Crowley v. Crowley

56 A. 190, 72 N.H. 241, 1903 N.H. LEXIS 56
CourtSupreme Court of New Hampshire
DecidedOctober 6, 1903
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 56 A. 190 (Crowley v. Crowley) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of New Hampshire primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Crowley v. Crowley, 56 A. 190, 72 N.H. 241, 1903 N.H. LEXIS 56 (N.H. 1903).

Opinion

*243 Chase, J.

The plaintiff says he is the equitable owner of the farm in question, and that the defendant, as residuary legatee under the will of John Crowley, holds the legal title. The defendant denies that the plaintiff has any title, and says that John was the absolute owner of the farm, and she is now owner by reason of being such residuary legatee. The issue is between the two parties as individuals. The estate of John has no interest in it whatever. The defendant’s position in the suit is no more representative of the estate than it would be if her title depended upon a quitclaim deed from John to her. Such being the facts, the provision of the statute (P. S., c. 224, s. 16), by which the surviving party to a cause is not allowed to testify as to facts occurring in the lifetime of the deceased, unless his executor or administrator elects to testify, does not apply; and there was no error in the ruling by which the plaintiff was accepted as a witness. P. S., e. 224, s. 13.

A trust in the farm in favor of the plaintiff would result by implication of law if it was purchased with the plaintiff’s money and the title was taken in John’s name, not to effect a gift, but to overcome disabilities arising from the plaintiff’s minority, — both the plaintiff and John understanding that the farm was' to be the property of the plaintiff. .Page v. Page, 8 N. H. 187; Hopkinson v. Dumas, 42 N. H. 296; Pearl v. Whitehouse, 52 N. H. 254; Hall v. Congdon, 56 N. H. 279; Ferrin v. Errol, 59 N. H. 234. While these facts might perhaps be reasonably inferred from those reported, they are not specifically found. It is not the province of this court to determine a question of fact, however strong or conclusive upon the one side or the other the evidence recited in the case may seem to be, and though all the evidence is reported. Jones v. Aqueduct, 62 N. H. 488; Metcalf v. Weed, 66 N. H. 176; Martin v. Livingston, 68 N. H. 562; Friel v. Plumer, 69 N. H. 498; Champollion v. Corbin, 71 N. H. 78. The reserved case in Jones v. Aqueduct expressly stated that it. contained a statement of “ all the facts and circumstances claimed by either party to have any bearing upon the question whether the use made by the defendants of their land and of the water is or is not a reasonable use” (66 N. H. 178) ; and yet the court held that the question of reasonable use was a question of fact and must be determined at the trial term. It is doubtful if the report in the present case is as comprehensive of the testimony and circumstances bearing upon the question of a resulting trust as was that before the court in Jones v. Aqueduct bearing upon the question there considered; but assuming that it is, the findings as to the facts necessary to constitute such a trust should be made at the trial term.

The defendant says that upon the facts disclosed in the report *244 the $300 paid by tbe plaintiff toward the farm at the time of the purchase was John’s money as a matter of law, because derived from the plaintiff’s labor while he was a minor and receiving support from his father. Although John would be entitled to the plaintiff’s earnings while a minor, in the absence of any agreement or understanding to the contrary, he was at liberty to allow the plaintiff to have his earnings for his own benefit. John’s consent that the plaintiff’s earnings should belong to him would bind John, and give the plaintiff a good title to them as against John’s devisee. Johnson v. Silsbee, 49 N. H. 543. Whether John gave such consent is a question of fact. If he did, the $300 belonged to the plaintiff, and his case to that extent is proved. Without this fact, he is not entitled to the relief sought.

The further point is made by the defendant that a trust did not result in favor of the plaintiff because he did not pay the entire consideration for the farm at the time of the purchase; that his payment of John’s note subsequently would not operate to raise the trust. If the plaintiff paid $300 of his own money toward the farm at the time of the purchase, understanding that he was not giving the moirey to his father, a trust would result in his favor fro tanto, even if the balance of the purchase money was so paid as not to raise a resulting trust on its account; that is to say, John would hold the title to six undivided seventeenths of the farm in trust for the plaintiff. Pembroke v. Allenstown, 21 N. H. 107; Tebbetts v. Tilton, 31 N. H. 273; Hall v. Young, 37 N. H. 134. Unless there was an agreement between the plaintiff and his father, at the time the note and mortgage were given by the latter, that the plaintiff should pay the note, the payment of it subsequently by him would not raise a resulting trust in his favor in the fractional part of the farm thus paid for. Francestown v. Deering, 41 N. H. 438; Johnson v. Silsbee, 49 N. H. 543, 547; Bodwell v. Nutter, 63 N. H. 446; Fessenden v. Taft, 65 N. H. 39. But if the plaintiff induced his father to give the note to enable him to make the purchase, and promised to pay it, it will be effective in raising the implication of a trust.' The material fact is the payment of the consideration by the cestui que trust at the time of the purchase. It matters not how it is paid, whether by money on hand, or borrowed, or by the promise or obligation of the cestuique trust himself, or of some other person procured by him for the purpose. The principle is well illustrated by the cases of Pearl v. Whitehouse, 52 N. H. 254, and Ferrin v. Errol, 59 N. H. 234, in which the alleged trustees advanced the whole or a portion of the purchase money at the request of the alleged cestuis que trustent, with the understanding that the former should hold the title of the land until the advances were repaid. If the plaintiff had *245 avoided paying the note by availing himself of his infancy, or of the statute of frauds, the foundation for a resulting trust would fail; but as he has paid the note, the infirmity in the original agreement, if it be found that he made one, would become immaterial. By the agreement and its execution, he in effect would pay the purchase money for the land at the time of the conveyance.

Another point made by the defendant is, that if there was a trust it was an express trust, and being created by parol, is void by virtue of the statute of frauds. The fact relied on to constitute an express trust is that the purchase was made by the plaintiff to make a home for his parents during their lives. So far as appears, this was merely the reason why the plaintiff-' made the purchase.

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Bluebook (online)
56 A. 190, 72 N.H. 241, 1903 N.H. LEXIS 56, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/crowley-v-crowley-nh-1903.