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William F. Daniels vs. Sarah W. Daniels

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court1922-02-28
240 Mass. 380

Summary

Holding. The decree in favor of Sarah Daniels is affirmed; William Daniels failed to establish an enforceable trust in the real property and therefore cannot compel its conveyance to him.

William Daniels sought to recover real estate that had been conveyed to his former wife, Sarah Daniels, during their marriage. He claimed the wife held the property in trust for him and sought an equity court to compel her to transfer it back. A master heard evidence and made findings of fact supporting the wife's position.

The court upheld the master's decision, finding no legal basis for Daniels to recover the property. The opinion explains that to recover property conveyed to a spouse, the husband must establish an enforceable trust—either express or resulting. No written instrument existed that satisfied the statute of frauds, and the receipts provided fell short of creating such an instrument. Moreover, the evidence failed to show clearly that the wife was not intended to receive the property as a gift or advancement at the time of conveyance.

Summary generated by law.co from the public-domain opinion. The opinion text itself is public domain.

Key issues

  • Whether property conveyed to a wife during marriage can be recovered by the husband
  • Whether a resulting trust was created in the property
  • Whether the husband furnished consideration and intended a beneficial interest retained for himself
  • Whether the wife intended to take the property as a gift or advancement

Procedural posture

The case was tried before a master in equity, whose findings of fact and rulings of law were challenged on appeal.

Authorities cited

No cited authorities resolved to law.co cases yet.

Opinion

majority opinion

Rugg, C. J.

This is a suit in equity whereby the plaintiff, from whom the defendant, his former wife, has obtained a divorce for his wrong, seeks to compel conveyance to him of certain parcels of real estate. These parcels were conveyed to the defendant when she and the plaintiff were living together happily as husband and wife. The case was referred to a master under a rule which required him “to hear the parties and their evidence and report his findings to the court on or before [a certain date] together with such facts and questions of law as either party may request.” This did not require a report of the evidence or any part of it. The duty of the master was performed when he reported such facts pertinent to the issues as he found and such as he was requested by either party to find with his rulings of law. Warfield v. Adams, 215 Mass. 506. Bradley v. Borden, 223 Mass. 575, 586. Mathews v. Colburn, 215 Mass. 571. Aronson v. Orlov, 228 Mass. 1, 9. The master was sufficiently favorable to the plaintiff in the form of his report and the treatment of requests for findings and rulings. Cook v. Scheffreen, 215 Mass. 444.

There was no error of law in drawing an unfavorable inference against the plaintiff because he failed to call available witnesses to corroborate his version of conversations between himself and wife. Howe v. Howe, 199 Mass. 598. Rioux v. Cronin, 222 Mass. 131, 135. Buckley v. Boston Elevated Railway, 215 Mass. 50, 56. McKim v. Foley, 170 Mass. 426.

The master’s findings of fact are not reversible unless shown by the report to be erroneous. Greenhood v. Richardson, 226 Mass. 208. Jenanyan v. Fisher, 229 Mass. 472.

The plaintiff can recover lands thus conveyed to a wife during coverture only when there is an enforceable trust. There was here plainly no express trust. There was no instrument in writing which could as matter of law be held a compliancé with the statute of frauds. The receipts given by her fall far short of such instrument. It was said in Pollock v. Pollock, 223 Mass. 382, at page 384, "To establish a resulting trust the husband must prove that he furnished himself the entire consideration or a specific and definite part thereof, for which it was intended he should receive a determinate and fixed fraction of the whole estate conveyed. Bailey v. Hemenway, 147 Mass. 326. Skehill v. Abbott, 184 Mass. 145. In addition, the evidence must be clear that it was not intended at the time of conveyance that the wife should take a beneficial interest in the property by way of gift, settlement or advancement. Cairns v. Colburn, 104 Mass. 274. Edgerly v. Edgerly, 112 Mass. 175. Patterson v. Patterson, 197 Mass. 112.”

The case at bar on its merits is within the authority of numerous decisions. English v. English, 229 Mass. 11. Carr v. Frye, 225 Mass. 531. Keown v. Keown, 230 Mass. 313. Tileston v. Tileston, 234 Mass. 530.

The motion to recommit the report to the master was addressed to the discretion of the court and there is nothing to indicate that it was not wisely exercised. Smith v. Lloyd, 224 Mass. 173, 175. Baush Machine Tool Co. v. Hill, 231 Mass. 30, 41. Clark v. Young, 231 Mass. 156. Thompson v. Davis, 225 Mass. 385. Without reviewing the record in detail, it is enough to say that the plaintiff fails to show any reversible error.

Decree affirmed with costs.