Cole v. Cole

91 A.2d 819, 117 Vt. 354, 1952 Vt. LEXIS 146
CourtSupreme Court of Vermont
DecidedOctober 7, 1952
Docket829
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 91 A.2d 819 (Cole v. Cole) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Vermont primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cole v. Cole, 91 A.2d 819, 117 Vt. 354, 1952 Vt. LEXIS 146 (Vt. 1952).

Opinion

Cushing, J.

This matter comes to this Court before final judgment. It arises from the trial court’s findings on the hearing of libelee’s petition for contempt and orders in respect to certain real and personal property. The findings show the following material facts:

On April 29,1946, Lawrence G. Cole obtained title by warranty deed to the major portion of the property in question in the Town of Corinth and on March 29, 1947, he obtained title to a small parcel of approximately one-fourth acre adjoining. These premises were not then in a state of active operation as a farm but did have on them a substantial and pleasant house and other buildings and were attractively surrounded by 270 acres of land, a good portion of which was wooded.

On October 2,1947, Lawrence G. Cole and Valma E. Cole were married, and following the marriage they went to live on the prem *357 ises in Corinth. They made this their home, lived there and furnished the house with various articles of furniture and furnishings which they acquired.

In January, 1949, Lawrence and Valma went to Providence, R. I., in order to get away from the winter and for Valma to study music. Much of her clothes and many of her personal effects, as well as all of the furniture and furnishings, remained in the house. In Providence the Coles lived at the residence of Mr. Cole’s aunt.

During the winter, at the request of Mr. Cole’s aunt, Valma looked after a friend of the family, an elderly doctor who was ill. In this Lawrence assisted. In May 1949 he returned to Corinth leaving Valma in Providence to look after the doctor. Sometime in June she visited Corinth for about ten days, returning to Providence where she remained until after the doctor’s death in September.

October 31, 1949, Valma left Providence to join her husband in Corinth. He failed to meet her as agreed, she went to the home, found that he was not there and awaited his arrival four days. She found signs that some other woman had been occupying the home.

When Mr. Cole arrived he told Valma that he had to be away for two weeks more; in the meantime if she would return to Providence he would bring her back to Corinth at the end of that time. She left for Providence but Cole never brought her back; instead he instituted divorce proceedings.

The libel of Lawrence Cole was dated July 6,1950 and docketed July 8. On July 31, Valma’s answer and petition for alimony, together with order for notice and a temporary injunction was served on Cole.

The record shows that Valma’s answer and petition alleges that the libellant is possessed of certain personal property together with “the homestead farm in the Town of Corinth, County of Orange and State of Vermont, together with household furniture, farm tools and equipment, etc.” She has a prayer for temporary alimony pending the suit and permanent alimony in the event a divorce is granted to Lawrence Cole and further prays “that the libellant be enjoined from selling or mortgaging, or giving away, or otherwise disposing of or encumbering the property.” On August 8, after hearing, at which Cole was not present, a further injunction and order was issued which was served on libellant’s attorney.

In a booklet put out by the Vermont Development Commission in 1950 entitled “Vermont Farms and Summer Homes for Sale” *358 Cole had advertised the property in Corinth for sale. James Parsons and Margaret, his wife, came to Vermont looking for a country home, they saw the property in the latter part of July, liked the place and decided to buy it.

Previous to the viewing of the premises by the Parsons, Cole had given a deed of the property to one Edward P. Perdue. He, being unable to raise the purchase price, reconveyed to Cole on August 10, 1950, who, on the same day, conveyed the property to Mr. and Mrs. Parsons. The draftsman who prepared the deed did not mention homestead rights or inquire of the parties if Mr. Cole had a wife. The consideration for the real and personal property conveyed to the Parsons was $5,221.00.

The Parsons received the key to the premises and went into possession on August 10, 1950. Some time in November Mr. Parsons learned that Mr. Cole had a wife. About January 13, 1951 Mr. Parsons first came in direct communication with Mrs. Cole by telegraph and then by telephone. Mrs. Cole raised the question of her rights in the property but made no specific claim. In the latter part of January Mr. Parsons took up the matter with Attorney Finn and learned of the pending divorce between Mr. and Mrs. Cole.

On May 19,1951, the Parsons went into occupancy, since which time they have gone forward improving and developing the premises.

After the Parsons had decided to purchase the property, they obtained from the town clerk a statement of title. None of the injunction orders in the Cole divorce case had ever been recorded in the town clerk’s office.

The Parsons bought in good faith without any knowledge that Cole was a married man, that he and his wife were having difficulties which had culminated in divorce proceedings or that there were any outstanding homestead rights.

On July 3, 1951, present counsel having entered for libelee, Valma E. Cole brought her petition for contempt against Lawrence G. Cole and therein joined James Graham Parsons and Margaret Josephine Parsons directing them to appear before the Orange County Court or some Superior Judge and “to show cause why said conveyance of said real estate should not be adjudged void,” and such other orders should not be made in respect to the possession, control and use of the homestead real estate and the personal property.

The petition came on for hearing before the full court on Septem *359 ber 4,1951, further hearing being had on October 1. On December 5 findings of fact were filed, and on January 9,1952, the court’s order sending the cause to the Supreme Court was filed. The petitioner excepted to certain of the court’s findings, to the failure to find as requested and to the admission of certain evidence. The petitionees, Parsons and wife, excepted to certain of the findings.

Petitioner’s first exception is to the second sentence of finding No. 9. This finding reads as follows: “The Parsons received the key to the premises on August 10,1950, and went into possession at that time but they did not go into occupancy until May 19, 1951. They have remained in possession ever since, awaiting final determination of the rights of various parties in the premises.”

Petitioner excepted on the ground that the Parsons have not been awaiting any determination of rights or in any way deferring to the petitioner and her undenied right of homestead in the premises, as properly characterizing their possession, but have excluded her from the premises, and even after they learned of the pending divorce case and the proceedings therein, spent large sums of money in improving and developing the premises.

In Valma’s answer to the libel brought by Lawrence she does not ask to be put into possession of the property in Corinth, nor that alimony, if awarded, be made a charge upon the property. She has never asked the Parsons nor demanded of them that she be put into possession.

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Bluebook (online)
91 A.2d 819, 117 Vt. 354, 1952 Vt. LEXIS 146, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cole-v-cole-vt-1952.