Lewis v. Akerberg

118 N.E.2d 166, 66 Ohio Law. Abs. 545, 1953 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 373
CourtCourt of Common Pleas of Ohio, Franklin County, Civil Division
DecidedMay 12, 1953
DocketNo. 183414
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 118 N.E.2d 166 (Lewis v. Akerberg) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Common Pleas of Ohio, Franklin County, Civil Division primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lewis v. Akerberg, 118 N.E.2d 166, 66 Ohio Law. Abs. 545, 1953 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 373 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1953).

Opinion

[548]*548OPINION

By BARTLETT, J.

The Court finds that the plaintiff and her mother in 1920 furnished the purchase price of $15,000 for the 19 acre tract described in the petition and known as 6856 N. High Street, Columbus, Ohio; that the title thereto was taken in the name of plaintiff’s father, and the premises were purchased as a home for plaintiff’s parents, her brother and herself; that in 1921 the father conveyed said premises to the mother by deed of gift; that in 1943 the mother gave the son a mortgage for $7000.00 on the premises for money advanced the mother, including $4451.81 to.pay off a mortgage placed thereon by the parents; that on August 8, 1946, the mother conveyed said premises to the son by deed of gift, and the deed was recorded May 28, 1949; that from time to time the son advanced certain money for the maintenance and support of the father and mother who died in 1942 and 1951 respectively, and both parents lived on the premises until their death; and that the plaintiff had no knowledge of the $7000.00 mortgage until after the death of the mother and no knowledge of the deed to her brother until January, 1950.

Held as follows:

1. The plaintiff and her mother at the time of its purchase, took the equitable estate in the premises as tenants in common, in the proportions by which they furnished the purchase price thereof, being a 2/5ths equitable interest owned by plaintiff.

2. The mother and brother by their respective deeds of gift, held the legal title to the 2/5ths undivided estate in fee simple in said premises in trust for the benefit of the plaintiff.

3. The deed to the brother was given as security for advances made for the maintenance and support of the mother, and for that purpose must be treated as an equitable mortgage.

4. The $4415.81 advanced by the brother to pay off the mortgage given by the parents, is an equitable lien on the entire premises, but the other undivided interest therein must be exhausted before resort may be had to plaintiff’s interest therein, to satisfy said advancement.

All other advances by the brother must be satisfied out of the other undivided interest in the premises, as the interest of the plaintiff is not liable for said advances.

5. The court will take judicial notice, as part of the history of the country, that the present value of the premises exceeds by far its value in 1920; and the court is satisfied that the value of the other undivided interest in the premises will be much more than sufficient to satisfy in full the total claims of the brother for said advances and, consequently, the in[549]*549terest of the plaintiff in said premises will not be subject to said advances.

6. The court, therefore, orders the defendant Herbert Akerberg to convey to the plaintiff Vivian Akerberg Lewis the legal title to an undivided 2/5ths interest in fee simple in the premises described in the petition; and in the event the conveyance is not made by the defendant within thirty days from the entry of the decree herein, said decree itself shall act as such conveyance.

Vivian Akerberg Lewis brings this action against her only brother, Herbert V. Akerberg, seeking a decree finding her to be the owner in fee simple of an undivided 2/5ths interest in a tract of about 19 acres, on the west side of North High Street, south of Worthington, the title to said premises being held by her brother under a Quit Claim Deed, absolute on its face, from his mother; and that her brother be required to convey to her said 2/5ths interest, free from any and all claims of her said brother. The premises are also known as 6856 North High Street.

Mrs. Lewis sets forth in her petition that prior to July 15, 1920, she entered into an oral agreement with her father and mother that they would purchase a tract of real estate to be used as the family home during the life of her parents; that she should own an undivided interest in said premises in proportion to the part of the purchase price furnished by her; that the title to the premises was to be taken in the name of her father, Mathias Akerberg; and that if the premises were sold during the life of her said parents or either of them, plaintiff should receive her respective share of the proceeds of said sale.

Mrs. Lewis further states in her petition that pursuant to said agreement she and her parents purchased the aforesaid premises for the sum of $15,000.00 from Belle Cleveland and others; that the title thereto was taken in the name of her father by a-deed dated July 15, 1920; that the plaintiff paid $6,000.00 as her portion of said purchase price; that plaintiff’s mother and her brother, at the time of said purchase, had full knowledge of the terms of said agreement and the portion of the purchase price paid by her; that on March 17, 1921, her father conveyed said premises to her mother, Mary D. Akerberg, by a deed of gift; that her father died December 22, 1942; that her father and mother respectively, held title to the 2/5ths interest in the premises as her trustee; that without her knowledge or consent, on August 8, 1946, her mother conveyed the premises to her brother by a Quit Claim Deed of gift; that her brother did not file said last mentioned deed for record until May 28, 1949; that she first learned of the [550]*550conveyance of said premises to her brother in January, 1950; that her mother died February 11, 1951; and that by virtue of the facts well known to her brother, he held title to the 2/5ths undivided interest in the premises as her trustee, but that her brother now claims to own the entire estate in said' premises and denies she has any interest therein.

On October 29, 1951, Herbert Akerberg filed his answer, admitting Mrs. Lewis wa's the daughter of Mathias and Mary D. Akerberg, who died on the dates set forth in her petition, and that she is his sister; that the premises were conveyed to the respective parents and to himself as stated in her petition; but denies all other claims of Mrs. Lewis.

The case came on for trial February 24th last, at which time Herbert Akerberg tendered a new answer which at first the Court refused to permit being filed, but at the close of the plaintiff’s case, the Court permitted the new answer to be filed in order to further explore the facts in the case.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
118 N.E.2d 166, 66 Ohio Law. Abs. 545, 1953 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 373, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lewis-v-akerberg-ohctcomplfrankl-1953.