McKnight v. McKnight

180 N.W. 437, 212 Mich. 318, 1920 Mich. LEXIS 518
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 21, 1920
DocketDocket No. 65
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 180 N.W. 437 (McKnight v. McKnight) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McKnight v. McKnight, 180 N.W. 437, 212 Mich. 318, 1920 Mich. LEXIS 518 (Mich. 1920).

Opinion

Steere, J.

On November 30, 1914, plaintiff Lucy McKnight deeded to defendants the place upon which she resided, consisting of 10 acres of farm land with a dwelling house, barn and outbuildings upon it, located near the village of Berlin in Ottawa county and claimed to be worth approximately $3,000, gave them a bill of sale of her household furniture and fixtures, farm implements, tools, vehicles and other personal property on the place, including a cow, some chickens, hay, corn, feed, etc., transferred to them a note for $2,000 secured by a- mortgage given to her by one Albert Hawley and wife, and some weeks later assigned to them certain stock in the Valley City Stone & Gravel Company for which she had paid $750 about two years before. The total estimated value of all the property thus transferred to them is said to be between $6,000 and $7,000. This was done pursuant to a contract in writing of like date, November 30, 1914, entered into between the parties whereby, in consideration for the above conveyance and transfers of property, defendants agreed to abandon their own home and move upon the property conveyed to them by plaintiff, support, care for and provide her a home there during her natural life, in consideration for which she agreed to either convey her property, real and personal, to them during hér lifetime, “or provide by will upon her death for the transfer of all such property to the parties of the second part.” The contract concludes as follows:

[320]*320“It is the express intention of the party of the first part that parties of the second part shall become possessed of all her property, either during her lifetime or upon her death, and to effectuate the same, party of the first part hereby agrees to execute a will in the event that all of the property now belonging or hereafter acquired by said first party, during her lifetime, shall not have been transferred by her, previous to her death, to parties of the second part.”

An introductory recital of reasons for the parties entering into such agreement states:

“Whereas, party of the first part desires to live with the parties of the second part and have them care for her in her declining years; and, whereas, the parties of the second part are now residing on their farm in the township of Cascade, Kent county, Michigan, and to remove therefrom and abandon and break up their home and surroundings will be a great sacrifice and loss to them in order to comply with the request of the party of the first part; now, therefore,” etc.

This bill was filed to set aside said deed and transfers of personal property, and for an accounting by defendants to her in relation to the same, on the grounds of inadequate consideration, deception, undue influence and failure to perform on defendants’ part.

The case was heard on pleadings and proofs taken in open court. The relief asked was denied, but with a provision under the prayer for general relief that plaintiff should have a lien upon the real estate she conveyed under the contract to secure future performance by defendants, the court saying in part:

“The testimony shows, and it appears to the satisfaction of the court, that the plaintiff was fully competent to enter into the contract and make the instrument referred to in the bill of complaint, and that she did so of her own free will, that no undue influence was used to procure the same, and that the contract was a fair one, and for a valuable consideration, and that the defendants have complied with the terms of [321]*321said contract so far as the plaintiff would permit them to do so.”

When the contract was entered into and transfers of title were made plaintiff was 65 years of age, without children or immediate relatives, widow of Thomas McKnight, Sr., to whom she was married about eight years prior to his death, which occurred November 6, 1914, and who was father of defendant Thomas J. McKnight. While it was interrogatively suggested by plaintiff’s counsel that her husband Thomas McKnight had a life income from the estate of a former wife, he left no estate so far as shown. The property in question here came to her from a former deceased husband named Padden. During their married life she and her husband Thomas McKnight lived together upon the 10 acres in question which he cultivated and cared for until in the later years of his life old age made it necessary at times to have help.

When his father died defendant Thomas J. McKnight was 56 years of age, had been a farmer all his life living in Cascade township where he had owned and operated an 80-acre farm located 17 miles southeast of Grand Rapids, upon which he had lived both before marriage and with his family thereafter until they moved' from it subsequent to his father’s death in compliance with the agreement. He had been married about 23 years and his family consisted of himself and wife, defendants herein, and four children, the oldest and youngest being respectively 17 and 11 years of age.

After plaintiff married Thomas McKnight, Sr., defendants became acquainted with her. Friendly relations were established between the two families and, though living some distance apart, they occasionally visited each other’s homes. Plaintiff testified that she and her husband visited defendants “about once or [322]*322twice a year and we got pretty well acquainted.” That defendants “used to call me ‘grandma’ and my husband ‘grandpa’; the children did the same.” Defendant Elizabeth McKnight said: “She visited at our house once or twice a year and she would stay a week, or a few days, and I visited their home a little oftener.”

Plaintiff was concededly a strong, healthy woman of well-balanced mind and clear understanding until she suffered a stroke of paralysis in April, 1914, stressed for her as a dominant element in her claim for relief. Its extent and lasting effect upon her, mentally and physically, are matters in dispute. She testified to remaining in bed but a short time after it occurred, that Dr. Chappell attended her and defendant Elizabeth McKnight was sent for and came, remaining about three weeks; that her right arm and speech were affected which made' a difference since in her “mind and conversation,” and during that summer, though she was able to be around and enjoyed walking, she was not able to work, nor since that time had she been as well as before. ' The physician who attended her was not called as a witness. Elizabeth McKnight and her husband, who also went over at the time plaintiff was stricken, testified she was sitting in a chair when they arrived, unable to raise her right hand, but was able to talk, and appeared glad to see them; that she talked with neighbors who came in, and told Elizabeth, who attended to the household affairs, what to get for dinner that day. Elizabeth remained with the old folks for about three weeks on that occasion, caring for plaintiff and the house. When she left plaintiff was getting along well, could walk around and comb her hair with her right hand.

While there is some conflict in the testimony as to the severity of the stroke, which some of the neighbors who saw her the next morning called “slight,” [323]

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

Related

Baber v. Hicks
455 S.W.2d 104 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1970)
McLean v. Wortman
91 N.W.2d 811 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1958)
Stryker v. Sands
72 A.2d 175 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 1950)
Heartsill v. Thompson
16 So. 2d 507 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1944)
Heckmann Ex Rel. Heckmann v. Brenton State Bank
291 N.W. 465 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1940)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
180 N.W. 437, 212 Mich. 318, 1920 Mich. LEXIS 518, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcknight-v-mcknight-mich-1920.