Awbrey v. Duvall

265 So. 2d 121, 288 Ala. 699, 1972 Ala. LEXIS 1291
CourtSupreme Court of Alabama
DecidedJune 8, 1972
Docket8 Div. 446
StatusPublished

This text of 265 So. 2d 121 (Awbrey v. Duvall) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Awbrey v. Duvall, 265 So. 2d 121, 288 Ala. 699, 1972 Ala. LEXIS 1291 (Ala. 1972).

Opinions

MERRILL, Justice.

This appeal is from a decree denying a prayer for the sale of a house and lot for division among the joint owners. Appellant Awbrey, who had purchased an undivided one-half interest in the property at a bankruptcy sale, was the complainant below and Mrs. Willodean Duvall, who originally [701]*701owned the other half interest, was the respondent.

We quote pertinent parts of the decree to show the facts:

“This cause was set for trial by jury on July 12, 1971, and the parties, then, agreeing for the Court to hear the evidence in the case ore tenus, without the intervention of a jury or the advice and assistance of a jury, and the Court having heard the evidence ore tenus, and the evidence in the case being without any substantial dispute; the Court proceeds to make its findings and conclusions in the case. The evidence in the case is that the respondent, Willodean F. Duvall, and her husband owned certain property jointly with right of survivorship, or as tenants in common with right of survivorship, and that the husband became insolvent and resorted to voluntary bankruptcy proceedings. That shortly before the bankruptcy proceedings the husband, together with his wife, conveyed subject property to the wife or the respondent, Willodean F. Duvall, alone. The Bankruptcy Court, then, did proceed to set the deed aside, which had the effect of conveying the husband’s interest to her. There is no evidence that at any time the respondent attempted to part with or convey any interest that she had in the subject property. The proceedings to set aside the deed was before the Referee in Bankruptcy and in his decree he limited himself to setting aside the deed and declaring the same to be void and of no effect. The trustee, in making the actual conveyance, attempted to define the interest of the husband as a oneT half undivided interest, and the actions of the trustee in and about conveying the property were approved and confirmed by the Referee in Bankruptcy. The Court further notes that the complainant in his answer asked for general relief, as well as special relief, the special relief being sought being a sale of subject property and a division of the proceeds, and the prayer for general relief being in the usual form.

“The Court is of the opinion that the decisions of the Supreme Court of Alabama in Bernhard vs. Bernhard, 278 Ala. 240, 177 So.2d 565 and in Brown vs. Andrews, 281 Ala. 598, 206 So.2d 607 are controlling and our construction of those cases is that the complainant is not entitled to have the property sold for division due to the condition of the title thereof; the Court, however, is not of the opinion that the complainant is helpless and without legal remedy. The Court further construes that the deed which the complainant received from the Trustee in Bankruptcy as conveying to him all the interest of the bankrupt, and in the opinion of the Court the complainant is entitled to share in the possession, use, enjoyment, management and control of the subject property, so long as the respondent and her husband are both alive or until the parties are able to agree on a sale of the property, and that the complainant is entitled to share in the rents and profits therefrom, and that, if the husband survives the respondent, complainant will, then, become the sole owner thereof, and that if the parties cannot, by agreement, manage, control, use and enjoy said property in the opinion of the Court either would be entitled to have a receiver appointed to manage the same, which receiver would, of course, be under the supervision of the Court. The Court is further of the opinion and finds from the evidence in this case that it would be impossible for these parties in a peaceful and meaningful way to jointly manage subject property and that they could not in a peaceful manner enjoy the use, possession and control or divide the rents and profits therefrom in an appropriate and business like manner; and all the matters herein being fully understood by the Court, it is CONSIDERED, ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED by the Court as follows:

“1. That complainant’s prayer for relief to sell subject property for division, * * *

“is denied.

“2. That upon either party applying therefor the Court will appoint a receiver [702]*702to manage said property, for the mutual benefit of the parties.

“3. That any relief as to attorney’s fees by either party is denied, and all court costs herein accrued are taxed one-half to each of the parties.”

The two cases cited in the trial court’s opinion are authority for the proposition that where a husband and wife acquire property under a deed providing that they hold it as joint tenants with right of survivorship, the property cannot be sold for division over the objection of a spouse.

.We are not here concerned with any collateral attack on the bankruptcy proceedings or the result therein. The Bankruptcy Court sold an undivided one-half interest of the husband, Johnny Ray Duvall, in the property, subject to inchoate dower and unpaid taxes, to appellant Awbrey, who was a stranger to the bankruptcy proceedings. There is no dispute as to the material facts and the legal question is whether appellant can, under the circumstances of this case, maintain a suit for sale for division between himself and Mrs. Duvall.

We assume that the trial court took the language of Tit. 20, § 7, Code 1940, literally where it states that all conveyances made with the intent to hinder, delay or defraud creditors “are void,” and since the Bankruptcy Court declared the deed from Johnny Ray Duvall to his wife, Willodean Duvall, to be void because it was a fraudulent conveyance, the deed became a nullity.

But in First National Bank of Birmingham v. Love, 232 Ala. 327, 167 So. 703, this court said:

“Section 8038, Code, (now Tit. 20, § 7) declares that such conveyances are void. But this court has held that the conveyance is valid as to all the world except the creditors of the grantor. * * * As to creditors, the conveyance is voidable and not void. * * * ”

See also, Willingham v. Lankford, 257 Ala. 595, 60 So.2d 387; McCurdy v. Kenon, 178 Ala. 345, 59 So. 489.

We think the recent cases of Shrout v. Seale, 287 Ala. 215, 250 So.2d 592, and Brown v. Andrews, 288 Ala. 111, 257 So.2d 356, are dispositive of the questions raised in the instant case. The chief difference in Shrout and the instant case is that there, the husband deeded his interest to his wife while a recorded unsatisfied judgment was outstanding, while here, the Bankruptcy Court set aside the conveyance because it found that the deed had been given to hinder, delay or defraud creditors. We do not think this is a distinguishing difference in the ultimate outcome of the two cases. We paraphrase two paragraphs in Shrout v. Seale, supra, substituting the names of the parties in the instant case for those in that case.

The status of the title under the facts developed in the instant case appears to be that appellant Awbrey holds an undivided half interest in the property for the life of Johnny Ray Duvall, and that Willodean Duvall holds the other undivided half interest for the life of Johnny Ray Duvall and a vested remainder in the whole. The particular estate held by Awbrey will terminate at the death of Johnny Ray Duvall, a necessary event. There is no contingent remainder.

Johnny Ray Duvall has conveyed or released his contingent remainder to Willodean.

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Related

Shrout v. Seale
250 So. 2d 592 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1971)
Brown v. Andrews
257 So. 2d 356 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1972)
Bernhard v. Bernhard
177 So. 2d 565 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1965)
First Nat. Bank of Birmingham v. Love
167 So. 703 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1936)
McCurdy v. Kenon
59 So. 489 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1912)
Willingham v. Lankford
60 So. 2d 387 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1952)
Brown v. Andrews
206 So. 2d 607 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1967)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
265 So. 2d 121, 288 Ala. 699, 1972 Ala. LEXIS 1291, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/awbrey-v-duvall-ala-1972.