59 Fla. 566 | Fla. | 1910
Lead Opinion
On a former appeal the original bill of complaint in this cause was held to be subject to the demurrer interposed. Murrell v. Peterson, 57 Fla., 480, 49 South. Rep., 31. The amended bill alleges in brief that the complainant George B. Murrell and William R. Peterson by parol agreement bought in equal interests certain described lands each paying one-half the purchase price, but the title was taken in the name of Peterson; that it was agreed complainant should first use the lands for turpentine purposes and then defendant should use the timber rights, that an undivided one-half interest in the land exclusive of the turpentine and timber rights should be conveyed to complainant when desired, and that the turpentine rights and the timber rights would be regarded as and were of equal value; that complainant “sold out and assigned his turpentine business * * * including his said right of possession and turpentine privilege in and to1 said lands,” under an agreement with the defendant Peterson and the purchasers that Peterson would recognize the vendees “and should convey to them the said undivided one-half interest and estate in and to
The bill of complaint was demurred to because in brief (1) it is without equity; (2) complainant has no right to
The original bill was filed July 23, 1908, and in view of the allegations of the bill as to Peterson’s conduct laches to bar this suit do not appear.
A verbal agreement at the time title is taken that it will be held upon the same terms that the law implies, does not prevent the implied trust from resulting from the payment of the purchase price by two and the taking of title in the name of one of the two. See 15 Am. & Eng. Ency. Law (2nd Ed.) 154; Robinson v. Leflore, 59 Miss., 148; Smithsonian Institution v. Meech, 169 U. S., 398, 18 Sup. Ct. Rep., 396.
The alleged agreement “that an undivided one-half interest in said lands, exclusive of said turpentine rights and said saw mill right, should belong to said complainant, and should be conveyed to said complainant by the said defendant, William R. Peterson, when desired by said complainant,” is, except as to the turpentine and timber features, the same that the law would imply from the payment of the purchase price equally by both complainant and defendant Peterson and the taking of title by the latter only.
The special express agreement as to the. turpentine and timber rights in the lands may be disregarded in this application for a conveyance of the title under the implied trust.
When the title is adjusted, any rights of the parties in the lands may be determined in due course.
W. R. Peterson is a necessary party because he is alleged to have had the title and to have conveyed the land by warranty deed. The prayer for a personal judgment
This bill does not seek to enforce the express agreement as to the turpentine and timber rights, but to enforce the implied or constructive trust growing out' of the payment of one-half of the purchase price by the complainant and the taking of the title in the name of the defendant Peterson. Under the allegations of the bill the Peterson-Mc-Neill Company is a proper defendant in stating the equities. There is equity in the bill and the demurrer should have been overruled. The amended bill is essentially different from the original bill.
The decree is reversed and the cause remanded.
Dissenting Opinion
(dissenting.)
In my opinion the moving consideration for the purchase of the land was that Murrell should have the turpentine and Peterson the logging rights therein, and that the subsequent ownership of the land was a minor and almost negligible consideration. This would make it inequitable to enforce upon unwilling parties an implied and resulting trust, making for them a contract that neither would voluntarily have entered into. The statute of frauds forbids the enforcement of the express trust, and the fact that an express contract was entered into by the parties prevents the enforcement of an implied trust.
