Nelson v. Emmert

• Citation: 105 S.W.3d 563
• Decision Date: 29 May 2003
• Docket Number: No. 25038.,25038.
• Parties: Robert W. NELSON, Plaintiff-Respondent, v. John EMMERT and Pam Emmert, Defendants-Appellants.
• Court: Court of Appeal of Missouri (US)

Page 563

105 S.W.3d 563

Robert W. NELSON, Plaintiff-Respondent, v. John EMMERT and Pam Emmert, Defendants-Appellants.

No. 25038.

Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District, Division Two.

May 29, 2003.

Jeffrey W. Heil, Spencer, Scott & Dwyer, P.C., Joplin, for appellants.

Greg R. Bridges, Evenson & Carlin, L.L.C., Pineville, for respondent.

KENNETH W. SHRUM, Judge.

This is a case in equity that seeks to invoke the remedy of constructive trust. The trial court set aside a deed made by Robert W. Nelson ("Plaintiff') to John Emmert and his wife, Pam Emmert, and it ordered title to the land re-vested in Plaintiff.¹ Defendants' appeal claims that Plaintiff was not entitled to equitable relief as a matter of law because (1) he had unclean hands, and (2) the court never found Defendants promised to reconvey the real estate as Plaintiff contended. We affirm.

CONSTRUCTIVE TRUST PRINCIPLES AND STANDARD OF REVIEW

Varied and confusing definitions of a constructive trust exist, as well as uncertainty regarding the constituent elements thereof. Swon v. Huddleston, 282 S.W.2d 18, 25 (Mo.1955); Estate of Gulat, 748 S.W.2d 79, 81 (Mo.App.1988). Although not technically a trust, a "constructive trust" is merely the machinery a court of equity uses as a remedy to right a past wrong. March v. Gerstenschlager, 436 S.W.2d 6, 8[2] (Mo.1969); Lim v. Chong, 66 S.W.3d 97, 100-01 (Mo.App.2001).

It has been stated that the constructive trust is the device used by chancery to force one who unfairly holds a property interest to convey that interest to another to whom it justly belongs. Wier v. Kansas City, 356 Mo. 882, 204 S.W.2d 268, 270[1] (1947). It is a "method by which a court exercises its equitable powers to `remedy a situation where a party has been wrongfully deprived of some right, title, benefit or interest in property as a result of fraud or in violation of confidence or faith reposed in another.'" Fix v. Fix, 847 S.W.2d 762, 765[4] (Mo. banc 1993) (quoting Schultz v. Schultz, 637 S.W.2d 1, 4 (Mo.banc 1982)).

In many typical cases, a court of equity uses the constructive trust remedy to restore to the plaintiff property of which he has been unjustly deprived and to take from the defendant property the retention of which by him or her would result in a corresponding unjust enrichment of the defendant. Suhre v. Busch, 343 Mo. 679, 123 S.W.2d 8, 15-17[4] (1938); GEORGE GLEASON BOGERT & GEORGE TAYLOR BOGERT, BOGERT ON TRUSTS § 471 (2d ed.1978); 1 DAN B. DOBBS, LAW OF REMEDIES, ch. 4 § 4.3(2) (2d ed.1993); 89 C.J.S. Trusts § 139 (1992); RESTATEMENT OF RESTITUTION § 160 at 640-45 (1937).

Constructive trusts must be proven by clear, cogent, and convincing evidence, and we will affirm the judgment unless it is not supported by substantial evidence, it is against the weight of the evidence, or it erroneously declares or applies the law. Williams v. Walls, 964 S.W.2d 839, 842[1, 4] (Mo.App.1998).

FACTS

In January 1999, Plaintiff owned a 146acre tract of real estate which he conveyed to Defendants, who were his friends. Plaintiff initially became acquainted with Pam when she worked for him in 1993 or 1994; Plaintiff first met John in 1995 when he began buying rock from Plaintiff's quarry.

In early 1999, Plaintiff was sued by T.J. Jeffries "on a lease for commercial quarry," and he later became involved in a dispute with a rival rock quarry company, Anchor Stone.² Faced with these problems, Plaintiff became concerned he might lose his real estate as a result of the litigation. Subsequently, when John suggested Plaintiff could deed the 146-acre tract to Defendants, Plaintiff agreed based upon the belief that the transfer was temporary in nature, i.e., Defendants would hold the land "in trust and confidence for him" and would reconvey the same to Plaintiff upon his request.

Following the conveyance, Plaintiff remained in possession of the land and made substantial improvements thereon. In June 2000, however, Defendants demanded Plaintiff vacate the premises which led to this suit wherein Plaintiff requested ownership and possession of the land be restored to him. After trial, the court made detailed findings of fact and conclusions of law, and it adjudged that the land be returned to Plaintiff. Defendants' appeal followed.

DISCUSSION AND DECISION

Sufficiency Of The Evidence To Support The Judgment?

