Hinds v. Hinds

140 A. 189, 126 Me. 521
CourtSupreme Judicial Court of Maine
DecidedJanuary 23, 1928
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 140 A. 189 (Hinds v. Hinds) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Judicial Court of Maine primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hinds v. Hinds, 140 A. 189, 126 Me. 521 (Me. 1928).

Opinion

Pi-iilbrook, J.

On the 17th day of October, A. D„ 1903, William C. Hinds conveyed a certain piece of real estate, in consideration of one dollar and other valuable considerations, to Revillo L. Hinds and Jessie Hinds, his wife. The names of the grantees in said deed are followed by the words “Trustees of E. Leonard Hinds, minor son of the said Revillo L. and Jessie Hinds.”

By allegation and pleading it is agreed that the said Revillo L. Hinds died on September 28th, A. D. 1921. By the same token it is agreed that on February 4th, A. D. 1919 the said E. Leonard Hinds, minor son of Revillo and Jessie Hinds, became twenty-one years of age.

The present proceeding is a bill in equity coming to this court on report in which the plaintiff, Jessie Hinds, prays that the court will construe and interpret the provisions of said deed and particularly determine the following:

(1) Whether said deed to the plaintiff and her husband, Revillo L. Hinds conveyed legal title to them as trustees of E. Leonard Hinds, or whether they took [523]*523title in fee as tenants in common in their individual capacities.
(2) If said deed created a trust whether the trust is to continue during the minority of E. Leonard Hinds or during the lifetime of E. Leonard Hinds.
(3) If the word “Trustees” in the premises of said deed created the plaintiff and her husband, Revillo L. Hinds, trustees under said deed, (the said Revillo L. Hinds having deceased,) whether she is a surviving trustee or should another trustee be appointed by the court.
(4) If said deed created a trust during the lifetime of E. Leonard Hinds or the lifetime of the trustee, or if said deed gave the title in fee to the plaintiff and Revillo L. Hinds, whether the deed from E. Leonard Hinds to Vera J. Hinds marked “Plaintiff’s Exhibit 2” conveyed any interest in the premises described in “Plaintiff’s Exhibit 1.”
(5) If said deed from E. Leonard Hinds to Vera J. Hinds conveyed no interest that the said defendant Vera J. Hinds may be ordered and decreed to surrender the same, and same be cancelled of record and be decreed to be void.
(6) That she may have such other and further relief as the nature of the case may require.

The defendants are three in number,' namely, Vera Jewett, alias Vera Jewett Hinds, E. Leonard Hinds and William C. Hinds. The latter two filed no plea, answer or demurrer and apparently took no interest in the outcome of the case. The remaining defendant, who denominates herself as Vera Jewett Hinds, files an answer and joins with the plaintiff in the prayer for a construction and’interpretation of the provisions of the deed from William C. Hinds to Revillo L. Hinds and Jessie Hinds.

Considering the provisions just referred to, in their numerical order, it should be observed that the position taken by the plaintiff is that the words “Trustees of E. Leonard Hinds, minor son of the said Revillo L. and Jessie Hinds,” inserted in the granting clause [524]*524of the deed from William C. Hinds to Revillo and Jessie, hereinafter referred to as Plaintiff’s Exhibit 1, are only words descriptio personae and should be construed accordingly; that there is an absence of all proof tending to show the existence of a trust estate, as there is none created by the deed and no declaration of trust accompanying the deed; that the words being descriptive merely the grantees took title in their individual capacity; that the word “Trustees” should be regarded as mere surplusage as this word in the deed leaves nothing to be done by the trustees.

The defendant, Vera Jewett Binds, claims that the deed, known as Plaintiff’s Exhibit 1, established a plain, simple, naked, passive or dry trust, falling within the provision of the statute of uses.

The well established and primary rule with respect to the interpretation of deeds is that the real intention of the parties is to be sought and carried out wherever possible. This rule is enunciated in 8 R. C. L. 1037, where from the list of cases cited it will appear that a very large proportion of the states of this Union have adopted that rule. Our own court, in Pike vs. Monroe, 35 Me. 309, said that in modern times the technical rules of construction used in earlier times have given way to the more sensible rule of construction which is, in all cases, to give effect to the intention of the parties if practicable, when no principle of law is thereby violated. This intention is to be ascertained by taking into consideration all the provisions of the deed as well as the situation of the parties to it; and if a deed may operate in two ways, the one of which is consistent with the intent of the parties, and the other repugnant thereto, it will be so construed as to give effect as to the intention indicated by the whole instrument. This rule was restated and confirmed in Bates vs. Foster, 59 Me. 157. The latter case was decided in 1871 and the rule has not been revoked in this state by later decisions. Turning to Plaintiff’s Exhibit 1, however inartificially it may have been drawn, yet the instrument contains strong internal evidence of the intention of the grantor. After denominating the grantees as trustees, in the conveying clause, we find the words “Unto the said Revillo L. Hinds and Jessie Hinds, in their said capacity, their successors and assigns forever.” Again in the habendum clause the property is to be held by the said grantees “In their said capacity, their successors and assigns.” Again in the covenant clause the grantor covenants with [525]*525the grantees “Their successors and assigns” that they will warrant and defend the premises to the grantees “Their successors and assigns forever.”

If the grantor in Plaintiff’s Exhibit 1 intended to convey the premises to the grantees in their individual capacity his language would be entirely inconsistant with the expressions which wé have just quoted. The grantor distinctly says that he grants to the grantees in “Their said capacity,” and three times in the instrument says that he is conveying to the grantees and to their successors. If the grantor was conveying to the grantees as individuals why should he have used the expressions which he did in regard to the capacity of the grantees, and why should he have three times said that he was conveying to their successors rather than to their heirs and assigns forever, as would be found in a deed conveying real estate to the grantees as individuals.

We have no hesitation in determining that Plaintiff’s Exhibit 1 conveyed the property in trust to the grantees therein mentioned who were to act as trustees of E. Leonard Hinds, minor son of said Novillo L. and Jessie.

The second provision presented to us for consideration by the bill in equity-is, if the deed created a trust, whether the trust is to continue during the minority of Leonard or during his lifetime.

The terms of a trust must be ascertained by applying the usual rules of interpretation to the instrument which creates it, Scott vs. Rand, 115 Mass. 104. Ordinarily the duration of .a trust depends largely upon the intention of the creator as shown by the proper construction of the trust instrument and the nature and purposes of the trust, 39 Cyc. 96.

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Bluebook (online)
140 A. 189, 126 Me. 521, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hinds-v-hinds-me-1928.