Repp v. Lesher

61 N.E. 609, 27 Ind. App. 360, 1901 Ind. App. LEXIS 66
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 8, 1901
DocketNo. 3,843
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 61 N.E. 609 (Repp v. Lesher) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Repp v. Lesher, 61 N.E. 609, 27 Ind. App. 360, 1901 Ind. App. LEXIS 66 (Ind. Ct. App. 1901).

Opinion

Robinson, J.

Action by appellants to enforce a trust. Complaint in three paragraphs. Appellee Sarah 3L Leshei answered in eight paragraphs; appellees Catharine and David Lesher answered in eight paragraphs. The appellees above named answered the complaint jointly in three paragraphs. Special finding of facts, with conclusions of law and judgment in appellee’^ favor. Errors assigned and discussed are: that appellant’s demurrer to Hie fourth paragraph of separate answer of Sarah K. Lesher to the first paragraph of complaint, and the demurrer to the second paragraph of joint answer of Sarah K., Catharine, and David Inslier, were erroneously overruled; that appellant’s motion for a new trial was improperly overruled; and that the conclusions of law are incorrect.

The first paragraph of complaint avers in substance that on the 27th day of February, 1865, John Lesher, then a widower, held the legal title to 150 acres of land, described, which he had previously paid for with moneys belonging to his wife, mother of appellants, and had taken the conveyance in his own name. On that date John Lesher and appellee Sarah K. Lesher (then the widow of Charles Kessinger), in contemplation of marriage, entered into- an antenuptial agreement, each executing and delivering to the other a contract in writing, that in the event of their marriage the property each then held should be and remain the property of each respectively, free from any claim by the other; that the parties were married, and John Lesher sold fifty acres of the land to pay debts and afterwards sold 100 acres and by agreement between the husband and wife part [362]*362of the money was paid to Sarah K. Lesher to' be held by her in trust for John Lesher’s children; that afterwards Sarah 3L Lesher purchased certain described lands and paid therefor the trust funds so held by her, and took the title to part of it in her own name and the rest in the name of appellee, Catherine Lesher, with knowledge of the trust and that they are still in possession of the land so purchased; asking an accounting, for judgment, and conveyance of the land.

The second paragraph of complaint pleads the execution of the antenuptial contract, in February, 1865, by each executing to the other a separate written agreement signed and acknowledged; that by his written agreement “John Lesher settled upon his children by his former wife all his real and personal estate to be taken by them at his death,” and by her written agreement Sarah releasd all her interest therein. A copy of her agreement is made an exhibit. “That the said agreement executed by John Lesher has been lost, misplaced, or destroyed and a perfect copy of it can not be given.” The pleading further avers that the parties were married ; that at the time of the contract and marriage John Lesher owned the 150 acres of land; that he sold 100 acres; that Sarah K. Lesher obtained possession of a large amount of the money and notes for this land and invested the same in the lands now in question in her own name and in the name of Catherine Lesher; that neither Sarah K. nor Catherine Lesher furnished the money or any part thereof to pay for these lands, but all of the purchase money was derived from the sale of the 100 acres of land that John Lesher had by his antenuptial contract settled upon his children by his former wife; that such investment was without the consent of such children (appellants) ; that no consideration passed for such money or notes, but that the same belonged to and was the property of John Lesher so long as he lived, and after his death, in 1894, was the property of these appellants.

[363]*363The third paragraph avers that in 1875 Sarah X. Lesher agreed with John Lesher to hold certain moneys, then held by and coming to him, for him during his life, and at his death pay the same to Ms children; that she received the money and invested it in the land in question, took the title in her own name and in the name of Catherine Lesher; that John Lesher died in 1894.

Objection is first made to the fourth paragraph of answer to the first paragraph of complaint. This paragraph of complaint seems to proceed upon the theory that appellants’ rights grow out of the trust averred to have been created when John Lesher purchased the 150 acres of land with his wife’s money. In the brief it is said that this paragraph of answer is not good because “it neither denies nor avoids the trust averred in said. paragraph of complaint to have been created by John Lesher by taking title in himself to the lands he purchased with the money of appellants’ mother, Ms first wife, which trust is the foundation of the canse of action alleged therein,” and “that the trustee’s placing of the trust funds in Sarah X. Lesher’s hands, to be held by her in trust, are only incidents to the original trust.”

The averment of the complaint by which it is sought to show the creation of this trust is that “on said 27th day of February, 1865, said John Lesher held the legal title to the east 150 acres of land lying, etc. [describing the land], which he purchased (prior to that time, to wit, during the lifetime of his then deceased wife) with and paid for the same with moneys belonging to said former wife, but he, said John Lesher, took the deed of conveyance for the same in his own name, although said lands really belonged to his said first wife.” .

These averments are not sufficient to establish a trust in favor of the former wife. It is simply averred that the husband paid the wife’s money for the land, and took the title in himself. It is not shown that the conveyance to [364]*364him was without the wife’s consent, or that it was fraudulently made, or that it was .in violation of any trust, or that there was any bona fide agreement that he should hold the land in trust for her. The statute expressly provides that “When a conveyance for a valuable consideration is made to one person, and the consideration therefor paid by another, no use or trust shall result in favor of the latter; but the title shall vest in the former, subject to the provisions of the next two sections.” §3396 Burns 1894. “The provisions of the section [§3396] next before the last shall not extend to cases where the alienee shall have taken an absolute conveyance in his own, name without the consent of the person with whose money the consideration was paid; or where such alienee, in violation of some trust, shall have purchased the land with moneys not his own; or where it shall be made to appear that, by agreement and without any fraudulent intent, the party to whom the conveyance was made, or in whom the title shall vest, was to hold the land or some interest therein in trust for the party paying the purchase money or some part thereof.” §3398 Burns 1894. See Goldsberry v. Gentry, 92 Ind. 193; Mitchell v. Colglazier, 106 Ind. 464; Moore v. Thomas, 137 Ind. 218; Malady v. McEnary, 30 Ind. 273; Milner v. Hyland, 77 Ind. 458. Upon the theory of the complaint as stated, the first paragraph of complaint is bad, and there could be no error in overruling a demurrer to an answer even if the answer was bad. Alkire v. Alkire, 134 Ind. 350.

The second paragraph of joint answer-to the whole complaint admits the execution of the antenuptial contract in 1865, but pleads its annulment in 1871 by an agreement between the parties to that effect, which was recorded on the face of the record of Sarah E.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
61 N.E. 609, 27 Ind. App. 360, 1901 Ind. App. LEXIS 66, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/repp-v-lesher-indctapp-1901.