Mullikin v. Jones

278 P.2d 876, 71 Nev. 14, 1955 Nev. LEXIS 55
CourtNevada Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 11, 1955
Docket3776
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 278 P.2d 876 (Mullikin v. Jones) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nevada Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mullikin v. Jones, 278 P.2d 876, 71 Nev. 14, 1955 Nev. LEXIS 55 (Neb. 1955).

Opinion

*15 OPINION

By the Court,

Badt, J.:

The main two questions presented on this appeal are:

A. When premises are held by a husband and wife as joint tenants, does the occupancy of said premises as a home prevent alienation by the husband of his interest without the wife’s joining in the conveyance? Or, differently expressed, does an undeclared homestead under *16 such circumstances, fall within the constitutional and statutory prohibition against unilateral alienation by the husband?

B. Where property occupied by a husband and wife as their home is held by them in joint tenancy, is a transmutation from such joint tenancy to community property accomplished by proof that the joint tenancy property, originally of little value, was built up to a material value through community efforts and by the use of community funds?

We answer both of these queries in the negative. Other questions, in the main incidental to the foregoing, are disposed of in the following opinion.

The facts are simple. Lucille Mullikin' and Rufus Mullikin were married at Las Vegas in April 1947. Rufus had been married several times before, and had seven children by a prior marriage. Rufus owned, at the time of his marriage to Lucille, the North Las Vegas Motor Court, the subject of this litigation, being a lot approximately 100 by 200 feet on which are situated a manager’s apartment (occupied by Lucille and Rufus as their home from the time of the marriage to the death of Rufus), nine rental cabins and some other improvements. Assuming, for the purpose of this opinion, the filing of an amendment to the complaint, tendered by the plaintiff but rejected by the court, and assuming certain proofs offered by plaintiff and likewise rejected, the motor court owned by Rufus at the time of the marriage had a gross value of about $20,000, was subject to encumbrances of $20,000, and was in a badly run-down condition. Lucille installed in the property some household goods and furniture worth about $1,500. In October 1947, Rufus conveyed the property to himself and Lucille as joint tenants by regular form of joint tenancy deed, which was at once recorded. At the same time both parties made their wills, each leaving all of his estate to the other. Both spouses devoted their time and efforts to the property until Rufus became ill with tuberculosis some two years after the marriage. In the *17 spring of 1950 he took to his bed in his last illness and died in July 1951. During the entire period of his illness all the work of the motor court was done by Lucille. All the rental proceeds above what was necessary for living expenses went toward paying off the encumbrances and improving the property, with the result that at the time of Rufus’ death the mortgages had been reduced to about $1,500. In October 1950, Rufus executed a deed conveying all his interest in the property to his daughter, Bonnie Jones, the respondent herein, defendant below, which deed she recorded in July 1951, some two weeks after Rufus’ death. 1

The trial court found that Rufus and Lucille owned and held the property as joint tenants, and that Rufus had conveyed his interest in the premises prior to his death to his daughter Bonnie Jones for a sufficient consideration. As a conclusion of law it held that the property had been held by Rufus and Lucille in joint tenancy and not as community property. Judgment was entered denying Lucille’s prayer for a decree quieting her title to the entire property, and granting the prayer of respondent’s cross complaint for a decree quieting her title to an undivided one half interest.

This appeal challenges first the holding of the trial court that an undeclared or de facto homestead may not exist in real property held by the husband and wife as joint tenants; and, secondly, the holding that the contribution of community efforts and community earnings, greatly enhancing the value of the property, did not result in transmuting the joint tenancy to that of community property. 2 There are other assignments of error, which are dealt with later.

*18 The first question involves construction and interpretation of certain constitutional and statutory provisions in the light of the decisions of this and other appellate courts in the so-called community property states.

Section 30 of Article IV of the Constitution provides: “A homestead, as provided by law, shall be exempt from forced sale under any process of law, and shall not be alienated without the joint consent of husband and wife when that relation exists; * * * and laws shall be enacted providing for the recording of such homestead within the county in which the same shall be situated.”

Section 31 of Article IV defines the separate property of the wife as that owned before marriage and afterward acquired by gift, devise or descent, and then provides, “and laws shall be passed more clearly defining the rights of the wife in relation, as well to her separate property as to that held in common with her husband.”

Section 6 of “An Act defining the rights of husband and wife,” enacted pursuant to the constitutional mandate and being sec. 3360, N.C.L.1929, provides: “The husband shall have the entire management and control of the community property, with the like absolute power of disposition thereof, except as hereinafter provided, as of his own separate estate; provided, that no deed of conveyance or mortgage of a homestead as now defined by law, regardless of whether a declaration thereof has been filed or not, shall be valid for any purpose whatever unless both the husband and wife execute and acknowledge the same * * *.”

Section 1 of “An Act to exempt the homestead and other property from forced sale in certain cases,” being sec. 3315, N.C.L.1929, as amended, reads as follows:

“The homestead, consisting of a quantity of land, together with the dwelling house thereon and its appurtenances, not exceeding in value ten thousand dollars, *19 to be selected by the husband and wife, or either of them, or other head of a family, shall not be subject to forced sale on execution, or any final process from any court, for any debt or liability * * *, except process to enforce the payment of the purchase money for such premises, or for improvements made thereon, or for legal taxes imposed thereon, or for the payment of any mortgage thereon executed and given by both husband and wife, when that relation exists. Said selection shall be made by either the husband or wife or both of them, or other head of a family, declaring their intention in writing to claim the same as a homestead.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
278 P.2d 876, 71 Nev. 14, 1955 Nev. LEXIS 55, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mullikin-v-jones-nev-1955.