Wachenheimer v. Standart

19 Ohio C.C. 693
CourtOhio Circuit Courts
DecidedJanuary 15, 1895
StatusPublished

This text of 19 Ohio C.C. 693 (Wachenheimer v. Standart) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Circuit Courts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wachenheimer v. Standart, 19 Ohio C.C. 693 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1895).

Opinion

HAYNES, J.

This action was brought in the court of common pleas for the purpose of obtaining the partition of certain property, known as the Opera House property, in Toledo. A decree was taken in that case in that court and an appeal was taken to this court. After it came here there was a demurrer filed to the answer and cross-petition of Sarah M. Standart, whioh was very fully argued at the time, and an opinion was delivered by Judge Scribner upon that demurrer. With that opinion as thus delivered, we still remain content, and abide by it as stating the law of the case. In addition to the prayer for a partition in the petition as originally filed in the court of common pleas, there was also a prayer for an accounting as against Mrs. Standart and as against her mother, Mrs. Wheeler, or persons who stood in her shoes, for rents and profits.

The case generally shows that the property in question — the real estate — was owned by the heirs of Lyman Wheeler, who died in the year 1867, leaving surviving him his wife and three children — Ellen Wheeler, mariied to Louis Wachenheimer, Robert J. Wheeler and Sarah M. Wheeler, since married to Mr. Standart, and mentioned here as Sarah M. Standart. The general facts further show that prior to the year 1871, there was a sort of a family arrangement entered into that they would put up upon the property an opera house, and an opera house was built. To raise money for the opera house, the heirs sold certain property, and perhaps mortgaged other property, and Mrs. Wheeler herself contributed towards the building a large sum of money, since said to have been $15,000; and there was contributed to the fund also, and used in it, moneys belonging to Sarah. M. , Wheeler, now Sarah M. Standart, amounting to about $12,000, the money being at that time in the hands of her guardian, Mathias Boos.

The controversies arising here are mainly these: First I will mention that of Mrs.' Standart, who claims that there should be allowed to her upon the partition of the property the amount of money that she advanced or contributed towards the erection of the building upon the property. In April, 1881, Mrs. [694]*694Wachenheimer died, leaving the plaintiffs as her heirs at law. In 1888 Mrs. Wheeler died, leaving as her heirs either her children or the children of her children. It is claimed on the part of the children of Robert J. Wheeler-who were made parties here — that they have an interest in the property which originally belonged to R. J. Wheeler, as the heir of his father, and it is claimed that that comes to them by virtue of the fact, that the father conveyed his interest to their grandmother— Mrs. Wheeler — and that she willed to them the same portion of the real estate that was owned by their grandfather. It is claimed on behalf of the plaintiffs that they have á right aside from the right to claim that they are parties to the account for rents and profits received, that they have a right by subrogation as against the children of Robert J. Wheeler, upon this account; it is claimed by them that the estate of Lyman Wheeler — the heirs — paid oil' and satisfied certain liens that had been placed by Robert J. Wheeler upon his undivided interest in the premises, to secure certain creditors of his, and that inasmuch as the proceeds or moneys belonging to the heirs of Lyman Wheeler went to pay the debts of Robert J. Wheeler, they should be subrogated to the rights of those creditors as against the interest of Robert .T. Wheeler or his children, for their reimbursement. There is also a claim made on behalf of the plaintiffs that they ought to have allowed to them certain rents and profits that should have come to them from this property by virtue of what should have come to the father after the death of the mother — that he had aright to the rents, income and profits of an undivided one third, as a tenant by curtesy, and it is averred and stated, and there is no denial of the fact, that whatever rights of that nature he may have had he has conveyed to the plaintiffs as his children.

Now, upon these various matters I will speak. After the demurrer was overruled to the answer and cross-petition of Mrs. Standart, the case was sent out to a master to take evidence and report. The evidence taken before the master has been reported to us and is before us, and the ease has come on for hearing before us upon that testimony, and such other testimony as the parties choose to produce; and I may say right here, that it is going to be exceedingly difficult to do exact justice between these parties, for the reason that the evidence and proceedings of the parties in the management of this property during the period for which it has been running —now some twenty-two years up to the time of this suit — are so uncertain and indefinite that no court can state correctly the account between them.

The property was managed for some time by Robert J. Wheeler, on behalf of his mother, who was the administratrix of the estate of Lyman Wheeler, deceased. Afterwards it was managed for some time by Louis Wachenheimer, the husband of Helen Wachenheimer. Afterwards the property was mortgaged, and was managed by John T. Newton, of the -firm of Kent, Newton & Pugsley, who received a salary for the management and collected and distributed the rents ahd profits. After that the property went through the process of being foreclosed under certain proceedings, and was bid in under an arrangement, of which I shall speak hereafter, but was bid in in the name of the parties who originally had it, Mrs. Maria [695]*695P. Wheeler, she taking the interest that was held by Robert J. Wheeler. Now generally it is said that these rents and profits were barely sufficient to run the expenses of the concern. It is shown that there was a sum paid each year to Mrs. Maria Wheeler, which went to her support and maintenance — perhaps $100 a month — and there was also paid some sum to Mrs. Stand-art, $50 a month, I think; beyond that, the rents and profits, as it was claimed, all went upon the building to pay the expense of running it. Whatever books of account were kept, have, in the main, been lost or have disappeared. What the income was of the property and what the outgoes were, in detail, it is impossible to say, and perhaps is not known; so far as that is concerned, we shall not attempt to state any ac ■ count; it is sufficient! that the parties allowed it to go on, and at this time the moneys seem to have been paid out, some to one and some to another.

It is claimed that there should be something allowed to Louis Waohenheimer for that interest in rents and profits, but it appears that for some years he had possession of this prop • erty and it does not appear but what he had his* use and income at that time. There is nothing shown as to what was done during those years with the property. It is shown that this money which was realized from the mortgage, about $1,200 of it, was paid to Louis Waohenheimer for the benefit of the heirs wh®se agent he was, but what became of the money we are unable to learn from the record. It was undoubtedly used in the estate, but it does not appear for what purpose. It does not appear that there was any such amount of profits or rents and income as would entitle him to receive any definite sum or special amount of such rents and income for that interest. It is admitted that he was entitled to it, but we cannot undertake to make a settlement of the account here.

In regard to the claim of Mrs. Standart we have no doubt, from the authorities and the law of the land, that Mrs. Stand-art is entitled to the moneys whielj were put into the concern that went for the benefit of the property.

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19 Ohio C.C. 693, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wachenheimer-v-standart-ohiocirct-1895.