Defendants' second point charges the trial court committed reversible error when it granted Plaintiff relief "because the alleged fraud necessary to justify the constructive trust imposed by the court was absent, in that the court found no prior promise by [Defendants] to reconvey the real estate to [Plaintiff]."³ Specifically, Defendants insist that the only "constructive trust" rule that will aid a grantor in cases where land is transferred with the expectation of having it reconveyed upon request (absent written agreement to support such expectation) is found in the RESTATEMENT OF RESTITUTION § 182 at 730.⁴ See, e.g., Rackley v. Rackley, 922 S.W.2d 49, 51 (MoApp.1996). Defendants claim that Plaintiff was required to prove fraud or misrepresentation via an oral promise made to him before the conveyance, relying upon comment (b) to § 182.

This court has grave reservations about the validity of Defendants' assertion that Plaintiff had to prove an oral agreement to reconvey before he could prevail.⁵ We need not, however, fully address the history of constructive trust law in Missouri, nor attempt to resolve the many conflicts therein, nor decide if Plaintiff here could have prevailed without proof of an oral agreement to reconvey. This follows because the court found such an agreement was made.

In so stating, we acknowledge the trial court did not use Plaintiff's proffered finding that Defendants "promised" to reconvey the land. Moreover, Defendants are correct when they say the trial court deleted or altered many of Plaintiff's suggested findings which bore on the issue of actual or legal fraud. Defendants' argument fails, however, because it ignores essential fact findings by the trial court (unchallenged by Defendants) that support the imposition of a constructive trust in favor of Plaintiff. In that regard, the court found Plaintiff did not gift the subject real estate to Defendants, but deeded it to them "to hold in trust and confidence for" Plaintiff. Next, the court found the "conveyance .. by Plaintiff was made as a result of a trust or confidence in Defendants that Defendants would reconvey the property to Plaintiff upon Plaintiffs request." Moreover, the court stated Defendants "knew at the time of the transfer ... that such transfer was temporary and that Plaintiff ... did not intend to convey the real estate in fee simple absolute." (Emphasis supplied.) In a similar vein, the court found that "Defendants ... understood that the transfer of the real property by Plaintiff ... to them was temporary in nature." (Emphasis supplied.) Finally, the court determined that Plaintiff "relied on [the] belief that [Defendants] would reconvey said real estate" upon his request.

As noted, Defendants do not claim the above findings are unsupported by clear, cogent, and convincing evidence. Instead, they argue that because the court did not use the phrase proffered by Plaintiff, i.e., "promised to reconvey," then the trial court necessarily determined there was no "promise," and thus, it erred when it gave Plaintiff equitable relief. We disagree.

Although the trial court used somewhat informal language by referring to what each party knew, intended, and understood, the essence of what the court found was an agreement based upon a promise to reconvey. Defendants "understood" that the transfer was to be temporary.

The term "understood" is defined by WEBSTER'S NEW INTERNATIONAL DICTIONARY as "settled or settled upon by common agreement." (2d ed.1954). RANDOM HOUSE WEBSTER'S UNABRIDGED DICTIONARY (2d ed.1998) defines "understood" as "agreed upon." See also Commercial Lithographing Co. v. Family Media, Inc., 695 S.W.2d 936, 939 (Mo.App.1985) (holding "mutual understanding" is the equivalent of bilateral contract or "a promise for a promise"); BLACK'S LAW DICTIONARY (6th ed.1990) (defining an "understanding" in the law of contracts to mean "an agreement[,]" or "[a]n informal agreement or concurrence as to its terms"). The term is held to be synonymous with "agreement." 90 C.J.S. Understand at 1028-29 (1992). If Plaintiff intended the conveyance as temporary, i.e., he could get it back upon demand, and Defendants "knew" and "understood" such, then we cannot conceive how this came about except upon verbal discussions and promises or agreements. The evidence abundantly supports such a proposition. To accept Defendants' argument would do an injustice to the English language.

When the judgment is read in light of the evidence presented at trial, it is clear that the court determined that Defendants promised to reconvey the land to Plaintiff upon his demand. Plaintiff entered into the agreement based upon this belief. Defendants have not challenged any other findings; consequently, their argument, that the "oral agreement" requirement of § 182 of the RESTATEMENT OF RESTITUTION was unfulfilled, is without merit. Point denied.

Point I: Unclean Hands Defense

In Point I, Defendants allege the trial court committed reversible error when it failed to apply the equitable doctrine of unclean hands. Defendants claim that Plaintiff transferred the subject property in order to "defraud creditors." Consequently, they argue Plaintiffs misconduct precluded the trial court from awarding him a constructive trust.

"Courts of equity are chary of reaching out a helping hand to those litigants who voluntarily put themselves in the predicament of this plaintiff by a voluntary conveyance of land to hinder, delay, or defraud creditors." Chambers v. Chambers, 227 Mo. 262, 127 S.W. 86, 93 (1910). Stated another way, the doctrine of unclean hands requires that...