Scanzo v. Morano

187 N.E. 552, 284 Mass. 188, 1933 Mass. LEXIS 1081
CourtMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
DecidedOctober 24, 1933
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 187 N.E. 552 (Scanzo v. Morano) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Scanzo v. Morano, 187 N.E. 552, 284 Mass. 188, 1933 Mass. LEXIS 1081 (Mass. 1933).

Opinion

Pierce, J.

This bill of complaint seeks to establish a resulting or constructive trust in a savings bank account (number 56081) with the City Savings Bank of Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The case is before this court on the appeals of the plaintiff and of the executor of the will of Maria A. Scanzo from the "Order for Decree” and from the "final decree as entered” dismissing the bill "as to all the defendants” and the cross bill of the executor “as against all parties.”

The evidence is not reported. The trial judge made findings of fact and rulings of law. From these findings it appears that the plaintiff was the husband of Maria Antonio Scanzo who died April 13, 1932, and that the defendant Patrick Scanzo is executor of her will. The maiden name of the wife of the plaintiff was Maria Antonio Trincilita. Her first husband was Nicola Morano by whom she had two sons, the defendant Arthur E. Morano and Alfred Morano. The plaintiff and Maria were married in New York in March, 1902. They lived there four or five months, then lived in Coxsackie, New York, about two months and then came to Pittsfield, where they lived together until Maria’s death in 1932. The plaintiff worked as a mason’s helper, gave the wages he earned to Maria, who paid the household expenses. On July 31, 1905, a savings account (number 5348) was opened in the name of Maria Antonio Trincilita in the City Savings Bank of Pittsfield. This account was opened with a deposit of $250 which was derived from the "joint earnings and savings of plaintiff and Maria and with some money earned by defendant Morano who was a member of the household.” The defendant Morano “was eleven years old when he arrived in the United States, [he] went to school for about two years, working while attending school and giving earnings to his mother Maria. He left school in 1899 or 1900 and since that time has had almost steady employment”; he "lived with plaintiff and Maria except when employed outside of Pittsfield, gave Maria money from time to time and particularly from 1900 up to 1910-1912 when he had savings accounts in his own name, contributed groceries occasionally, up to the time of [191]*191his marriage in 1922; as well as giving money to Maria.” By her marriage to the plaintiff Maria had two children. “These children worked and earned money which was turned over to Maria.”

In 1907 the plaintiff and Maria “bought a house and lot and all the money in the aforesaid account . . . then amounting to $767.69 was drawn out and applied on purchase price.” This real estate was sold on August 4, 1923; the proceeds from that sale started account number 109042 with the Berkshire County Savings Bank in the names of Serafino Scanzo and Maria Antonio Scanzo. After the death of Maria this account was closed, on April 18, 1932, with deposits and interest then amounting to $2,484.57. Stamped on said book appear the words “Payable to either or survivor of either.”

The account number 5348 was not closed, and in October, 1907, a deposit of $150 was made, presumably by Maria. Thereafter deposits were made between February 17, 1908, and October 23, 1909, of sums totalling $769.48. October 23, 1909, was the last date on which a deposit was made in this account, which then “amounted to $946.24.” Thereafter withdrawals were made in March and June, 1915, to the amount of $147, leaving a balance on June 1, 1915, of $1,020.04 which, with the accumulated dividends, amounted to $1,434.83 on May 24, 1923.

On the last named date the defendant Morano, at his mother’s request, went to the City Savings Bank with her “to have your (Morano’s) name put on the book.” “An employee of the bank suggested a trustee account and accordingly a new book was made'out in the name of Mrs. Maria A. Scanzo Trustee for Arthur E. Morano and the then balance of $1,434.83 was entered on said book .... No deposits or withdrawals have since been made and on January 10, 1931, the account amounted to $2,063.22 which with its accumulated dividends since that date is now claimed by plaintiff and by the executor of the will of said Maria.” This trustee account bore the number 56081. “When the account was placed in. the name of Maria A. Scanzo, Trustee for Arthur E. Morano (defendant) the bank [192]*192book was handed to him [Morano] and he 'gave it to . . . [his] mother so she could get the interest.’ In 1929 Maria told defendant Morano she would give him the bank book if he wanted it.”

In July, 1931, wills were drawn by the plaintiff and Maria. Maria showed five bank books, “and when asked as to a sixth book (meaning City Savings Bank book number 56081, the account on which this action is based) said the book 'had same name as the rest.’” These five accounts may be scheduled as follows: (1) City Savings Bank number 19259 opened June 15, 1912, in the name of the plaintiff, described therein as “Serafino Scalzo”; (2) Pittsfield National Bank savings department number 1844, opened June 15,1920, in the names of “Serafino Scanzo and Mariatonia Scanzo”; this account on May 20, 1922, amounted to $362.60 and this amount was withdrawn on that date but the account was not closed; a deposit of $100 was made January 16, 1923, and the deposits and accumulated dividends amounted to $2,682.64 on April 18, 1932, on which date the account was closed, five days after the death of Maria; (3) Pittsfield National Bank savings department number 11392 opened August 6, 1927, in the names of “Serafino Scanzo or — ■ Mariatonia Scanzo” with a deposit of $400; interest amounting to $23.44 was withdrawn August 7, 1929, and $210 was withdrawn October 5, 1931; the balance, with accumulated interest, was withdrawn and the account closed on April 18, 1932, five days after the death of Maria; (4) Berkshire County Savings Bank number 109042, opened August 6,1923, in the names of “Serafino and Maria Antonia Scanzo,” and closed after the death of Maria on April 18, 1932; the words “Payable to either or survivor of either” were stamped on the savings bank book; and (5) Berkshire County Savings Bank number 67647 opened in the name of “Serafino Scalso payable to wife Marie A.”; this account was closed April 18, 1932, with deposits and interest then amounting to $2,394.52. Besides the “sixth book,” the account on which this action is based, there was another account with the Berkshire County Savings Bank number 81651 opened May 16, 1914, [193]*193in the names of Mary Scanzo, Serafino Scanzo trustees for their daughter Marie A. Scanzo. This account was closed October 31, 1918, by an order payable to Agricultural National Bank signed “Marie Scanzo now Mrs. Marie C. D’Angelo.” The judge further found that the “Plaintiff is unable to read or write in either English or Italian or to sign his name.”

“From the facts heretofore found and the inferences drawn” the trial judge found and ruled that the money in the account in dispute, aúz., City SaAdngs Bank of Pittsfield number 56081, which account was originally number 5348, amounting to $2,063.22 on January 10, 1931, came from earnings of the plaintiff and earnings and savings of his wife Maria, and money handed her from time to time up to 1910 by the defendant Morano; that the defendant Morano gave money to his mother after 1910 but that the same was not deposited in this account. He states: “There is no evidence on which I can find how much each contributed.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
187 N.E. 552, 284 Mass. 188, 1933 Mass. LEXIS 1081, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/scanzo-v-morano-mass-1933.