Toney v. Wendling

37 N.E. 598, 138 Ind. 228, 1894 Ind. LEXIS 26
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedMay 29, 1894
DocketNo. 16,828
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 37 N.E. 598 (Toney v. Wendling) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Toney v. Wendling, 37 N.E. 598, 138 Ind. 228, 1894 Ind. LEXIS 26 (Ind. 1894).

Opinion

Dailey, J.

The appellee Lennie C. Wendling filed her complaint in the court below, for partition of certain real estate, making defendants therein the appellant, Caroline Toney, and the appelleés Milford Toney, Iiarry Toney, Albert Toney, and Ulysses Toney.

On the 9th day of November, 1892, the appellant filed her cross-complaint in the said action, making defendants therein the appellees, all of whom were minors, with the exception of Lennie C. Wendling. The court appointed David D. Fickle, Esq., an attorney at law of the Cass Circuit Court, as their guardian ad litem,, who accepted the appointment and qualified according to law. The appellee Wendling filed a separate demurrer to each paragraph of the appellant’s cross-complaint, and the guardian ad litem, filed a separate demurrer for the minors to each paragraph thereof. The demurrers alleged, 'as a cause, that neither paragraph of the • cross-complaint stated facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action. The [229]*229appellant lias assigned as error the sustaining of the demurrer to each of said paragraphs, yet she declines to argue the ruling upon the first paragraph, and, under the rules of practice of this court, it is waived.

In the second paragraph of her cross-complaint, appellant alleges, in substance,' that she and the appellees were the owners in fee-simple, as tenants in common, of certain real estate described therein, and that they derived title to said real estate by inheritance from Samuel S. Toney, deceased, who was the father of the appellees and the husband of the appellant, and that in the year 1868, when appellant and Samuel S. Toney were married, the appellant became possessed, in her own right, of* a separate estate in the sum of five hundred dollars in money, derived from the estate of her deceased father, and, at the request of her husband, Samuel S. Toney, appellant deposited with him the said sum of five hundred dollars, to be kept ,by him for appellant; that after her husband had received said sum of money into his custody, he took the same and used it in paying a part of the purchase-money in order to enable him to acquire title and ownership in and to the real estate described in her cross-complaint; that said sum of money was never repaid to appellant, and her husband died intestate in the year 1891, leaving surviving him as his only heirs at law the appellant and the appellees herein, and she asks, in her cross-complaint, to have a lien declared upon the lands to be partitioned, for the said sum of money, with interest, and alleges that the personal estate of the decedent is insufficient to pay such demand. She also alleges that, in addition to said lien, she is the owner in fee-simple of the undivided one-third of the real estate described therein, and that the appellees each own the undivided two-fifteenths of said land, subject to the lien and interest of the appellant, as aforesaid. The appel[230]*230lant prays for the partition of said real estate, as well as that such lien be declared in her favor for the amount of money belonging to her, which her husband invested in said lands.

This paragraph of the cross-complaint is drawn upon the theory that, by reason of the acts and dealings of the appellant and her deceased husband, Samuel S. Toney., a trust resulted in her favor in a part of the lands of which he died seized, and, by reason of this fact, she is entitled to have a lien declared upon the lands in her favor, to the extent of the amount of money she deposited with the husband, which he used in its purchase, with interest thereon.

Under the common law rule, the wife’s personal estate once reduced to the possession of the husband became liis, and no trust could result from its investment in land. Ream v. Karnes, 90 Ind. 167 (172), and cases cited.

But it is now the established law of this State that “The personal property of the wife held by her at the time of her marriage, or acquired, during coverture, by descent, devise, or gift, shall remain her own property to the same extent and under the same rules as her. real estate so remains,” etc. R. S. 1881, section 2488; Burns’ Rev. 1894, section 2649.

In Armacost, Admr., v. Lindley, Admr., 116 Ind. 295, this court held that where a husband, at his own suggestion or request, obtained the title or possession of his wife’s separate property, which, the statute declares, shall remain her own, even though the possession be obtained with her consent, unless the facts and circumstances show an agreement, or intention on the part of the wife that her husband shall receive it as a gift, the law will presume that he took it as her agent or trustee.

In this case, under the allegations of the cross-complaint, showing that the wife at one time had dominion [231]*231over this money as her patrimony, but, at the request of the husband, deposited the same with' him to be kept for her, and that he used it in paying a part of the purchase-money of the real estate in controversy, it is the appellant’s contention that in the possession and management thereof, equity will hold the husband and his heirs trustees of such property, and upon the death of the husband the heirs are liable to account; also, that in partition proceedings' among the heirs the money so loaned or deposited may be taken into consideration the same as in case of advancements, and equity will create a lien for the purpose of enabling the owner of a fund to pursue the particular thing and operate upon it in such a way as to afford adequate and specific relief; that under the doctrine of equitable liens the appellant’s proper remedy to pursue is to have a lien declared upon these lands to the extent of the money so used by the husband.

In our opinion there can be no question but that in this •case, under the facts stated in the cross-complaint, and in the light of the decisions of this and other courts, the appellant’s husband, when he received her patrimonial estate from her, became charged as trustee of the money, and his heirs are liable to account, and such facts are sufficient to justify a judgment against his estate; but does it follow that the allegations are sufficient to show a resulting trust in the land in favor of the appellant? An implied trust is a mere creature of equity, founded upon presumptive intention and designed to carry that intention into effect — not to defeat it. If it is not the intention that the estate shall vest in him who pays the purchase-price, then no resulting trust in his favor attaches to the property. The trust can only arise from the original transaction at the time it takes place, and at no other time. The funds must be advanced and invested at the time the purchase is made. A resulting trust can [232]*232not be created by funds subsequently furnished. It is not possible to .raise such a trust by the subsequent application of the money of a third person in satisfaction of the unpaid purchase-money. It has been many times held that “the resulting trust must arise, if at all, at the time of the execution of the conveyance.” 2 Ballard’s Annual, etc., section 625, and cases there cited; 1 Ballard’s Annual, etc., section 387.

The law concerning resulting trusts in this State is fixed and controlled by statute. Section 2974, R. S. 1881 (Burns’ Rev.

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Bluebook (online)
37 N.E. 598, 138 Ind. 228, 1894 Ind. LEXIS 26, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/toney-v-wendling-ind-1894.