Kozina v. J. B. Watkins Lumber Co.

20 N.W.2d 606, 146 Neb. 594, 1945 Neb. LEXIS 122
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 23, 1945
DocketNo. 31947
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 20 N.W.2d 606 (Kozina v. J. B. Watkins Lumber Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kozina v. J. B. Watkins Lumber Co., 20 N.W.2d 606, 146 Neb. 594, 1945 Neb. LEXIS 122 (Neb. 1945).

Opinion

Messmore, J.

This is an action in equity to redeem from two real-estate, mortgages as the equitable owner thereof, and for an accounting.

The plaintiff’s amended petition discloses the* following facts: Early in 1925, the plaintiff, a building contractor, purchased by contract lot 16, block 2, Begley Park, an addition to the city of Omaha, and began the construction of a residence thereon for investment purposes. To complete the building and replenish his working capital, he deeded the property to his wife without consideration save their mutual covenants, under an oral agreement with her that the property was to be used only for procuring additional capital and to secure business debts; that he would repay all such sums and discharge the debts from his personal funds and hold her harmless therefor, and that the property, though held in her name, should remain his, with all its burdens, thereby in better protection of his wife should anything happen to him before the obligations were fully paid. On August 8, 1925, he joined with his wife in executing a note for $1,500 with interest, due August 8, 1930, and to secure the note, he joined with her in executing a mortgage on this real estate. With his capital replenished he carried on his business and later became indebted to the J. B. Watkins Lumber Company for materials furnished. To secure this indebtedness he and his wife joined in a note on May 29, 1929, in the amount of $2,054.46, bearing interest at six percent per annum, payable in installments of $50 per month. For further security, he and his wife entered into a second mortgage which was executed and delivered to J. B. Watkins personally, on the same property, in payment of plaintiff’s obligation to the company. On August 8, 1930, the first mortgage became due and remained unpaid. On November 17, 1930, the lumber company pro[596]*596cured an assignment from the plaintiff, bearing only his-signature, of all the rents from the mortgaged property, knowing that the first mortgage was due and unpaid and that the plaintiff’s wife still remained the titleholder. The assignment provided the rent received was to be applied on expenses incurred by the property, and any excess to be applied on unpaid accounts of the plaintiff with the company, the assignment to concern insofar as any interest the plaintiff appears to have in the property. Under the terms of the assignment the company took over the management of the property and collected the rentals, believed to average about $30 per month, for a period of 14 years without objection from the titleholder. The company assumed interest payments on the first mortgage and paid interest to August 12, 1933. On the same day the first mortgagee, in pursuance to an oral agreement had with the titleholder for a seven-year extension and renewal of the covenants of the first mortgage, prepared a written agreement, the effect of which was to extend the first mortgage to August 8, 1937. The extension was executed by the titleholder, then an unmarried woman, the plaintiff having procured a decree of divorce from her in October of 1932, which became final April 24, 1933. The plaintiff was not a party to the extension agreement. The-divorce decree contained no modification or adjudication of the property rights of the parties respecting the property in controversy. After the first mortgage again became due, the lumber company paid it and became the owners thereof by assignment.

The plaintiff claims that the company concealed the facts with reference to the ownership of the first mortgage from him. He further claims he was refused information as to the rentals collected and expenses and payments made by the company on either mortgage, though he was entitled to this information as a coobligor on both original mortgages and as a beneficial mortgagor or the real owner of the equity of redemption in the mortgaged- property.

By information obtained from various sources, the plaintiff believed the mortgage indebtedness was wholly or near[597]*597ly paid. As a result thereof, he made demand on the lumber company and J. B. Watkins personally, by letter dated April 28, 1944, for an accounting, for the purpose of redemption, or to release the liens. There was no compliance with this demand.

The plaintiff further claims that the lumber company and J. B. Watkins, in bad faith, thereafter attempted to balk the plaintiff in his declared purpose to redeem the real estate, by fraudulently and collusively procuring and recording a warranty deed to the real estate from the plaintiff’s divorced wife.

The prayer of the amended petition is to the effect that plaintiff be found entitled, as beneficiary of a trust, as coobligor or otherwise, to the right of redemption; that the amount necessary to redeem be determined; that plaintiff be found entitled to an order of cancellation or satisfaction of either or both mortgages, if found fully paid, or upon payment within the time fixed of the amount found justly due, to an order, when redemption money has been paid or other conditions met, to operate as a conveyance to, or as quieting title in him; and for such other and different relief to which, in equity, he may be found entitled.

The tenants were made defendants to this action, and no cause of action is pleaded against them. For the purposes of this appeal they have no rights to be determined herein.

The plaintiff, appellant, for convenience hereinafter will be referred to as plaintiff, and the defendant appellees will be referred to as defendants.

The defendants demurred to the amended petition for the reason that the amended petition does not state sufficient facts to constitute a cause of action against each demurring defendant. The separate demurrers of each defendant were severally sustained. The plaintiff elected to stand on his amended petition, and not to plead further. Thereupon the court dismissed the plaintiff’s cause of action. Plaintiff appeals, contending the court erred in severally sustaining the separate demurrers of the defendants and dismissing plaintiff’s cause of action.

[598]*598“A demurrer to a pleading admits the truth of the facts well pleaded for the purpose of determining their sufficiency as a cause of action or defense, but it does not admit the correctness of the conclusions of law drawn therefrom by the pleader.” American Water-Works Co. v. State, 46 Neb. 194, 64 N. W. 711; Thurston County v. Farley, 128 Neb. 756, 260 N. W. 397.

With the foregoing rule in mind, the question is, does the amended petition state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action against the defendants?

It is the plaintiff’s contention that the facts pleaded in the amended petition establish a constructive trust.

“A constructive trust is a relationship' with respect to property subjecting- the person by whom the title of the property is held to an equitable duty to convey it to another on the ground that his acquisition or retention of the property is wrongful and that he would be unjustly enriched if he were permitted to retain the property * * * .” Restatement of the Law, Trusts, s. 1, p. 5. See, also, Wilcox v. Wilcox, 138 Neb. 510, 293 N. W. 378; Fisher v. Keeler, 142 Neb. 728, 7 N. W. 2d 659.

The purpose of the conveyance is clear. The wife was to use the property to procure additional capital and to secure the husband’s business debts. He agreed to repay such debts from his personal funds.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
20 N.W.2d 606, 146 Neb. 594, 1945 Neb. LEXIS 122, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kozina-v-j-b-watkins-lumber-co-neb-1945.