Keller v. Cox

118 N.E. 543, 67 Ind. App. 381, 1918 Ind. App. LEXIS 170
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 18, 1918
DocketNo. 9,455
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 118 N.E. 543 (Keller v. Cox) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Keller v. Cox, 118 N.E. 543, 67 Ind. App. 381, 1918 Ind. App. LEXIS 170 (Ind. Ct. App. 1918).

Opinion

Felt, J.

Appellant filed her complaint against appellee in two paragraphs. The first paragraph seeks to quiet title to thirty-three acres of real estate in Fountain county, Indiana. The second seeks to set aside a deed by which appellant conveyed said real estate to appellee Melissa Jane Cox on the ground that the conveyance was procured by fraud and undue influence and without any consideration whatever. Issues were joined by general denial, and upon request the court made a special finding of facts and stated its conclusions of law thereon.

The errors assigned and relied on for reversal of the judgment are that the court erred in the first conclusion of law, and in overruling appellant’s motion for a new trial.

The substance of the finding of facts is as follows: Appellant was a widow, and the owner of the real estate in controversy. She had one son and three daughters. Appellee Melissa Jane Cox is her daughter, and appellee Robert L. Cox is the husband of Melissa Jane. Appellant’s husband died in 1905, when she was about sixty-five years of age. Thereafter she lived a part of the time with her children and part of the time at her home on the real estate in controversy. In 1908 she suffered a slight stroke of paralysis, while living with her daughter, Sarah E. Allen. In February, 1909, after she had largely [384]*384recovered, she went to the home of appellee and remained there for about four weeks, after which she went to her own home. In the spring of 1909' appellant had some difficulty or misunderstanding with her son about some rents and personal property. In June, 1909, she informed her daughters that she intended to deed her real estate to them, and that her son should have no part thereof. Her daughter Sarah E. Allen refused to accept such conveyance. Appellant requested her daughter Sarah E. Allen, to communicate with appellee Melissa Jane Cox and inform her of her intention to convey her real estate to her, and to request her to come to appellant’s home; that ^he complied with, such request, and was informed by appellant that she desired to make her a deed for her land, reserving to herself the rents and. profits, for life, and at her death the said Melissa Jane should divide the proceeds among appellant’s three daughters; that said Melissa Jane orally consented to the proposal; that some time thereafter, at the request of appellant, and without the knowledge of appellee, appellant waS taken to Covington, by her daughter Mrs. Allen and her husband, where she executed the deed and caused it to be duly recorded; that appellant received no valuable consideration for the conveyance, which was executed on July 13, 1909, reserving the rents and profits of the land to appellant for life. The deed was thereafter mailed to appellant by the recorder, and a few weeks after receiving the same appellant delivered it to appellee Melissa Jane, with arrangements as aforesaid as to sale of the land and distribution of the proceeds. Appellant rented her land both before and after the deed was executed, and received the rents therefrom, amount[385]*385ing to about $60 per year, which was the reasonable rental value thereof. At the time the deed was executed appellant drew a widow’s pension of $8 per month, which has since been increased to $12 per month; that appellant owns personal property of the value of $100, and a small house located on the land of her son-in-law worth $75, and has no other property or income except as above shown. For some time prior to July 13,1909, appellant lived with her daughter Sarah E. Allen, and thereafter for about four years, and in February, 1913, she went to reside at the home of her son, Joseph Keller, where she continued to reside; that each of her daughters expressed a willingness to render their.mother any care and attention that she required without charge; that appellant’s general health is reasonably good, but she is unable to wait about without assistance; that she is illiterate, cannot read or write, but “is a person of sound mind and understanding and was at the date of the execution by her of said deed and fully understood the business she was directing and transacting and deeded it of her own volition without being influenced by her.” The.findings also show that before bringing this suit appellant requested a reconveyance to her by appellees of the real estate aforesaid, and caused a deed in due form to be duly presented to them, for that purpose, and that they refused to execute the same.

1. [386]*3862. [385]*385The court stated its conclusions of law to the effect that appellant was not entitled to recover, and that the deed in controversy should not be set aside. Appellant excepted to the conclusions of law. By so excepting she concedes that the facts- within the issn.es are fully and correctly [386]*386found. The failure of the court to find a material issuable fact, the burden of proving which rests upon one of the parties, is a finding against the party having the burden of proving such fact.

3. No facts are found which show undue influence or fraud in procuring the conveyance, but on the contrary the ultimate facts found show that appellant was of sound mind and fully understood what she'wa's doing, and executed the deed voluntarily, free from any influence of the grantee.

Appellant contends that the conclusions of law are erroneous, because appellant impoverished herself by the conveyance, and did not have sufficient income or property left for her reasonable support.

If it be true that the conveyance was improvident, and that appellant thereby impoverished herself, and did not have sufficient means left to provide for herself reasonable support, still it does not follow that the court erred in its conclusions of law, for no facts are found which show the conveyance to have been improvident, or that appellant did not have sufficient means left for her reasonable and comfortable support.

4. The findings do show that the conveyance was made without any valuable consideration, but this alone is not sufficient ground to set aside a deed where the question arises between the grantor and the grantee. Barnes v. Bartlett (1874), 47 Ind. 98, 103; Aldrich v. Amiss (1912), 178 Ind. 303, 305, 99 N. E. 419.

[387]*3875. 6. [386]*386The court did not err in its conclusions of law on the facts found.

[387]*387Appellant also contends that the evidence is insufficient to sustain the finding of facts, hut such contention cannot he sustained, since there is evidence tending to prove every material fact found hy the court. A special finding should contain only the ultimate facts in issue, and may not properly contain mere evidentiary facts. The trial court may properly state in its finding any ultimate or inferential fact established hy the facts and circumstances shown hy the evidence in the case.

7. Ultimate facts are inferred from evidentiary facts and circumstances, and are fully warranted where they may reasonably be inferred therefrom. Bradway v. Groenendyke (1899), 153 Ind. 508, 512, 55 N. E. 434; Craig v. Bennett (1896), 146 Ind. 574, 575, 45 N. E. 792; Barrett v. Sipp (1911), 50 Ind. App. 304, 314, 98 N. E. 310.

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Bluebook (online)
118 N.E. 543, 67 Ind. App. 381, 1918 Ind. App. LEXIS 170, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/keller-v-cox-indctapp-1918.