American Mining Co. v. Trask

156 P. 1136, 28 Idaho 642, 1915 Ida. LEXIS 132
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 30, 1915
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 156 P. 1136 (American Mining Co. v. Trask) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
American Mining Co. v. Trask, 156 P. 1136, 28 Idaho 642, 1915 Ida. LEXIS 132 (Idaho 1915).

Opinions

MORGAN, J.

This action was commenced by respondent, American Mining Company, Limited, a corporation, for the purpose of procuring a decree of the district court to the effect that title to certain real estate held by appellants in the name of Estelle Trask is so held in trust for the use and benefit of respondent and to procure a conveyance thereof to it.

Respondent, by deed dated November 11, 1899, and acknowledged and recorded in March, 1900, acquired the ownership, subject to the paramount title of the United States, of certain mining ground known as the “Kola Lode Mineral Claim, ’ ’ situated in Placer Center Mining District, Shoshone county, Idaho. It appears that a portion of the land embraced within the boundaries of this claim, upon which is located the month of the tunnel and the dump, was also embraced within the boundaries of what was known as ‘ ‘ Granite State Mill Site,” claimed by one Keane and one McDonald, and that McDonald, in 1901, applied for a government patent to it. It further appears that prior to the issuance of the patent the appellant, George R. Trask, who was vice-president of respondent corporation, threatened the owners of Granite State mill site that respondent would protest the application for patent and file an adverse claim unless its claim to the land in conflict was protected. Whereupon it was orally agreed that if no protest or adverse claim was filed, and if respondent would contribute $100- toward the expense of procuring the patent, the mill site claimants would, when patent was issued, deed to respondent that portion of the land within the mill site boundaries lying north of a certain creek, which tract includes the tunnel site and dump. No protest or adverse claim was filed and the patent to the mill site was duly issued. Neither the respondent nor its officers or agents contributed toward the expense of procuring the patent at the time it was procured, and the mill site owners declined to deed it the land in question, when requested so to do, claiming the offer to make paj^ment, when it was finally made, came too late. A number of unsuccessful efforts were made by the officers of respondent to procure the conveyance to it [646]*646of the land in question, and subsequently the owners of the mill site sold it, together with other property, to one Samuels and one Featherstone, who had organized, or were organizing, the Success Mining Company, and who had full knowledge of the claim of respondent that the land north of the creek should be conveyed to it.

The organizers of Success Mining Company desired to acquire' certain mining ground which could be conveniently worked only by means of a tunnel, the portal of which was located upon ground owned by a corporation known as the “Belle of the West Mining Company,” in which appellant, George R. Trask, was a stockholder, and as a part of the transaction whereby the Snceess Company acquired the mill site property, an agreement was reached whereby the Belle of the West Company was to deed to the Success Company the land occupied by the portal of the tunnel and the Success Company was to deed to the Belle of the West Company certain other land, and, while there is conflict in the testimony upon this point, the great weight of evidence supports the conclusion that it was also agreed that the Success Company should deed to respondent the land here in controversy which it was acquiring from the mill site, company, and that it was upon the understanding and agreement that title to it should go to respondent that the transfers were made. With respect to this land Keane, one of the owners under the mill site patent, testified:

“Q. Who was this to be deeded to?
“A. This half was to be deeded to the American Mining Company. Mr. Trask never would have got title to it, only he said he wanted it for the American Mining Company. I know he mentioned the Kola. ’ ’

Mr. Featherstone testified: “Mr. Trask had complained to me repeatedly about Keane’s not giving him that piece of land there for the American Mining Company that covered the dump and the mouth of the tunnel. He had spoken to me not only after Keane was there, and we had conversation, but at various other times. And when I had this deal on between the Granite Mining Company and Samuels I went

[647]*647to him and told him, ‘Now, we conld make an arrangement so that the American Company conld get that dump and mouth of the tunnel.’ And he understood it perfectly at the time the agreement was made, that we were making the agreement so the American Company and Belle of the West Company could both get a piece of that land. And he knew it was agreed that it was to be the Belle of the West Company, and it was understood between him and me that no consideration was to be required by the Belle of the West Company for the portion of it that went to the American Company.

“Q. Was there any discussion of the question, or any mem tion of the American Mining Company in the agreement!
“A. It was thoroughly understood by Trask and I that • that portion of it was to go to the American. There was no question that it would ever be otherwise. ’ ’

The evidence shows that pursuant to this understanding the Success Company, on December 11, 1905, deeded the land in question to appellant, Estelle Trask, upon the representations made by appellant, George R. Trask, to the officers of the last named corporation that he desired it deeded to her because he had not fully completed certain arrangements with respondent. Upon this point the sixth and seventh findings of fact, which we find to be fully supported by the evidence, are as follows:

“6. That the defendant George R. Trask wrongfully induced the Success Mining Company to make a conveyance of said parcel of land to Estelle Trask, his wife, without any consideration, upon representations that the conveyance was to and for the benefit of the plaintiff.
“7. That the defendants have at all times since held the legal title to said premises in trust for the plaintiff, and the plaintiff is entitled to a decree to that effect.”

The trial resulted in a judgment in favor of respondent, from which an appeal was taken to this court.

There appear in appellant’s brief 19 assignments of error, which will not, however, be separately considered, since many of them present immaterial points.

[648]*648While there was no express agreement between appellants and respondent that Estelle Trask should take and hold the title for the use and benefit of the American Mining Company, the facts disclosed by the record leave no doubt that a resulting trust exists.

“Resulting trusts are trusts that the courts presume to arise out of the transactions of parties, as if one man pays the purchase money of an estate, and the deed is taken in the name of another. Courts presume that a trust is intended for the person who pays the money.” (Perry on Trusts and Trustees, sec. 26.)

It is said in Bouvier’s Law Dictionary (Rawle’s Third Revision), 3329, citing Felix v. Patrick, 145 U. S. 317, 12 Sup. Ct. 862, 36 L. ed. 719: “If one obtains a title to land by artifice or concealment equity will enforce a trust in favor of the party justly entitled thereto.” (See, also, 39 Cyc. 104.)

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
156 P. 1136, 28 Idaho 642, 1915 Ida. LEXIS 132, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-mining-co-v-trask-idaho-1915.