Sanders v. Steele

124 Ala. 415
CourtSupreme Court of Alabama
DecidedNovember 15, 1899
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 124 Ala. 415 (Sanders v. Steele) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sanders v. Steele, 124 Ala. 415 (Ala. 1899).

Opinion

HARALSON, J.

— The contention of the complainant is, that the trust in question Avas an express trust, having been declared in writing by Fannie A. Steele, who Avill be referred, to hereafter as the defendant, and signed by her so as to satisfy the requisitions of the statute of frauds; and, further, that it Avas a resulting trust, by reason of complainant having paid one-half of the [417]*417purchase money. The propositions insisted on by complainant’s counsel, as stated in their written argument, are, “1. That by the purchase of said property, complainant became entitled to an undivided half interest therein, said Fannie A. Steele being his trustee for the same, and 2nd. That complainant became entitled to an undivided half interest in said property by virtue of having contributed one-half of the purchase money.”

Section 1041 of the Code provides, that “No trust concerning lands, except such as results by implication or construction of law, or which may be transferred or extinguished by operation of law, can be created, unless by instrument in writing, signed by the party creating or declaring the same, or his agent or attorney lawfully authorized thereto in writing/ This court has Several times construed this statute, holding that it is a substantial re-enactment of the 7th and 8th sections of- the English statute of frauds, and has the same purpose,— “The requisition of Avritten evidence of trusts concerning lands and the prohibition of the enforcement of such trusts resting merely in parol, when they arise from the agreement of parties, and do not result from the implication or construction of laAV.” — Bailey v. Irwin, 72 Ala. 505; Patton v. Beecher, 62 Ala. 579. As Avas said in the case last cited, “All other trusts than such as arise or result by implication or construction of law, are Avithin its operation. Trusts arising or resulting by implication of laAV may be excluded by, but they do not arise from, nor are they dependent upon the agreement of the parties. From facts proved, Avithout any declaration or agreement of the parties, the law raises the trust. A common case, is Avhen A. purchases lands with the money of B., taking the conveyance of title to himself, the law implies a trust of the title for B.”

It is perhaps unnecessary in this case, to discuss the question, whether under the pleadings and proofs, the trust here sought to be set up in favor of complainant, is a trust concerning lands not resulting by implication or construction of law, such as is defined in the section of the Code above quoted. The complaiant insists, that the facts in the case fully establish a trust under that section of the Code, but whether it does or not, can make [418]*418no difference since the facts fully establish a trust resulting by implication or construction of law, and we are disposed to review the case as arising under this latter contention.

It is well understood, that a resulting trust arises by operation of law, in favor of him who advances the purchase money for land, though the title be taken in the name of another; and when two or more persons together advance the price, and the title is taken in the name of one of them, a trust will result in favor of the other, with respect to a share of the property, in proportion to the consideration advanced or paid by him. — Anthe v. Heide, 85 Ala. 236; Bates v. Kelly, 80 Ala. 142; Lewis v. M. M. B. & L. Asso., 70 Ala. 276; 3 Brick, Dig. 785, § § 47, 48.

Mr. Pomeroy defines resulting trusts to be such as “arise when the legal estate is disposed of or acquired, not fraudulently or in the Adulation of any fiduciary duty, but the intent and theory of equity appears or is inferred.or assumed from the terms of the disposition, or from the accompanying facts and circumstances, that the beneficial interest is not to go with the legal title. In such a case a trust “results” in favor of the person for whom the equitable interest is thus assumed to have been intended, and whom equity decrees to be the real oArner.” — 1 Pom. Eq., § 155; 2 Ib., §§ 1030-1038; Lee v. Browder, 51 Ala. 288; Lehman v. Lewis, 62 Ala. 129; O’Bear Jewelry Co. v. Volfer, 106 Ala. 205, 215-218. In the case of Lee v. Browder, supra, it Avas said: “The authorities are uniform, and have definitely settled, that the trust of the legal estate, whether it is of freehold or of leasehold, results to him who advances the purchase money, without regard to the person in Avhose name title is taken. It is said by Judge story, that the principle has its origin in the natural presumption, in the absence of all rebutting circumstances, that he who supplies the money, means the purchase for .his oavu benefit, rather than that for another; and that the conveyance in the name of the latter is a matter of convenience and arrangement between the parties for some collateral purpose.’’ — 2 Story’s Eq. 1201. The trust arises by operation or implication of [419]*419Jaw, and may be proved by parol, without offending the statute of frauds, will eh extends to and embraces only trusts created or declared by the parties.” In the foregoing authorities there will be found elaborate discussion of resulting and constructive trusts and the distinction between the two, so nearly allied. It may subserve the purpose of this case the better, to refer more particularly to the case of Anthe v. I-Ieide, supra, a case very similar to the one we have before us. Its essential features are the same. A portion of the purchase money of land had been furnished by Mrs. Anthe, and the other portion by Heide. The last payment was made by Heide before it was due without Mrs. Anthe’s lcnoAvledge or consent. A bond for titles was taken by Heide and transferred to his Avife, and on the payment of the purchase money, a conveyance Avas executed to her by the vendor. She and her husband conveyed the premises by mortgage to Kraus to secure a past due indebtedness. On a bill filed by Anthe and Avife against Heide and Avife and Kraus, seeking to establish a resulting trust in the land, to the extent of an undivided half interest, as per the terms of an alleged verbal agreement betAveen said Anthe and Heide, to the effect that the purchase had been made on joint account, each paying one-half of the purchase money and acquiring a half interest for their respective Avives, the relief prayed was denied and the bill dismissed. On appeal the decree Avas reversed, and a decree Avas renderd in this court, dclaring complainants to be entitled to the relief prayed. The court said: “If any portion of the money paid to the Elytom Land Company, as a consideration of the purchase of the land, Avas the money of Mrs. Anthe, as alleged in the bill, although the bond for title was taken by Heide in his own name, a resulting trust would enure to the benefit of Mrs. Anthe, to the extent of the consideration advanced by her. And if Heide himself adAmnced any part of the consideration by Avay of a loan to Mrs. Anthe, under- an agreement express or implied, he Avould hold the property upon a resulting trust in her favor, to the extent of her interest in such money consideration, which is alleged in the bill to be an undivided half interest. — Bates v. Kelly, 80 Ala. 142, and authorities there cited. * The last [420]*420payment made by Heide, being anticipated by him without the consent or kno wledge of the complainants, must in justice and in good conscience be considered as a fraud on the rights of complainants, and an advance by way of an implied loan to Mrs.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Abston v. Estate of Abston
973 So. 2d 1068 (Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama, 2007)
Dorman v. Knapp
225 So. 2d 799 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1969)
Williams v. Williams
74 So. 2d 582 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1954)
Young v. Greer
35 So. 2d 619 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1948)
De Freese v. Vanderford
125 So. 228 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1929)
Bowmaster v. Carroll
23 F.2d 825 (Eighth Circuit, 1928)
Sims v. Hipp
113 So. 296 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1927)
Willard v. Sturkie
105 So. 800 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1925)
Sieger v. Sieger
202 N.W. 742 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1925)
Koehler v. Koehler
121 N.E. 450 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1919)
Clark v. Frazier
1918 OK 708 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1918)
Flesner v. Cooper
1913 OK 507 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1913)
Deming v. Lee
56 So. 921 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1911)
Carlson v. Erickson
51 So. 175 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1909)
Birmingham & Atlantic A. R. R. Co. v. L. &. N. R. R. Co.
44 So. 679 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1907)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
124 Ala. 415, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sanders-v-steele-ala-1899.