Central Benefits Mutual Insurance v. RIS Administrators Agency, Inc.

70 Ohio St. 3d 68
CourtOhio Supreme Court
DecidedAugust 24, 1994
DocketNo. 93-999
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 70 Ohio St. 3d 68 (Central Benefits Mutual Insurance v. RIS Administrators Agency, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Central Benefits Mutual Insurance v. RIS Administrators Agency, Inc., 70 Ohio St. 3d 68 (Ohio 1994).

Opinion

Per Curiam.

The Tenth District Court of Appeals certified the record of the cause to this court for review and final determination upon finding its decision to be in conflict with the decisions of the Third District Court of Appeals in Bahler v. Doenges (1986), 26 Ohio App.3d 172, 26 OBR 391, 499 N.E.2d 35; the Twelfth District Court of Appeals in BancOhio Natl. Bank v. Durham (June 2, 1986), Butler App. No. CA85-11-146, unreported, 1986 WL 6177; and the Eighth District Court of Appeals in Zahuranec v. Menier (May 30, 1985), Cuyahoga App. Nos. 49047 and 49048, unreported, 1985 WL 9054, upon the following question: “Whether a deed executed and delivered while former R.C. 5302.17 was in effect, and which conveyed title to husband and wife for their joint lives, remainder to the survivor of them, creates an estate by the entireties, or merely a joint tenancy with right of survivorship, when the title and text of the deed do not include the words ‘estate by the entireties.’ ”

Having examined these cases, we find that a conflict does exist. We resolve the conflict in favor of the decision of the Tenth District in the cause before us for the reasons set forth in its opinion, a copy of which follows as an appendix.

Judgment affirmed. .

Moyer, C.J., A.W. Sweeney, Douglas, Wright, Resnick, F.E. Sweeney and Pfeifer, JJ., concur.

[69]*69APPENDIX

Bowman, J. On April 18, 1990, plaintiffs-appellees, Central Benefits Mutual Insurance Company and Central Benefits Life Insurance Company (“Central Benefits”), filed a complaint against defendant-appellee, RIS Administrators Agency, Inc. (“RIS”), based on RIS’s failure to remit premiums it had collected on behalf of Central Benefits and two programs known as “WenMed” and “HealthCore.” On October 21, 1990, after conducting initial discovery, Central Benefits filed an amended complaint to add claims against Charles Aldrin (“Aldrin”), Daniel Kendall and Allen Clement, all of whom were officers and shareholders of RIS and who were sued for converting Central Benefits’ funds for their own personal use.

On December 22, 1990, Aldrin and his wife, Maureen Laird Aldrin (“Maureen”), conveyed a mortgage in their Worthington residence to Maureen’s father, appellant, James F. Laird, Sr. (“Laird”). The mortgage was recorded on January 11, 1991, and secured a loan from Laird to Maureen in the amount of $200,000, based on the equity in the Worthington residence. The $200,000 was used by Maureen to purchase a home in Florida in her name.

On June 11, 1991, Central Benefits filed a second amended complaint adding Laird as a defendant. The complaint sought to set aside and void the mortgage in the Worthington residence based on the transfer being a fraudulent conveyance.

Prior to the commencement of the trial, Central Benefits and Laird agreed that Laird would not participate in the trial, and that the trier of fact would address the threshold issues of whether Aldrin was personally liable to Central Benefits and whether Aldrin made the conveyance at issue with the intent to defraud Central Benefits. The jury found in favor of Central Benefits on both of these issues and, in response to an interrogatory, the jury found that Aldrin conveyed the second mortgage in his Worthington residence with the intent to defraud Central Benefits. Laird filed a post-trial motion for dismissal of the fraudulent conveyance claim, arguing that the property was held in the form of a tenancy by the entireties and that it could not be reached by Aldrin’s creditors. The trial court denied Laird’s motion and entered judgment granting Central Benefits relief on its fraudulent conveyance claim. Laird now brings this appeal and asserts the following assignments of error:

“1. The trial court erred in holding that the deed dated October 1982 (Plaintiffs Exhibit 22) did not create an estate by the entireties held by defendant Charles B. Aldrin an [sic ] Maureen Anne Aldrin (aka Maureen Laird Aldrin), husband and wife.

“2. The trial court erred in failing to apply Central National Bank of Cleveland v. Fitzwilliam, 12 Ohio St.3d 51 [12 OBR 43, 465 N.E.2d 408] (1984), [70]*70which requires judgment in favor of defendant appellant James F. Laird, Sr. on the fraudulent conveyance claims of plaintiff-appellee.”

In his first assignment of error, appellant asserts that the trial court erred in holding that Aldrin and Maureen’s deed dated October 1982 did not create an estate by the entireties. R.C. 5302.17, which was in effect from February 9, 1972 to April 4, 1985, created an estate by the entireties in Ohio.1 Prior to the enactment of R.C. 5302.17 on February 9,1972, estates by the entireties were not recognized in Ohio.2 R.C. 5302.17 included a form, defined in R.C. 5302.01 as a “Statutory Form,” for the purpose of creating an estate by the entireties. R.C. 5302.17 provided:

“A deed conveying any interest in real property to a husband and wife, and in substance following the form set forth in this section, when duly executed in accordance with Chapter 5301. of the Revised Code, creates an estate by the entireties in the grantees, and upon the death of either, conveys such interest to the survivor, his or her separate heirs and assigns.

“ ‘ESTATE BY THE ENTIRETIES WITH SURVIVORSHIP DEED

“.....(marital status), of.....county,.....for valuable consideration paid, grant(s), (covenants, if any), to.....and....., husband and wife, for their joint lives, remainder to the survivor of them, whose tax-mailing address is....., the following real property:

“(Description of land or interest therein and encumbrances, reservations, and exceptions, if any)

“Prior Instrument Reference: Volume ....., Page ....., wife (husband) of the grantor, releases all rights of dower therein.

“Witness.....hand this.....day of.....’ (Execution in accordance with Chapter 5301. of the Revised Code)

“A husband and wife who are the sole owners of real property as joint tenants or tenants in common, may create in themselves an estate by the entireties in such real property, by executing a deed as provided in this section conveying their entire, separate interests in such property to themselves.

[71]*71“A spouse who is the sole owner of any real property may create in himself or herself and the other spouse an estate by the entireties in such real property, by executing a deed as provided in this section conveying his or her entire interest in such property to themselves. The provisions of this paragraph shall be applied retroactively to cover transactions occurring on or after February 9, 1972.”

The deed at issue in this case provides:

“WARRANTY DEED

“KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS: That PONCO DEVELOPMENT CO., an Ohio corporation, of the City of Worthington, County of Franklin, and State of Ohio, Grantor, in consideration of the sum of Ten Dollars ($10.00) and other good and valuable considerations to it paid by CHARLES B.

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70 Ohio St. 3d 68, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/central-benefits-mutual-insurance-v-ris-administrators-agency-inc-ohio-1994.