Young v. Jackson

36 P.2d 91, 140 Kan. 237, 1934 Kan. LEXIS 44
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedOctober 6, 1934
DocketNo. 31,604
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 36 P.2d 91 (Young v. Jackson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Young v. Jackson, 36 P.2d 91, 140 Kan. 237, 1934 Kan. LEXIS 44 (kan 1934).

Opinion

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Burch, J.:

The action was one by Cora D. Young against Ida E. Jackson to recover real estate. The district court awarded to plaintiff an undivided one-half interest in the land. Both parties appeal. The basis of recovery was that defendant derived title [238]*238from one who held the land, as trustee by implication of law, for plaintiff as beneficiary.

Cora D. Young was the daughter of James J. and Albertina Jackson. The real estate consisted of three small tracts, aggregating about six acres, adjoining the city of Oberlin, which were purchased in the 1890’s and consolidated into a homestead. Title was taken in Mrs. Jackson’s name. Subsequently some improvements were erected with money inherited by Mrs. Jackson from her mother.

In 1892 Cora Jackson married Joseph H. Young and left the home of her parents. About 1928 Mrs. Jackson became afflicted with cancer.. From May, 1930, she was bedfast, and she died intestate October 6, 1930. Young testified he had conversations with Mrs. Jackson, and the substance of the conversations was that “Mrs. Jackson was very much interested in seeing that eventually the home became the property of Mrs. Young.”

On February 1, 1929, Mrs. Jackson made deeds of the parcels comprising the homestead to her husband, and the deeds were recorded on February 2. After his wife’s death Jackson continued to occupy the real estate as his homestead.

Within a week or two after Mrs. Jackson’s death, or sooner, Young was after Jackson for a deed to Cora. Jackson said he would like to keep the property in his name for a while. Young said, “Yes, Jim, but that was not the agreement.” The record fails to disclose any agreement by Jackson that he would deed the land to Cora immediately or soon after Mrs. Jackson’s death, or that he would ever deed it to her; and the record contains no evidence of any desire by Mrs. Jackson that her husband should be subject to eviction as soon as her funeral was over. There was much subsequent urging of Jackson to make a deed.to Cora at once, and usually one ground was an “agreement” to do so, which he never made.

Before and after the deeds were made, and after Mrs. Jackson’s death, Young was deeply involved in debt. He testified that in one conversation with Jackson about making a deed to Cora, Jackson told Young of a conversation Jackson had with Gerald Benton, who was a banker at whose bank Young did business. Benton said they were going to clean house with Young; they were going to take judgments against Young and on notes on which Mrs. Young was a signer as well as Young; and they would proceed to take property, too.

[239]*239An attorney was employed to induce or compel Jackson to make, a deed to Cora at once. In conversations with the attorney Jackson said he expected Cora to get the property eventually, but he would like to keep it as long as he lived; if he made a deed he would have no place to go. The attorney reported he had consulted Cora, and a deed to her reserving a life interest in Jackson would be satisfactory. In conversation with the attorney Jackson said Cora was to have the place, it was to be hers, and he intended to fix it by a will. That was not satisfactory to the attorney, because a will might be changed. On one occasion Jackson told the attorney it was understood Jackson was to keep the property out of Joe Young’s clutches, and Jackson was not going to allow it to get into Young’s hands as long as Jackson lived.

The fact was that in 1921 Jackson made a will giving his property to his wife for life, and after her death to his daughter, Cora, if living, and if not, to her children. After Mrs. Jackson’s death Jackson showed this will to Cora. There was testimony he said he would not change it, and in response to importunities and threats of litigation he said, “You know that Cora gets this property anyway, and why make a fuss about it?”

There was testimony relating to an agreement between James and Albertina Jackson with reference to the homestead, which came about in this way: In January, 1929, at the Jackson home, Mrs. Jackson catechised Young with reference to his financial condition. J ames J ackson was present. Young told what occurred:

“She said to me, ‘Joe Young, I understand you are pretty badly in debt, is that so?’ I said, ‘Yes, I owe quite a bit of money . . .’ And she said, ‘You are pretty badly in debt, aren’t you?’ I said, ‘Yes, if that is the way you want to put it, I am.’ ‘Well,’ she said, ‘what effect is that going to have on my giving Cora this place of mine, which you know I have always said I would do?’ and she said, ‘Wouldn’t that be affected if you got into a lawsuit . . .?’ I think it was Jackson that spoke up next, though, Jim Jackson says, ‘You deed that to me, I will see that Cora gets it; they can’t take it if it is in my name.’ I think Mrs. Jackson asked me the question whether they could or not, and I think I said I didn’t believe they could, . . . and she said, ‘Well, if you are in debt and that will fix it, I think that is what we will do.’ She says, ‘If you make up a deed I will sign it.’ I said, ‘No, no, not in the family.’ I said, ‘If you want to deed that to Cora or deed it to Jackson, deed it to anybody, you get somebody else.’ Jim Jackson says¡ ‘I will get somebody to take care of the deed business.’ ”

There was some further conversation of no present consequence, and Young withdrew. Probably Jackson had deeds prepared and, [240]*240as indicated, Mrs. Jackson signed them on February 1. Originally there were three deeds to Mrs. Jackson, and for convenience in description of the homestead tract, three deeds containing the original descriptions were made.

Jackson and Mrs. Jackson are dead and cannot tell what passed between them just after Young left the Jackson home following the interview referred to, or before or at the time the deeds were signed. Cora’s attorney said Cora did not know any deed had been made until after her mother’s death, and, as indicated, after Mrs. Jackson’s death Jackson told the attorney Jackson’s understanding with his wife was Jackson was to keep the homestead out of Joe Young’s clutches.

On November 16, 1931, Jackson married Ida E. Bums, a widow with three children. Jackson and his second wife continued to occupy the land until his death, which occurred on August 16, 1932. After Jackson’s death the widow continued to occupy the homestead.

The second Mrs. Jackson had some bonds and other personal property and had some land in Nebraska. Jackson had both real and personal property. On January 29, 1932, and pursuant to an antenuptial agreement made in consideration of marriage, they executed a formal written agreement with respect to their property. All the property of each was pooled in a common fund for the common use and benefit of both during their joint lives and for use and benefit of the survivor for life. At the death of the survivor the remainder of the combined estates was to become the property, share and share alike, of Jackson’s child, Cora Young, and his widow’s children, Ira A. Burns and Bessie Beisner. On the same day the parties executed a joint will to effectuate the contract. On Jackson’s death the will was duly probated, and Ida E. Jackson was appointed executrix.

The action was commenced on September 24, 1932, by Cora D. Young against Ida E. Jackson and her children. As indicated, judgment was rendered for Cora D. Young, based on a finding of a resulting trust in her favor.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State ex rel. Hetzler v. Snyder
109 N.E.2d 54 (Piqua Municipal Court, 1950)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
36 P.2d 91, 140 Kan. 237, 1934 Kan. LEXIS 44, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/young-v-jackson-kan-1934.