Vonville v. Dexter

76 N.E.2d 856, 118 Ind. App. 187
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 29, 1948
DocketNo. 17,690.
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 76 N.E.2d 856 (Vonville v. Dexter) 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
Vonville v. Dexter, 76 N.E.2d 856, 118 Ind. App. 187 (Ind. Ct. App. 1948).

Opinions

Royse, J.

This appeal raises the question of whether a trustee in bankruptcy is entitled to the interest of a bankrupt husband in real estate owned as tenants by entireties. (Hereinafter when the term “appellee” is used it will refer to appellee Dexter. The appellants will be referred to individually as husband and wife.)

The facts out of which this action arose, as shown by the record, may be summarized as follows: Appellants were married in 1923. At the time of their marriage the wife had $1,000 of her own money. She applied this money to the purchase of a home in Illinois. Title to this property was taken in the name of husband and wife as joint tenants. There was a mortgage on the property. About a year and a half later this property was sold at a profit of about $1,000. At about the time of this sale the husband entered the contracting business building homes, etc. The proceeds from the sale of the first property were invested in another piece of real estate, title in both as joint tenants. The husband built a home on it. There was a mortgage on this property. Sometime prior to 1930 this property was sold and the proceeds from this sale invested in property in Calumet City, Illinois, title again in both as joint tenants, the husband, in 1930 or 1931, building a home on this real estate in which appellants lived for *190 about ten or eleven years. While the husband was engaged in building the houses the earnings of the wife supported the family.

In 1982 the husband and another not involved in this action entered into a contract with the United States Government for the extension and remodeling of the U. S. Post Office in Joliet, Illinois. On or about July 15, 1932, The Fidelity & Deposit Company of Maryland as surety executed its contract bond in the sum of $50,000, conditioned that the husband and his associate would faithfully perform said contract. The application for the bond was signed by the husband and carried the usual indemnifying provision. In August of 1933 the husband and his associate abandoned their contract and the Bonding Company completed the work.

About 1926 the wife had to go to work because the earnings from the business of the husband were not sufficient to support them. From 1932 to 1937 the husband could not find any work because of the depression. The wife worked regularly and earned from $125 to $140 per month. Out of her earnings she made the payments on the mortgage on their home, paid the taxes, grocery, utility and other household expenses. It is undisputed that if it had not been for her contributions the home in Calumet City would have been lost.

About 1940, the record discloses the property in Calumet City was sold. There was a mortgage of between $5,500 and $6,000 on this property at the time of the sale. The sale price was $7,500. With the net proceeds from this sale the wife purchased an apartment in Hammond, Indiana. Title was taken in the name of husband and wife as tenants by entireties. There was a $6,500 mortgage on this property. During the time they lived in this property the wife made the payments on the mortgage. They kept this property for about *191 one and one-half to two years. It was sold for $12,000. At the time of the sale the mortgage had been reduced to about $6,000. The wife received the net proceeds from this sale. The husband explained this by saying she had made all the payments, etc., and he never had anything to do with her money. In July of 1942, with the proceeds from this sale, she bought the farm in Marshall County which is the subject of this action. Title to this farm is in appellants as tenants by entire-ties. The farm is subject to a mortgage in excess of $3,000.

Early in 1945, the Fidelity & Deposit Company of Maryland brought its action in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana against appellants and others for $27,500 for money and interest thereon expended by it by reason of the failure of the husband to fulfill his contract with the government. The United States District Court made its special finding of facts and found in favor of the wife and that the husband was indebted to the Bonding Company in the sum of $11,036.37 with interest from the 30th day of March, 1936. (From this it may be inferred the debt accrued on said date.) Judgment was entered in favor of the wife and against the husband for $16, 929.78. In August, 1945, the husband filed his voluntary petition in bankruptcy. The appellee was appointed trustee. The judgment in favor of the Fidelity & Deposit Company was filed as a claim in said matter.

Thereafter, appellee brought this action asserting he became the owner of right, title and interest of the husband in the farm. Upon proper request the trial court made a special finding of facts and stated its conclusions of law thereon. The only finding which is materially different from the facts as hereinbefore set out is finding No. 4, which is as follows:

*192 “That the said defendants, George E. Vonville and Margaret Vonville, each contributed approximately equal sums of the purchase of said farm, said George E. Vonville contributing thereto his own funds in the approximate sum of $1,500.00; that at the time of said purchase and conveyance, the defendant George E. Vonville was indebted to the Fidelity Deposit Company of Maryland, a corporation, in the sum of $11,036.37, with interest thereon at the rate of 6 per cent per annum from the 30th day of March, 1936, which indebtedness was later reduced to judgment as above described; that at the time of said conveyance and continuously ever since, the defendant, George E. Vonville, had no other property subject to execution out of which the claim of the Fidelity and Deposit Company of Maryland, a corporation, could or can be collected.”.

The trial court’s conclusions of law were as follows:

“1. That the law is with the plaintiff and the defendants Aetna Life Insurance Company and against the defendants, George E. Vonville and Margaret Vonville; that the plaintiff is entitled to the partition and sale of the following described real estate in the County of Marshall and State of Indiana: (H. I.), in accordance with the laws of the State of Indiana in such cases made and provided.
“2. That the parties hereto are entitled to participate in the proceeds of such sale, and the proceeds of said sale shall be distributed in the following order and manner:
First: To the payment of the costs of this action and of the sale of said real estate; Second: $3,215.11 together with interest thereon at the rate of 5% per cent per annum from August 1, 1945, until paid, plus $250.00 as attorneys’ fees to the defendant Aetna Life Insurance Company in full payment and satisfaction of its mortgage on said real estate; Third: The balance to be divided equally between the plaintiff, Galeman Dexter, as Trus *193 tee in Bankruptcy of the Estate of George E. Vonville, and the defendant, Margaret Vonville.”

Judgment accordingly.

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Bluebook (online)
76 N.E.2d 856, 118 Ind. App. 187, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/vonville-v-dexter-indctapp-1948.