Woodruff v. Woodruff

1951 OK 368, 240 P.2d 74, 206 Okla. 3, 1951 Okla. LEXIS 733
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedDecember 11, 1951
Docket34171
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 1951 OK 368 (Woodruff v. Woodruff) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Woodruff v. Woodruff, 1951 OK 368, 240 P.2d 74, 206 Okla. 3, 1951 Okla. LEXIS 733 (Okla. 1951).

Opinions

BINGAMAN, J.

This action was brought by the plaintiff, John Evard Woodruff, Sr., against the defendants, M. C. or Mary E. Woodruff, E. E. or Edwin E. Woodruff, and Jack L. Tillman, to recover judgment against the defendant E. E. Woodruff, in the sum of $8,826 to establish and enforce an equitable lien upon certain real estate in Oklahoma county, and to foreclose the same, and in a second cause of action to recover the value of certain personal property, which he claimed the defendants Mary E. Woodruff and E. E. Woodruff had in their possession. Prior to the final determination of the action E. E. Woodruff died and the cause was revived in the name of his administrator, who filed an answer, in effect, a general denial. Mary E. Woodruff in her answer claimed title to the property by a deed from E. E. Woodruff to her, asserted that she had contributed a substantial sum to the purchase and improvement of the property, and further alleged that the plaintiff did not come into a court of equity with clean hands. The case was tried to the court and upon the conclusion of plaintiff’s evidence the defendants demurred to the evidence, which demurrer was by the trial court overruled. Thereupon the defendants stood on their demurrer and moved for judgment. The trial court made findings of fact and conclusions of law and rendered judgment in favor of the defendant Mary E. Woodruff, holding that she was the owner of the property and denying the prayer of plaintiff’s petition. Plaintiff appeals.

Plaintiff was the principal witness in his behalf. From his testimony and the admissions of his counsel it appears that his son, E. E. Woodruff, served in the armed forces in World War II, [4]*4going overseas in December of 1942 and returning in the latter part of 1945; that prior to the time the son went overseas an agreement was had between him and his father to purchase and improve the real estate involved, which was immediately adjoining the home place of the family on East 23rd street, outside the city of Oklahoma City, and that the son contributed $500 of the purchase price, which was $2,100. Plaintiff testified that he borrowed $2,-000 from a sister to pay the remainder of the purchase price. Whether there was a prior contract with the owner of the property is not shown, but a deed to the property was made and delivered to plaintiff in 1944, while the son was still overseas. The sole grantee in the deed was E. E. Woodruff, and there is nothing therein to indicate that the plaintiff had any interest in the property. Plaintiff testified that he immediately took possession of the property and began to improve the same, and that he expended on improvements the sum of $8,826, which he sought in this action to recover. It further appears that prior to the time the son went overseas, he and his father, as partners, were operating an automobile salvage business, and apparently the partnership continued to exist while the son was overseas, the date of its termination not being specifically shown. Early in 1942 plaintiff filed a petition in bankruptcy, under section 75 of the Federal Bankruptcy Act (the Frazier-Lempke Act), and was duly adjudicated a bankrupt. In that proceeding he did not mention the partnership business, but claimed to be a farmer, having a lease on 90 acres of farm land and claimed all his property as exempt. He was duly adjudicated a bankrupt and was discharged in 1945. So far as the record shows he paid none of his debts. In his testimony he claimed that the property herein involved was his, and that it was placed in the name of his son because he was in bankruptcy.

In 1946 he obtained a divorce from the defendant Mary E. Woodruff, in which the parties had a property settlement which was approved by the court. Mary E. Woodruff was not represented when this settlement contract was made and executed. It provided, among other things, that each party was in possession of certain property, which property should be considered the property of the party so holding possession. Obviously, if the property, which is the subject of the present suit, belonged to the son, it would not be affected by such settlement. Prior to the divorce action, in 1946, Mary E. Woodruff had placed on record a deed to which she had signed the name of E. E. Woodruff, as grantor, purporting to convey the property involved to herself. This gave her no title to nor right in the property. Early in 1947 she moved into the property, claiming it as hers, and shortly thereafter E. E. Woodruff, who had apparently fallen in love with her, deeded the property to her by a deed in proper form, duly executed by him, which instrument recited a consideration of $1 “and a previous .deed, the signature of which was heretofore authorized and signed on the 27th day of August, 1946.” A little more than six months after plaintiff and defendant Mary E. Woodruff were divorced, E. E. Woodruff and Mary E. Woodruff, who were the same age, were married. E. E. Woodruff then moved into the house on the property involved and lived there until the date of his death. This action was commenced shortly after the deed from E. E. Woodruff to Mary E. Woodruff was placed of record on March 25, 1947.

In the briefs the parties urge various contentions, but we think it unnecessary to pass upon and ’determine them. This for the reason that in our judgment the decisive question presented is whether the findings and judgment of the trial court are clearly against the weight of the evidence. The trial court, in its findings of fact, found among other things that the consideration for the purchase of the property and the money spent for its improvement was furnished by the individual [5]*5contribution of funds by E. E. Wood-ruff; by the joint efforts and accumulations of the association of John E. Woodruff and E. E. Woodruff in the salvage business, and by the joint efforts of the plaintiff and defendant, Mary E. Woodruff, during their marriage. He further found that prior to the execution and delivery of the deed from E. E. Woodruff to Mary E. Wood-ruff, John E. Woodruff never questioned the title of E. E. Woodruff, nor claimed any interest in or lien upon the property, but in all his dealings with the property claimed he was acting as the attorney in fact or agent of E. E. Wood-ruff. He concluded as a matter of law that at the time of the execution of the deed to Mary E. Woodruff, E. E. Wood-ruff was the owner of the property, free and clear of all claims or demands on the part of the plaintiff, and that said deed vested the title of the property in the defendant Mary E. Wood-ruff. He further concluded that by virtue of the findings of fact, which included a finding that plaintiff in his bankruptcy proceeding did not set up any claim against E. E. Woodruff, or set up any lien or interest upon the property involved in this action, plaintiff was estopped from claiming any interest in or lien upon any of the real or personal property involved in this action.

Examination of the evidence convinces us that the judgment of the trial court was not clearly against the weight thereof. While in his petition plaintiff claimed that the purchase of the property was a joint venture or partnership arrangement between himself and his son, and asserted and sued to foreclose a lien for his own money expended upon the property in making improvements, his testimony shows that he regarded the property as his own. In fact, he specifically testified that he bought the property while in bankruptcy and placed the title thereto in his son’s name. He further testified that all the money expended for improving the property was his money, although he did not state from what source it was derived.

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Woodruff v. Woodruff
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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1951 OK 368, 240 P.2d 74, 206 Okla. 3, 1951 Okla. LEXIS 733, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/woodruff-v-woodruff-okla-1951.