being in said H. M. Nay and Elizabeth and their heirs, the sheriff had no right to sell under execution the contingent remainder of H. M. Nay, and nothing passed to the defendant by said sale and the deed of the sheriff thereunder, and the said plaintiffs are still the owners of the said tract of 60 acres and entitled to the possession thereof.
There was the usual prayer for relief in such cases. It will be seen from a reading of the plaintiff’s complaint that the original cause of action'was based on the allegation that the plaintiff had furnished one-half of the purchase money of the land, and that the same having been applied by her husband to the purchase she was entitled to have him convey to her and her heirs one half of the tract of land, he having taken tire deed to the entire tract in his own name. In the amended complaint she alleged that she bought the land together with her husband under an agreement that the deed should be made to them and their heirs, and that by mistake the deed was made to the husband alone.
According to the first complaint the feme plaintiff furnished a part of the purchase money, and for that she was to have an equivalent in land conveyed to her and her heirs. According to the amended complaint she furnished the money jointly with her husband, who furnished an equal amount, *899and the deed was to be made to them and their heirs and assigns, by which an estate in entirety was created.
The defendant requested the court- to submit amongst others two issues; one whether or not the feme plaintiff had paid the $600 of the purchase money, and the other whether at or before the time of the purchase by Henry M. Ray of the 154 acres from Thos. H. Long it was expressly agreed that the deed should be made to Henry M. Ray and wife jointly. His Honor refused the issues and submitted one in these words, “Was the purchase money paid for the land in controversy furnished equally by Elizabeth A. Ray from her separate estate and by Henry M. Ray to procure a home for said Henry M. Ray and wife?” Upon the pleadings the defendant in my opinion was certainly entitled to have the issues, which he tendered, submitted to the jury. After the evidence was all in however, it was unnecessary to submit the last one, for the reason that there was no evidence whatever tending to show that the deed was executed under a mistake, or that it was ever agreed up to the time the deed was executed to H. M. Ray, the husband, that the deed was to have been made to him and his wife. Therefore, under the issue which his Honor did submit, the jury having found that the feme plaintiff paid one 'half of the purchase money of the land, his Honor should have held as a. matter of law that a resulting trust was created by the deed to the husband in favor of the feme plaintiff for one half of the tract of land, and that a judgment to that effect should have been rendered, according to the request for judgment made by defendant-.
The defendant in his answer denied that any part of the land had been conveyed to the son of the husband, and there was no evidence offered on that question. In my opinion there was error.
Clark, C. J., concurs in the dissenting opinion.