Neville v. Sawicki

64 N.E.2d 685, 44 Ohio Law. Abs. 408, 1945 Ohio App. LEXIS 691
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 5, 1945
DocketNo. 20094
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 64 N.E.2d 685 (Neville v. Sawicki) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Neville v. Sawicki, 64 N.E.2d 685, 44 Ohio Law. Abs. 408, 1945 Ohio App. LEXIS 691 (Ohio Ct. App. 1945).

Opinion

OPINION

By SKEEL, P. J.

This cause comes to this court on questions of law.

The facts as presented by the record are not in great dispute. John A. Neville, now deceased, during his lifetime was the owner of an undivided one-half interest in a two-family house and lot at 7416 Harvard Avenue in the City of Cleveland. Up and until the death of his first wife in 1916, she was the owner of the remaining one-half interest in said property. There was a daughter born of said union who is now known as Mrs. Florence Champion, a defendant herein, who, upon the death of her mother, became the owner of her mother’s share of said property, subject to the dower rights of her father.

John A. Neville married the plaintiff herein on June 22, 1929, and after their marriage they lived in the lower suite of the property on Harvard Avenue, as John A. Neville had done after the death of his first wife, until the time of his death.

The deceased collected the rents from the upper suite and paid all taxes and up-keep. No compensation was ever paid or accounting made to Mrs. Florence Champion for the use [410]*410of her interest in the property. On October 2, 1943, John A. Neville, by deed in which his wife did not join, deeded his remaining interest in the property to his daughter, Mrs. Florence Champion, without the knowledge of his wife.

On October 5, 1943, John A. Neville executed a will which was probated after his death but his wife elected to take under the law.

Appraisers were appointed in due course by the probate court and believing the one-half interest in the property was still in the name of the deceased, appraised such one-half interest as having a value of four thousand dollars. The total value of the estate, including the half interest in the house and lot on Harvard Avenue as shown by the inventory was $5818.50. Of this amount the appraisers found that $1163.70 was exempt from administration and $1300.00 was determined by the appraisers as and for the widow’s year’s allowance.

The widow did not learn of the transfer of the deceased’s undivided one-half interest in the property to his daughter, Mrs. Champion, until after the will was probated. Item V of the will provided as follows:

“Item V: I do not doubt that some question may arise in the mind of my beloved wife, Amy, as to what has happened to our homestead property. I, therefore, believe that in fairness to her I should explain what has taken place. Before doing so, I wish her to further understand .that I chose not to discuss this matter with her during my lifetime for the reason that I was fearful of serious misunderstanding arising between us. I have just learned recently that for the past twenty-seven (27) years, namely ever since the decease of my former wife, Anna, I had erroneously believed that the entire homestead was mine and I had treated it as my own, keeping for myself the net profits from the homestead, when in fact the same should have been equally divided with my daughter, Florence Champion, for the reason that I have learned that under the law that was in effect twenty-seven (27) years ago, my daughter, Florence Champion, received the one-half (%) interest in the homestead which had formerly belonged to my late wife, Anna. In computing one-half (%) of the net profits for the past twenty-seven (27) years, I found that to date my indebtedness to my daughter, Florence Champion, exceeds six thousand dollars ($6000.00).

I have implored her to accept in full settlement my interest in the real estate and trust that you, Amy my dear wife, will transfer to her your dower interest immediately upon my [411]*411decease, in order that some semblance of justice would result. It is for this reason that I have made my will in this manner.”

Thereupon, this action was instituted by the plaintiff seeking either to set aside the transfer of said property or to impress a lien on said real estate to the extent of her year’s allowance, the amount of the estate exempt by law from administration, the amount of her dower interest therein and her distributive share.

The-petition alleges that said deed was without consideration, was procured by undue influence and also that the deceased was of unsound mind and therefore incapable of deeding said property to Mrs. Champion. There is, however, no evidence in the record to support the plaintiff’s claim either of duress or incapacity. The evidence on the question, whether the deed was given upon a valuable consideration or was a gift, is in conflict and the finding of the court against the plaintiff on this issue is certainly supported by credible evidence. This leaves but one question for our consideration. That is: Can a husband dispose of his real or personal property, • either by gift or otherwise, without his wife’s knowledge or consent, so that it will be free from a claim of the wife, upon the decease of her husband, for a year’s allowance as provided by §10509-74 GC; for the amount exempt from administration as provided by §10509-54 GC; for the amount of her distributive share as provided by §10509-55 GC, and for dower under §10503-1 GC?

Except for plaintiff’s claim for dower which was sustained, the trial court found for the defendants upon these claims.

It has long been the established law of this state that a husband may dispose of his personal property without his wife’s consent.

In the case of Mark v Mark et al, 145 Oh St 301, the sixth paragraph of -the syllabus provides:

“6. A husband may dispose of his personal property during his lifetime without the consent of his wife.”

Likewise, the first paragraph of the syllabus in Bolles v Toledo Trust Company, 144 Oh St 195, holds:

“1. A husband may dispose of his personal property during his lifetime without the consent of his wife; but a husband may not bar his widow of her right to a distributive share.” i ,..

[412]*412Were it not for the provisions of §§10502-1 and 10502-6 GC the rule would be the same with regard to real property.

Sec. 10502-1 GC provides:

“A spouse who has not relinquished or been barred of it, shall be endowed of an estate for life in one-third of all the real property of which the consort was seized as an estate of inheritance at any time during the marriage, but all such dower interest shall terminate and be barred upon the death of the consort, except:

(a) To the extent that any such real property at any time during the marriage was conveyed by the deceased consort, the surviving spouse not having relinquished or been barred of dower therein.” * * *

“Wherever dower is referred to in any^ other section of this Act (§10500-1 to §10512-25 GC) it shall mean the dower to which a spouse is or may be entitled by the provisions of this section.”

Sec. 10502-6 GC provides:

“If a husband or wife gives up real property by collusion or fraud, or loses it by default, the widow or widower may recover dower therein.”

These two sections express the limit of the right of a widow in the real property of a deceased husband which was disposed of during his lifetime in which such widow did not relinquish her dower, or where such property was given up by collusion or fraud or was lost by default.

In the case of Dick, Admrx., v Bauman, 73 Oh Ap 107, Harry Lilley who had been married twice before, married Ann Stine who was a childless widow.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
64 N.E.2d 685, 44 Ohio Law. Abs. 408, 1945 Ohio App. LEXIS 691, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/neville-v-sawicki-ohioctapp-1945.