Walston v. Smith

70 Vt. 19
CourtSupreme Court of Vermont
DecidedMay 15, 1896
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 70 Vt. 19 (Walston v. Smith) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Vermont primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Walston v. Smith, 70 Vt. 19 (Vt. 1896).

Opinion

Ross, C. J.

(1) The solicitor for the defendants concedes [21]*21that, when this case was before this court, as found iri the 67 Vt. 542, the court properly held, on the findings of the master, that, by the conveyance from the intestate to Norton, the latter took simply the title to the premises, as a passive trustee, for the beneficial use of the intestate; and that, except to a bona fide purchaser, for value, without notice, Norton, without the consent and direction of the intestate, could convey no greater title than he, Norton, held. But he contends, that, it now being found by the master that the conveyance to Elizabeth, the wife of the intestate, was made with the consent and by the direction of the intestate, the deed concludes the intestate and those interested through him, so that against the plea of the statute of frauds, relied upon in the answer, no parol testi-mony could be received and considered by the master to determine whether Elizabeth took the same in trust for the intestate. He reasons: “Starting with the proposition that Norton was but a passive trustee of the title for Smith without interest, he was at all times subject to the direction ofSmithasto its disposition;” that, “Norton was trustee for Smith, not for Smith’s wife, nor for his creditors, nor for such as might be his heirs at his death;” that “the trust under which Norton held the title did not necessarily or naturally follow to his grantee. If the conveyance was made by consent and direction of Smith, it went according to the terms of conveyance unless otherwise restricted in the ■ mode provided by law;” that “the conveyance of lands by a husband to his wife is universally through a trustee.” Hence he concludes: “This was in legal effect a direct conveyance from Smith to his wife, and the only recognized mode in which he could convey to her.”

If the conveyance to Norton had been made for the purpose of having him convey to the wife, Norton would have taken the title in trust for the wife. He would have taken and held it for the sole purpose of transferring it to her, and have held the title in trust for her sole use and benefit. In [22]*22such case the conveyance of the title to the wife through Norton would have been a direct conveyance of it from the husband to the wife. No right nor interest, legal or equitable, after such conveyance to Norton, would have remained in the husband. No trust, in behalf of the husband, could result from such conveyance. Unquestionably, the cases cited by the solicitor for the defendants, holding that, if the husband conveys real estate to a third person for the sole purpose of having such third person convey it to his wife, and such third person makes the conveyance, no trust of any kind arises out of such conveyance in favor of the husband, are properly decided. Such cases are clearly distinguishable from the case under consideration. Here, on the facts found by the master, Norton, by the conveyance from the intestate, took the title, as a passive trustee, for the sole benefit of the intestate. The intestate was to remain in possession, and manage the property. As held when this case was before this court, in 67 Vt., Norton could convey, when the conveyance alone is considered, no greater rights nor title to the estate than he held. It is immaterial in this respect, whether Norton held the property impressed with an express or an implied trust, in favor of the intestate. “Wherever property, real or personal, which is already impressed with or subject to a trust of any kind, express or by operation of law, is conveyed or transferred by the trustee, not in the course of executing or carrying into effect the terms of an express trust, or devolves from a trustee to a third person who is a mere volunteer, or who is a purchaser with actual or constructive notice of the trust, then the rule is universal that such heir, devisee, successor, or other voluntary transferee, or such purchaser with notice, acquires and holds the property subject to the same trust which before existed, and becomes himself a trustee for the original beneficiary.” Pomeroy’s Eq. Jur. § 1048. This, in substance, this court held when it previously had the case under consideration. The solicitor for the defendants con[23]*23cedes that that decision was correct. No new facts have been brought into the case, bearing upon the operation of the conveyance by Norton, considered by itself. It follows, therefore, that, by that conveyance, when the conveyance alone is considered, Mrs. Smith took the title to the property subject to the same trust which was impressed upon it, when Norton held the title, to hold for the beneficial use of the intestate. It is found that she had full notice of the trust and paid nothing for the conveyance. She does not stand as a bona fide purchaser without notice. The trust impressed upon the property when Norton held the title, by his conveyance considered by itself remained when the title came to Mrs. Smith. Whether that conveyance created strictly a resulting trust need not be determined. To consider it a resulting trust is to regard it in the light most favorable to Mrs. Smith.

By the concession of the parties, the intestate, while Norton held the legal title, was the equitable owner of the property. The property conveyed by the intestate to Norton, by the concession of the parties, became a trust estate. In kind, it was such a trust as arises by implication and operation of law. As said in the American notes to Dyer v. Dyer, 1 L. C. in Eq. 276, “The trust which results by implication and operation of law, from the payment of the purchase money or of apart of it, and without any agreement, is a pure and simple trust of the ownership of the land; it is not an interest in the proceeds of the land, nor a lien upon it for the advance, nor an equity or right to a sum of money to be raised out of it, or upon the security of it.” However created, such was the trust in regard to this property existing between the intestate and Norton, when Norton held the title. By Norton’s deed of this property, when considered by itself, to Mrs. Smith, the same trust continued, or a trust in every essential, a resulting trust. If the conveyance by Norton had been to a stranger under the circumstances .in which it is found to have been made to [24]*24Mrs. Smith — with notice and without consideration — the same identical trust would follow. To render the conveyance valid and freed from the trust under which Nor to# held the title, the burden was on Mrs. Smith to establish, that she took the title from Norton without notice of the trust, and for valuable consideration, or under such circumstances that the law would presume the property conveyed to be a gift. The master has found that she had notice of the trust and paid nothing for the conveyance. Hence from the conveyance, considered by itself, with these circumstances added, the same trust under which Norton held the property would continue or be implied, if no other facts were shown. A new fact, or “circumstance of evidence,” has been brought into the case, — the fact that the intestate consented to and directed the conveyance by Norton to his wife. This is frequently spoken of as a “circumstance of evidence.” I. Lewin on Trusts, *171. I. Perry on Trusts, § 143. When this “circumstance of evidence” is shown, where under the facts, otherwise, a trust would continue, or be implied to follow the conveyance of the property, then, because of the obligation of the person who furnishes the consideration for the conveyance to support the grantee, if nothing more is shown, a presumption or implication arises that he intended the conveyance as an advancement or gift.

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Bluebook (online)
70 Vt. 19, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/walston-v-smith-vt-1896.