Gontek v. Gontek

58 Pa. D. & C. 419, 1947 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 233
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County
DecidedFebruary 13, 1947
Docketno. 3944
StatusPublished

This text of 58 Pa. D. & C. 419 (Gontek v. Gontek) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gontek v. Gontek, 58 Pa. D. & C. 419, 1947 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 233 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1947).

Opinion

Smith, P. J.,

This matter comes before the court on respondent husband’s preliminary objections to a bill in equity filed by his wife. The bill states that while the parties cohabited together as husband and wife, a saving fund bank account, designated as Account 6729, was opened in the Cheltenham National Bank of Cheltenham, Pa., in their joint names, with a right of either party to withdraw upon said account; that various sums were deposited in the said saving fund account and on July 15, 1946, and September 23, 1946, the balance in the said account was in the sum of $1,011.42; that on July 15, 1946, respondent gave notice to the said bank to transfer the entire balance, in the sum of $1,011.42 then in the joint saving fund account, to a new account in the same bank in his sole name; that as a result of the said notice, the transfer of the bank account was made in the name of respondent; that [420]*420complainant never consented to the said transfer although demand for one half part of the said sum has been made by her upon said respondent; that the said parties are now living separate and apart. The prayer of the bill asks for an accounting and asks that an injunction issue, enjoining respondent from withdrawing any of the balance from the account in his name until he has accounted to the complainant for the sum of $505.71, being one half of the said balance in the said bank, and until respondent had paid over to complainant the said amount of $505.71 plus the cost of this suit. The prayer further asks that this court order respondent to pay the said sum of $505.71 and costs to complainant.

The preliminary objections filed by respondent present the following reasons:

The Act of June 8,1893, P. L. 344, sec. 3, as amended by the Act of March 27, 1913, P. L. 14, sec. 1, 48 PS §111, provides, inter alia, that a wife may not sue her husband except in proceedings for divorce or in proceedings to protect and recover her separate property;

That this action is not within the exception of the said act;

That the parties are still husband and wife and under the circumstances set forth in the bill, the wife cannot be granted the relief prayed for.

We do not believe that the preliminary objections can be sustained. In Madden et al. v. Gosztonyi S. & T. Co., 331 Pa. 476, Mr. Chief Justice Kephart, speaking of joint tenants said (p. 480) :

“The nature of estates by the entireties is generally, well understood. They are simply a form of co-ownership, a particular type of ‘joint estate’, held by husband and wife. . . . Joint tenancies have four unities: interest, title, time and possession.”

[421]*421In addition to the attributes of a joint estate where each spouse owns the whole, in the estate by the entirety (p. 482) “neither one has any individual portion which can be alienated or separated, or which can be reached by the creditors of either spouse.”

This law applies to personal property as well. Mr. Justice Kephart continues (on p. 484):

“In Klenke’s Estate (No. 1), 210 Pa. 572, a bank deposit in the name of husband and wife was held to be an account by the entireties.”

And on p. 485:

“We have held in a long line of cases that bank deposits . . . payable to husband and wife, or to husband or wife, are tenancies by the entireties with all the incidents relating thereto. ... In Klenke’s Estate (No. 1), supra, a bank account in the names of husband and wife with the provision that ‘We or either of us may draw upon the bank during the continuance of said account’ was held to go to the wife on the death of the husband because survivorship is a direct result of tenancy by entireties.”

And on p. 486, Mr. Justice Kephart further stated:

“When, on the other hand, an account is made payable in its creation to either ‘husband or wife’, there is an immediate expression of authority, of agency to act for both. As an incident of these estates by entire-ties is the power that each gives the other, at the time of the estate’s creation, to act for the other. This conclusion is beyond debate.”

Thus in such an estate by the entirety there is created a presumption that the money withdrawn by one will be expended for both of. them, and that the one withdrawing is acting as the agent for the other. In Madden v. Gosztonyi, supra, on p. 488, 489, Mr. Chief Justice Kephart states:

“ ‘The fund withdrawn is still subject to the legal status of the estate, and it has stamped on it in the [422]*422hands of one who withdrew it all the elements of a trust.’
“The authorities thus cited would seem to show that either spouse presumptively has the power to act for both, so long as the marriage subsists, in matters of entireties, without any specific authorization, provided the fruits or proceeds of such action inures to the benefit of both and the estate is not terminated. But neither may by such action destroy the true purpose of the estate by attempting to convert it or a part of it, in bad faith, into one in severalty.”

We do not see what more could have been done by respondent to indicate his bad faith and to show his intention of destroying the vital-incidents of this estate by the entirety, by his withdrawing of the entire fund from the joint bank account of the parties and placing the said entire fund in his sole possession and control. It cannot be seriously contended that such withdrawal by him inures to the benefit of the both parties to this litigation. The status of the estate remains as it was originally and respondent holds the said estate in trust for the benefit of himself and complainant.

As to the averment in the bill that by his action of withdrawing the funds from the joint bank account, respondent violated the terms of the entirety agreement, and that his wife thereby could acquiesce therein and elect to divide the fund, this raises another question. It is well settled law that neither one of the parties by the entirety can alone destroy the incidents of the entirety by any all-out act of his or hers, but it is also the law that both parties by their joint action may do this. In Beihl v. Martin, 236 Pa. 519, 527, 528, it is stated:

“A little reflection upon the nature of the estate by entireties should make it apparent, we think, that while the estate continues it is utterly impossible for [423]*423either party, without the other joining, to sell or assign his or her interest therein, even the expectancy of survivorship. ... By their joint act they admittedly have the right to sell and dispose of the whole estate; by their joint act they may strip the estate of its attributes and create a wholly different estate in themselves; but neither can divest himself or herself of any part without in some way infringing upon the rights of the other. The wife has the right to initiate as well as the husband.”

And on p. 529:

“ ‘The weight of authority founded as we think upon the better reasoning, is that such acts (the reference being to enabling acts with respect to rights of property in married women) do not in any way effect estates by entirety, except that they deprive the husband of the right to the possession and enjoyment of the property held by himself and wife in this manner, to the exclusion of the wife.’ ”

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Related

Berhalter v. Berhalter
173 A. 172 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1934)
Madden v. Glosztonyi Savings & Trust Co.
200 A. 624 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1938)
Klenke's Estate
60 A. 166 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1905)
Beihl v. Martin
84 A. 953 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1912)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
58 Pa. D. & C. 419, 1947 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 233, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gontek-v-gontek-pactcomplphilad-1947.