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Hills v. City of Muskegon

Hills v. City of Muskegon, 123 N.W. 21 (Mich. 1909)
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Court
Michigan Supreme Court · State Highest Courts
Decided
November 5, 1909
Docket
No. 121
Judges
Grant, McAlvay, Montgomery, Moore, Ostkandek
Citations
123 N.W. 21158 Mich. 5511909 Mich. LEXIS 750
Disposition
Affirmed.
Headnotes
Taxation — Statutes—Trust Estates — Guardian and Ward. The holder of the legal title to personal property, as distinguished from mere possession and control, under a trust instrument transferring the personalty to a trustee for the benefit of the wife and children of the testator, should be treated as the owner for the purpose of assessment of a personal tax, which may be recovered in an action by one of the beneficiaries, to whom the property was assessed, and who paid the tax under protest.
Summary
Error to Muskegon; Sessions, J. Assumpsit by Laura Hills against the city of Muskegon for taxes paid under protest. A judgment for plaintiff is reviewed by defendant on writ of error.

Syllabus and headnotes are prepared by the reporter or publisher, not the court, and are not part of the opinion.

Opinion of the Court — Ostkandek

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Ostkandek, J.

Plaintiff sued to recover a tax upon personal property assessed to her, paid under protest. She resides in the city of Muskegon. The property in question is an undivided interest in personal property bequeathed to plaintiff and her children by her deceased husband. It appears to be agreed by counsel that the legal title to the property, as distinguished from mere possession and control thereof, is in the Michigan Trust Company, of Grand Rapids, Mich., as trustee for the plaintiff and as guardian for her children. Under such circumstances, it is the general rule, and has been indirectly, at least, established as the rule in this State, that the holder of the legal title is, for purposes of taxation, the owner. 1 Perry on Trusts (4th Ed.), § 331; l.Lewin on *552 Trusts, p. 236; Curtis v. Township of Richland, 56 Mich. 478 ( 23 N. W. 175 ); City of Detroit v. Lewis, 109 Mich. 155, 162 ( 66 N. W. 958 , 32 L. R. A. 439); Baars v. City of Grand Rapids, 129 Mich. 572, 576 ( 89 N. W. 328 ).

The court below correctly held that the property was taxable to the trust company under the provisions of section 13 (1 Comp. Laws, § 3836) as owner, and that subdivision 6, § 14 (1 Comp. Laws, § 3837), had no application.

The judgment is affirmed.

Grant, Montgomery, Moore, and McAlvay, JJ.„ concurred.

How later courts describe this case

No later court has written an explanatory parenthetical about this case yet.

1943: 119432026peak 1943 · 1

Relies on it most ⓘ

  1. W. C. & A. N. Miller Development Co. v. Emig Properties Corp.134 F.2d 36 (D.D.C. 1943)

Citing references are not a citator: they show that a later opinion cites this case, not whether it followed, distinguished, or overruled it. Check negative history before relying on this case.

Authorities cited 3

DepthCaseCited by
City of Detroit v. Lewis, 32 L.R.A. 439 (Mich. 1896) 12
Baars v. City of Grand Rapids, 89 N.W. 328 (Mich. 1902) 5
Curtis v. Twp. of Richland, 23 N.W. 175 (Mich. 1885) 3

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