Allen v. Garman

1949 OK 24, 202 P.2d 1073, 201 Okla. 146, 1949 Okla. LEXIS 529
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedFebruary 15, 1949
DocketNo. 33265
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 1949 OK 24 (Allen v. Garman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Allen v. Garman, 1949 OK 24, 202 P.2d 1073, 201 Okla. 146, 1949 Okla. LEXIS 529 (Okla. 1949).

Opinion

CORN, J.

Plaintiff brought this action to have a trust declared in certain farm land in Jackson county and to require defendant to convey to him a one-half interest therein. The pleadings and the evidence establish the following facts: In November, 1928, plaintiff owned an apartment house in Oklahoma City carrying a $7,500 first mortgage and a second mortgage of about $3,000. One Thorpe owned the half section of Jackson county land which is the subject of this litigation. Plaintiff and Thorpe entered into a contract to exchange property, with the understanding the farm land was to be clear and plaintiffs property was to bear only the first mortgage. Pursuant to such agreement the exchange was made March 29, 1929, and plaintiff received a warranty deed to the Jackson county land.

To discharge the second mortgage against the city property plaintiff needed to mortgage the farm land, but it was impossible to secure a school land loan in his own name. Plaintiff and defendant agreed the legal title should be placed in defendant and the loan secured in his name, each party to own an undivided one-half interest therein subject to the loan, all expenses on the property to be borne equally. Pursuant to this agreement the land was conveyed to defendant who secured a $4,000 loan in his own name. Plaintiff alleged defendant paid no part of the purchase price, and after the deed was given defendant held one-half interest in the property in trust for plaintiff. It was also alleged that defendant recognized the trust and permitted plaintiff to expend money on improvements until about May, 1941, when defendant asserted entire ownership of the land and refused to reconvey any part of the property. Plaintiff sought judgment decreeing him to be owner of an undivided one-half interest therein and that defendant be required to execute a deed to such interest to plaintiff.

Defendant’s answer admitted the allegations relative to acquisition of the land. However, defendant alleged the exchange between plaintiff and Thorpe was completed December 19, 1928, at which time plaintiff secured a $4,000 loan from the bank to discharge the second mortgage indebtedness, and to secure this loan defendant gave two accommodation notes to plaintiff, one for $5,000 secured by a mortgage upon the farm, and one for $4,000 secured by a mortgage on the Oklahoma City property owned by defendant. These notes were to be used by plaintiff as collateral, their agreement being that after the transactions were completed the notes were to be-returned to defendant, the mortgages released, and the farm then would be owned jointly by the parties.

A $4,000 loan was secured from the School Land Commission, and upon receipt of this payment the parties agreed the two mortgages securing defendant’s two accommodation notes were to be released. The $5,000 mortgage was released, but plaintiff continued to hold and use the $4,000 note as security in certain individual transactions, [148]*148without defendant’s knowledge or consent. About December 1, 1930, the bank holding this note demanded payment and defendant thus learned that plaintiff had not released this accommodation note. Plaintiff advised defendant he was unable to secure release of the note, and at a conference the bank agreed if defendant would execute a new note for $1,800, secured by a mortgage upon defendant’s own property, the $4,000 note would be canceled. The parties agreed plaintiffs interest in the land should stand as security for the new note and if plaintiff failed to discharge this indebtedness within three years from date (December 1, 1930) then defendant was to become owner of the property. Defendant further alleged plaintiff’s failure to pay this note and that he had to discharge the obligation, thus becoming owner of the property in question.

Defendant further alleged he had been unable to pay off this note until July, 1935, and after final payment he offered to convey a half interest in the land to plaintiff if he would reimburse defendant on the note, but plaintiff refused this offer and stated he claimed no further interest in the land. Further, that if defendant did not become sole owner under the agreement of December 1, 1930, nevertheless, the agreement of July 1, 1935, set in motion the statute of limitations against any claim of plaintiff. In the alternative defendant claimed a lien upon any interest plaintiff might be found to have to the extent of $1,800 plus interest from December 1, 1930, and asked judgment for foreclosure of such lien.

Plaintiff’s reply denied any agreement to convey to defendant, to surrender plaintiff’s equitable interest, or that defendant had any right to a lien upon his interest. He further alleged that any purported agreement to convey or surrender an equitable interest in the property, or to give defendant a lien thereon, was within the statute of frauds and void; and, if defendant ever had a lien upon the land the same was barred by the statute of limitations.

Upon the issues made by the pleadings, the cause was tried to the court. As set forth by the pleadings, the evidence established that plaintiff traded the city property for the farm, title being placed in defendant’s name, to hold an undivided one-half interest in trust for plaintiff, and that defendant received his interest in return for extending his credit to plaintiff, enabling plaintiff to retire the second mortgage on the apartment house and complete the transactions heretofore mentioned.

Plaintiff testified to his friendship with defendant and that after securing the farm they shared the expenses and labor of improvements until early in 1936, but that it was 1941 before defendant told plaintiff he no longer considered that plaintiff had any interest in the farm. Plaintiff denied there was any conversation or agreement in November or December of 1930, giving defendant a lien upon the property, or any agreement that he would surrender his equity in the farm to defendant; and plaintiff testified that the first he knew defendant claimed entire ownership was in 1941, when he had a conversation with plaintiff as to the condition of the farm. He further testified that he was not indebted to defendant on the $1,800 note, because this note was really made to pay off an existing mortgage on defendant’s own property.

Defendant’s testimony established the fact surrounding the transaction as mentioned. He also testified, over plaintiff’s objections, that in 1930 the plaintiff agreed if defendant would give him $1,800, he would deed his interest back to defendant and that he executed a new note for this amount, but did not receive any of the proceeds. Defendant also testified that after he paid off this note in July, 1935, he offered to give plaintiff his interest in the property if plaintiff would reimburse him, but plaintiff stated he was no longer interested.

[149]*149After hearing the testimony the trial court stated that it was clear what the parties intended in acquiring the property and that defendant held one-half interest in trust for plaintiff, but when defendant executed the $1,800 note for plaintiff’s credit, and plaintiff having made no effort to pay the obligation, their agreement then was that plaintiffs interest in the property should stand for this debt and when plaintiff did not redeem the property it was his intention to surrender his interest therein.

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Related

Rogers v. Bailey
2011 OK 69 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 2011)
Bechler v. Kaye
222 F.2d 216 (Tenth Circuit, 1955)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1949 OK 24, 202 P.2d 1073, 201 Okla. 146, 1949 Okla. LEXIS 529, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/allen-v-garman-okla-1949.