Bigley v. Jones

7 A. 54, 114 Pa. 510
CourtSupreme Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedNovember 8, 1886
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 7 A. 54 (Bigley v. Jones) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bigley v. Jones, 7 A. 54, 114 Pa. 510 (Pa. 1886).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Clabk:

delivered the opinion of the court,

In this case, binding instructions were given to the jury to find for the plaintiff; this being so, we must assume that the evidence adduced by the defendants is true; we must also assume the truth of every fact which may be fairly inferred therefrom.

Sarah Bigley testifies in substance, that prior to the sale of her father’s estate under the order of the court in partition, on the 25th January, 1866, she had a distinct understanding, or agreement with her husband to this effect: that if he became the purchaser of the property, she would retain her interest in it. She says, she preferred the land before the money, because it was her father’s land, and that her husband was relieved of paying the money by her holding the land. “He agreed.” says Mrs. Bigley, “ that I was to have one fifth, and he wasn’t [516]*516to pay any money for that; I was to hold my own; he was to buy it in, and I was to hold the fifth.”

This, she says, was the understanding before, at the time of, and alwajm after the sale.

Peter Bigley testifies, that prior to the sale he and his wife made an agreement, that if he would buy the propertj'-, she would take her share in the land, and that he went on and bid the property in, with that understanding.

The deed was made to Peter Bigle3r, and he and his wife went into the possession. .The share of Mrs. Bigley in the estate of her father, although released to the Master, was never paid to her; the testimony shows that it went into the purchase of the land which was convej'ed to Bigley; it was applied as part of the purchase mone3", according to the agreement which existed between Bigley and his wife.

We agree with the plaintiffs in error, that the title of all the heirs, qua heirs, in the real estate of the decedent, was extinguished by the Orphans’ Court sale, and the delivery of the"sheriff’s deed; that the interest of Sarah Bigley was thereby converted into personalty; that she had a right to release her share to the Master in relief of her husband’s purchase; and, that her claim in the proceeds of the sale was, by the release, satisfied.

But, there is evidence to show that the share of Sarah Bigley, thus reduced to persona^, actually went into the purchase of this land; that it was applied as purchase mone}’ at the time of the conveyance; that it was not advanced as a loan, or as a gift to her husband, but as her own ; not as a general contribution, but the contribution of a'specific, definite sum to procure a correspondent interest, or aliquot part of the estate.

Now, it may be conceded, that the alleged agreement, between Bigley and his wife, as a means, per se, of making title in her was of no consequence, but if at the time of the conveyance she paid a part of the purchase money under it, for a proportionate interest in the purchase, under the circumstances stated, a trust would certainly result in her favor to the extent of the purchase money thus paid. The agreement is nothing, except as it discloses the intention of the parties at the time. The trust results from the acts, and not from the agreement of the parties, or rather, perhaps, from the acts accompanied b}r the agreement.

The presumption is, in the absence of all rebutting circumstances, that one who pays the purchase money of land intends to become the owner of it, although ás a matter of convenience, or through an arrangement of the parties for collateral purposes, the conveyance may be in the name of another. The same rule applies if several persons pay the consideration and take [517]*517the title to one of their number; Morey v. Herrick, 6 Harris, 129; Duffield v. Wallace, 2 S & R., 521; Perry on Trusts, sec. 132. If the parties contribute unequally, the trust results to each of them in proportion to the amount paid by each; Hill on Trustees, 4th Am. ed., 149.

Thus, in Harrold v. Lane, 3 P. F. S., 268, the lands of a decedent were sold by order of the Orphans’-Court, under proceedings in partition to one of the heirs; an ejectment, having been brought by the purchaser, the defendant, another of the heirs, gave evidence that an arrangement had been made that the purchase should be for four of the heirs; that before the conveyance, she had paid the purchaser a sum of money which, with her interest in the estate, would pay her one fourth; and it was held that this was sufficient to establish a resulting trust in her favor for the one fourth of the land, unless negatived in the belief of the jury.

To establish a trust by parol, the evidence must be full, clear and convincing; Lloyd v. Farrell, 4 Casey, 419; Farrell v. Lloyd, 19 P. F. S., 247; McGinity v. McGinity, 13 P. F. S., 39. We are clearly of opinion, however, if the facts be as stated by the defendant’s witnesses, that a resulting trust has been established.

But the plaintiff below, was a purchaser of the lands in suit, at a sheriff’s sale of all the right, title, interest and claim of Peter Bigley, in whose name was the recorded title; the sale was upon a levari facias on a mortgage dated February 1st, 1873, in §6,000, given by Peter Bigley to I. K. Morange, and by him negotiated and assigned to E. P. Jones, in trust for the Smithfield Savings Bank. When real estate is held by a title which is regular on its face, a bona fide mortgagee thereof, or one claiming title under such mortgagee, is not liable to be affected by any secret trust or equity if he be without notice thereof: Sweetzer v. Atterbury, 4 Out., 18. The assignee of a mortgage takes it discharged of the equities of persons not parties to it of which he has no notice ; Mott v. Clark, 9 Barr., 399; Price v. Wood, 7 Casey, 142. So, the purchaser of a title, perfect on its face, for a valuable consideration takes it discharged of every equity of which he had no notice; Reed v. Dickey, 2 Watts, 459; Wightman’s Appeal, 29 Pa. St., 280; Fillman v. Deven, 31 Id., 429.

This brings us to the second question in the cause: whether or not the plaintiff, at the time the mortgage was assigned and at the sheriff's sale, had notice of the secret equity of Sarah Bigley.

It is not disputed that the mortgage to Morange, was made with the express design of having it negotiated for a loan of money. Morange was a broker, and was the agent of Bigley [518]*518for the purpose. It appears, too, that prior to the assignment of the mortgage by Morange, to the Smithfield Savings Bank, W. C. Friend, Esquire, the attorney of the bank, was directed by the bank to make an examination of the title; that whilst Friend was actually engaged in making this examination, James Fitzimmons, Esquire, the attorney of Sarah Bigley, gave him notice of the trust which had resulted to her from payment of the purchase money.

Mr. Fitzimmons says that either Mr. or Mrs. Bigley spoke to him in reference to the title of Mrs. Bigley, in connection with the fact that Bigley was borrowing money on this real estate, and told him to look after her title, and that acting upon this employment he gave the matter his attention. He says: — “ I afterwards heard incidentally, and I am not sure how, that the Smithfield Savings Bank was taking this mortgage and loaning the money; I made it my business to see Mr. W. C.'Friend, then a member of the bar, and saw him. I said you are examining Bigley’s title for a mortgage.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Butler v. Butler
105 A.2d 62 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1954)
Keates v. Register
74 F. Supp. 966 (E.D. Pennsylvania, 1947)
Barrows v. Romaine
17 Pa. D. & C. 457 (Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, 1932)
I.W. Witmer v. Mary L. Johnson
96 Pa. Super. 177 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1929)
Gates v. Keichline
128 A. 496 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1925)
Leahey v. O'Connor
127 A. 65 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1924)
Coyle v. Due
149 N.W. 122 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1914)
Ott v. Duffy
92 A. 201 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1914)
Byers v. Ferner
65 A. 620 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1907)
Kennedy v. McCloskey
33 A. 117 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1895)
Culver v. Graham
21 P. 694 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1889)
Hoar v. Hoar
1 N.Y.S. 379 (New York Supreme Court, 1888)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
7 A. 54, 114 Pa. 510, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bigley-v-jones-pa-1886.