Hamlin v. Hamlin

109 P. 362, 59 Wash. 182, 1910 Wash. LEXIS 1161
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedJune 24, 1910
DocketNo. 8550
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 109 P. 362 (Hamlin v. Hamlin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Washington Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hamlin v. Hamlin, 109 P. 362, 59 Wash. 182, 1910 Wash. LEXIS 1161 (Wash. 1910).

Opinion

Crow, J.

This action was commenced by Edward H. Hamlin against James W. Hamlin, Mrs. S. A. Hanna, Prank R. Atkins, and Mary C. Atkins, his wife, to establish a trust and recover plaintiff’s interest therein. In 1876 William H. Hamlin and Marie Hamlin, both now deceased, were intermarried in this state. William H. Hamlin had, by a former marriage, one son, the defendant James W. Hamlin, and Marie Hamlin had, by a former marriage, one son, the plaintiff, who adopted the name of Hamlin. William H. and Marie Hamlin acquired considerable land in Snohomish county as their community property. On July 13, 1899, Marie Hamlin conveyed all of this land except one tract known as lot 3, to her husband by warranty deed, in consideration of love and affection. The plaintiff alleged that Marie Hamlin was then in feeble health; that her deed, absolute in form, was in fact made to William H. Hamlin in trust, he to have use, possession, and right to sell during his lifetime for his maintenance and support, and the remainder of the land, with the proceeds, issues and profits thereof, to be given at his death, one-half to the defendant James W. Hamlin and one-half to plaintiff; that Marie Hamlin died on October 8, 1890 ; that William H. Hamlin accepted the trust, entered into possession and acquired other lands with the rents, issues and profits; that he from time to time disposed of portions of the land so held in trust by him; that prior to January 10, 1906, he conveyed other portions to one John W. Lyke, as security for a loan; that on January 10, 1906, he, by John W. Lyke as his attorney in fact, contracted to sell to the defendant Frank R. Atkins certain of the land, including said lot 3; that plaintiff, at William H. Hamlin’s request, conveyed his interest in lot 3 to John W. Lyke, it being then agreed that $2,300, with interest from March 27, 1906, should be paid to him by William H. Ham[184]*184lin out of the proceeds of the sale, and thát all of the remainder of the lands theretofore conveyed by Marie Hamlin, with the proceeds thereof, should be held in trust by William H. Hamlin for the plaintiff and the defendant James W. Hamlin, share and share alike, and that all of William H. Hamlin’s estate- remaining at his death, after payment of plaintiff’s $2,800 note, should be equally apportioned to plaintiff and James W. Hamlin; that on April 6, 1906, John W. Lyke and wife, at William H. Hamlin’s request, conveyed the title to the real estate held by John W. Lyke to the defendant Frank R. Atkins, who paid $11,182.50 in cash therefor, and with his wife, Mary C. Atkins, executed and delivered to John W. Lyke their note for $10,417.50, secured by mortgage on the real estate conveyed, and that John W. Lyke thereafter transferred said note and mortgage to William H. Hamlin. The plaintiff further alleged:

“(15) That thereafter and on to wit, the 18th day of November, A. D. 1907, being then mortally sick and in contemplation of death, Wm. H. Hamlin did assign, transfer and set over unto the defendant S. A. Hanna the said promissory note dated April 8, 1906, made by the said Frank R. Atkins and Mary Churchill Atkins, his wife, together with the mortgage securing the same hereinabove described and mentioned and did by his deed of warranty in writing convey and warrant to the defendant S. A. Hanna that portion of said above described real estate held by the said Wm. H. Hamlin in trust, as aforesaid, and particularly described as follows, to wit: (description).
“(16) That the assignment of said note and of said mortgage and the conveyance of said land to the said S. A. Hanna were so made by the said Wm. H. Hamlin in trust that the said S. A. Hanna should collect the principal and interest due and to become due upon said promissory note hereinabove mentioned and made by the said Frank R. Atkins and Mary Churchill Atkins, his wife, to the said John W. Lyke and by the said John W. Lyke assigned to the said Wm. H. Hamlin and to apply, divide and distribute the proceeds of said note and said land as follows: (1) That the said S. A. Hanna should pay to herself a reasonable compensation for administering said trust. (2) That the said S. A. [185]*185Hanna should pay therefrom to plaintiff the said sum of twenty-three hundred dollars ($2¿300) and interest above mentioned. (3) That the said S. A. Hanna should divide all the rest, residue and remainder of said trust estate between the plaintiff and the defendant, James W. Hamlin.
“(17) That thereafter and on or about the first day of December, 1907, the said Wm. H. Hamlin died intestate leaving surviving him no wife and no child or children other than the said James W. Hamlin.
“(18) That the said S. A. Hanna accepted said trust and took possession of all of the property of every kind and nature left by the said Wm. H. Hamlin and all of which was held by the said Wm. H. Hamlin'as trustee, as hereinabove alleged, including the promissory note, mortgage and real estate mentioned and described in paragraph 15 hereof and ever since has held, and does now hold, and possess the same, in trust for the purposes above alleged and not otherwise.
“(19) That the said S. A. Hanna does now deny that she holds said property in trust for this plaintiff in any particular or to any extent other than to pay to this plaintiff the said sum of twenty-three hundred dollars ($2,300) and interest and has refused, and does now refuse, to acknowledge the right of plaintiff to any right, title, or interest, in, or to, said note, mortgage and lands, or any part thereof, and that the said S. A. Hanna is threatening to, and will, as plaintiff believes, collect the amount now due upon said note, and that she will pay over the whole of the proceeds thereof to the said James W. Hamlin excepting only the said sum of twenty-three hundred dollars ($2,300) and interest.”

In addition to other equitable relief, plaintiff asked that S. A. Hanna be decreed a trustee; that her reasonable expenses be ascertained and paid; that she be directed to pay plaintiff’s $2,300 note; and that the remainder of the money to be collected by her on the Atkins note, and all of the real estate conveyed to her be transferred to plaintiff and James W. Hamlin share and share alike. James W. Hamlin and Mrs. S. A. Hanna answered separately. The defendant James W. Hamlin, with other affirmative defenses, alleged that Marie Hamlin never made or executed any writing W'hereby she imposed any trust upon the real estate conveyed [186]*186by her, and that any trust claimed by plaintiff to have been imposed on any of the real estate is an express trust resting in parol only. This allegation being admitted, the plaintiff, on the trial, abandoned any attempt to establish any express trust imposed upon the land, but asserted the trust which he alleged had been imposed upon the personal property by William H. Hamlin immediately prior to and in contemplation of his death.

The trial court found that the Atkins note and mortgage were executed and delivered as alleged; that $8,941.50 was due thereon, with interest from April 8, 1906; that John W. Lyke sold and transferred them to William H. Hamlin; that on March' 27, 1906, William H. Hamlin executed and delivered to plaintiff his note for $2,800; that on November 18, 1907, William H. Hamlin assigned and transferred the Atkins note and mortgage in trust to S. A. Hanna, who was to collect the same and pay $1,000 to herself, $2,800 and interest to the plaintiff on the note held by him, and pay- to the plaintiff and James W. Hamlin equally the remainder thereof; that William H.

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

Related

Rennie v. Washington Trust Co.
249 P. 992 (Washington Supreme Court, 1926)
McIntyre v. Marshall
129 Wash. 544 (Washington Supreme Court, 1924)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
109 P. 362, 59 Wash. 182, 1910 Wash. LEXIS 1161, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hamlin-v-hamlin-wash-1910.