Roberts v. Roberts

133 So. 2d 421
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedSeptember 21, 1961
DocketNo. C-178
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 133 So. 2d 421 (Roberts v. Roberts) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court of Appeal of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Roberts v. Roberts, 133 So. 2d 421 (Fla. Ct. App. 1961).

Opinion

CARROLL, DONALD K., Chief Judge.

The plaintiffs in a suit to quiet title have appealed from a final decree entered by the Circuit Court for Duval County dismissing their complaint with prejudice.

In their complaint the plaintiffs deraign their title to the subject land out of the [422]*422United States Government and into private ownership by alleging that the United States Government conveyed the land to the State of Florida by a patent and that the Legislature of the State of Florida granted the land to the Atlantic and Gulf Central Railroad Company. The plaintiffs next allege that the Florida National Bank of Jacksonville, as trustee under an indenture of trust dated May 22, 1928, conveyed the land to one Cynthia J. Yelvington, a widow, as successor trustee, by a deed dated May 26, 1933, and recorded the next day in the public records of Duval County, Florida; and that thereafter the said Cynthia J. Yelving-ton, a widow, and as successor trustee under the said indenture of trust, conveyed the land to the plaintiffs by a warranty deed dated and recorded May 24, 1939.

With reference to the defendants’ title, interest, or claim in or to the said land, the plaintiffs in their complaint allege the following complex series of transactions: On July 27, 1927, Neal D. Benedict and his wife, Margaret E. Benedict, who were then the owners of the subject land, executed a mortgage encumbering the land in favor of the Florida National Bank of Jacksonville, as executor of the last will and testament of Lola E. Mason, deceased, which mortgage was given to secure a promissory note in the principal sum of $6,000. On April 28, 1928, the said bank as such executor assigned the said mortgage to eight persons, all of whom apparently were members of the Roberts family. Two days later three of these assignees assigned their % interest in the mortgage to the other five assignees, the latter group consisting of the said Margaret E. Benedict, the said Cynthia J. Yelvington, the plaintiff George D. Roberts, and the defendants Nathan E. Roberts and Laura Estelle Wall. On May 22, 1928, these five assignees executed an indenture of trust, mentioned in the preceding paragraph of this opinion, naming the said bank as trustee, and assigned the said mortgage and conveyed certain other lands to the said bank. By deed dated January 3, 1931, and recorded three days later, the said Neal D. Benedict and his wife, Margaret E. Benedict, the then owners of the subject land, conveyed this land to the said five assignees, the beneficiaries under the said indenture of trust.

The plaintiffs in their complaint specifically allege that the consideration for the execution of the last-mentioned deed from the Benedicts to the five assignees was the cancellation and satisfaction, by the said bank as said trustee, of the said mortgage encumbering the subject land, which satisfaction was dated January 10, 1931, and recorded three days later.

After so alleging the execution of the deed by the Benedicts in favor of the said five assignees, the plaintiffs in their complaint aver the following as their theory underlying their contention in this suit that all title and interest in and to the said land are in them and not in the defendants:

“That as a matter of law, a resulting trust came into being in favor of Florida National Bank of Jacksonville, Trustee, as the party from whom the consideration for the aforesaid deed passed, with the bare legal title thereto resting in the grantees named in said deed, namely, Margaret E. Benedict, Cynthia J. Yelvington, Nathan E. Roberts, George D. Roberts and Laura Estelle Wall, but the true and beneficial ownership being vested in said Trustee.”

The complaint then alleges that the said five assignees, the beneficiaries under the said indenture of trust, executed an agreement, pursuant to the provisions thereof, requesting that the said bank resign as trustee thereunder, and named, appointed, and substituted Cynthia J. Yelvington as the successor trustee of the said indenture of trust, which agreement was dated May 26, 1933, and recorded on the following day. The complaint also alleges that the said bank by deed dated May 26, 1933, and recorded the next day, executed a deed conveying and assigning to Mrs. Yelvington as successor trustee “all right, title and in[423]*423terest in lands held by it under the above mentioned Indenture of Trust, and such deed specifically recognized and asserted ownership of the subject land and described same in particular.”

Finally, as mentioned before, the complaint alleges that Mrs. Yelvington, as successor trustee under the said indenture of trust, conveyed the subject land to the plaintiffs by a warranty deed dated and recorded May 24, 1939.

The critical question confronting us on this appeal is what interest in the land, if any, was conveyed to the plaintiffs through the deed from the bank to Mrs. Yelvington and the deed from Mrs. Yelvington to them.

The theory of the plaintiffs, as set forth above, is that, as a matter of law, a resulting trust came into being in favor of the bank, trustee, as the party from whom the consideration for the deed from the Bene-dicts passed, with the bare legal title thereto resting in the grantees named in the deed, that is, the five beneficiaries of the trust “but the true and beneficial ownership being vested in said Trustee.”

The law is established in this state that, where the purchase money of land is paid by one person and the title is taken in the name of another, a resulting trust arises, the party taking the title being presumed to hold it in trust for him whp pays the purchase price. See Martin v. Wilson, Fla.App.1959, 115 So.2d 573, and Elvins v. Seestedt, 1941, 148 Fla. 408, 4 So.2d 532, 535 and the cases cited therein.

Under the plaintiffs’ theory, the land in question was conveyed by the Bene-dicts to the five beneficiaries of the trust in exchange for the consideration given by the bank as trustee—namely, the satisfaction of the mortgage which the bank held as trustee for the benefit of those same beneficiaries.

We do not think that a resulting trust arises in favor of the bank under these circumstances. Looking through the form to the substance of the transaction, the consideration was really paid by the five beneficiaries, the grantees of the deed, for they held the beneficial interest in the mortgage that was satisfied. It would be highly inequitable as a result of this transaction to impose a resulting trust upon the land in favor of the bank. The bank had never held more than a bare legal title to the mortgage which is satisfied, and to endow it with the equitable interest in the land under the resulting trust theory, would, we think, unjustly enrich the trustee at the expense of the beneficiaries of the trust, contrary to many precepts of the trust relationship. We hold, therefore, that, when the bank executed its satisfaction of the mortgage, the bank held no legal or equitable interest in the land which it could convey to Mrs. Yelvington as the successor trustee or to anyone else.

In addition to their argument based upon their theory of resulting trust, the plaintiffs-appellants invoke and rely upon the provisions of Section 95.23, Florida Statutes, F.S.A., which reads as follows:

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Bluebook (online)
133 So. 2d 421, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/roberts-v-roberts-fladistctapp-1961.