Poindexter v. Jeffries

15 Va. 363
CourtSupreme Court of Virginia
DecidedJuly 15, 1859
StatusPublished

This text of 15 Va. 363 (Poindexter v. Jeffries) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Poindexter v. Jeffries, 15 Va. 363 (Va. 1859).

Opinion

MONCURE, J.

This case involves the doctrine of what is familiarly called “the wife’s equity;” the origin and foundation of which are involved in much doubt, but which has been long and firmly established in England; 2Story’s Eq. 4 1402, 1407, &c.; and though but recently recognized in this state, is now well established here also. Gregory’s adm’r v. Mark’s adm’r, 1 Rand. 355; Gallego v. Gallego’s ex’or, 2 Brock. R. 285; Browning v. Headley, 2 Rob. R. 340; Dodd’s trustee v. Geiger’s adm’r, 2 Gratt. 98; James, &c. v. Gibbs, &c., 1 Pat. & Heath 277. I will not attempt to 'investigate it fully, but will state only so much of it as seems to be pertinent to the present case. The authorities on the subject are collected and commented on in 1 Lead. Cas. in Eq. Am. ed. 1859, top paging, 453-501.

The doctrine may be briefly stated thus: that a wife is entitled to an equitable settlement out of her property, not only against her husband, but against all creditors of, and purchasers from him, whenever it is recoverable only in a court of equity, or the aid of that court is actually invoked for its recovery; unless the husband has become a purchaser of the property by an antenuptial contract with the wife. If it be recoverable at law, and the aid of a court of equity be not actually invoked to recover it, her equity does not exist. And it ceases to exist, though the property be recoverable in equity, whenever it has been actually recovered or received without any claim by her to a settlement. Whenever the husband, in right of his wife, has obtained possession of, and title to her property, his own title jure marlti, becomes complete; and the property, to the extent of his title, is subject to his right of disposition, and to the claims of creditors and purchasers, like any other property of his any otherwise acquired. 2 Story’s Eq. ? 1403. If he or they have occasion to go into a court of equity for its assistance in regard to property to which his title has thus become complete; that court cannot, as the price of its assistance, impose upon him or them the [851]*851terms of a settlement out of it on the wife. The relief sought in such a case, being due ex debito justitiaj, must be decreed unconditionally. It may be laid down as a universal rule, that when property, by being reduced into the husband’s possession, has once been released from the wife’s equity, it can never again be subjected to it. I mean of course the wife’s equity, technically so called; which overrides the claims of the husband “and all persons claiming under or against him. I Lead. Cas. in Eq- 468, 498. Property acquired by the husband jure mariti, like any other property of his, may become liable to the equitable claims oí the wife in a suit for a divorce a mensa et thoro, and perhaps in a suit for alimony. Id. 496-7. But such liability is subordinate to prior liens acquired under or against the husband.

It seems to have been at one time considered that real estate was not subject to the wife’s equity; and, at all events, that it was not so subject if it were not a trust estate, but one in its nature legal, which becomes from collateral circumstances the subject of a suit in equity; as where the legal estate happens to be outstanding in a mortgagee. But both of these points were decided affirmatively in the case of Sturgis v. Champneys, 5 Mylne & Cr. 97; reported also in 9 Law J. N. S. p. 100. In that case the wife of an insolvent was entitled for her life to real estate which had been devised to her without the intervention of trustees; but the legal title was outstanding in certain mortgages, and the assignee of the insolvent was obliged to file a bill to make his title (subject to the incumbrances) effectual. It was held by Lord Chancellor Cottenham (reversing the decision of the vice chancellor), that the wife was entitled to a settlement out of the rents and profits of the estate during the coverture. In Hanson v. Keating, 4 Hare, 1, 30 Eng. Ch. R. 1, Vice Chancellor Wigram, who had been counsel for the assignee of the husband in Sturgis v. Champneys, remarked, that prior to that case the opinion of the profession had, he believed, become settled, that estates in land were not subject to the same equity, upon the broad and important principle of preserving a strict analogy between legal and equitable estates in land. But, in deference to that judgment, he followed it, !‘although (he further remarked), “if that case were out of the way, I should probably have decided otherwise. There would be no difficulty (he said) in distinguishing the facts of this case from those in Sturgis v. Champneys; but the reasoning in that case would remain, and I cannot disregard it.” That case has al.so been followed by other cases, and its authority seems to be now fully established in England. Freeman v. Fairlie, 11 Jur. 447; Newenham v. Pemberton, 17 Law J. Equity N. S. p. 99; S. C. 1 D. G. & Sm. 644. I have seen no American case in conflict with it. In Hold’s trustee v. Geiger’s adm’r, 2 Gratt. 98, no question was raised as to the liability of real estate to the wife’s equity; but it was held not to be liable in that case, because the husband had the legal title arid possession. See also Van Duzer v. Van Duzer, 6 Paige’s R. 366; and Wickes v. Clarke, 8 Id. 161. In James, &c. v. Gibbs, &c., 1 Pat. & Heath 277, the Special court of appeals referred to and recognized the case of Sturgis v. Champ-neys, and decreed a settlement on the wife out of her real estate. It is unnecessary, however, in my view of this case, to decide the question, and I therefore express no opinion upon it, but will assume, for the purposes of the case, that the doctrine is alike applicable to real and personal estate.

As to the amount of the wife’s property to be settled; the general rule atone time was, to settle upon her one-half of the subject. 1 Roper on Husband & Wife 260; 1 Leading Cas. in Eq. edition of 1859, p. 483. But this is a matter in the discretion of the court, which will take into consideration the amount of the wife’s fortune already received by the husband, or any previous settlement which may have been made. Id. Accordingly, in Coster v. Coster, 9 Sim. R. 597, three-fourths of the fund was settled on the wife by Sir L. Shadwell, V. C. ; and in Napier v. Napier, 1 Drew. & Walk. 407, six hundred pounds out of a fund “'amounting to one thousand pounds, were settled on her by Ld. Ch. Sug-den. It has been said that the court will not, except perhaps under very peculiar circumstances, settle the whole of the property on the wife. And in Beresford v. Hobson, 1 Madd. R. 362, in which the master, upon a reference, had approved of the settlement of the whole, Sir Thomas Plumer. V. C., sustained the exception taken to the report; observing, after an elaborate review of the authorities, that the question in most cases had been, how much the wife should have; and in determining that, the court had exercised a discretion, and had no! tied itself down to any precise rule, but bad never given the whole. But the whole has been given in many subsequent English cases, which are cited in 1 Lead. Cas. in Eq. 485. The American cases seem to be to the same effect, many of which are cited in the notes of Hare & Wallace to that valuable work, p. 499. This court, in Browning v. Headley, 2 Rob. R. 340, gave the whole to the wife. The true rule on the subject seems therefore to be, that the settlement should be reasonable and adequate, and may be of part or the whole of Ihe property, according to the sound discretion of the court upon all the circumstances of the case. The usual practice is to refer it to a commissioner to enquire and report what would be a reasonable and adequate settlement.

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