<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)">
<!--[if !mso]><style>v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style><![endif]--><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Helvetica;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Verdana;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Arial Rounded MT Bold";
panose-1:2 15 7 4 3 5 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Californian;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#0563C1;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#954F72;
text-decoration:underline;}
p.msonormal0, li.msonormal0, div.msonormal0
{mso-style-name:msonormal;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
span.EmailStyle18
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
span.EmailStyle19
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
span.EmailStyle20
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
span.EmailStyle21
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;
font-weight:normal;
font-style:normal;}
span.EmailStyle23
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal">Wow. It makes sense since the seller agreed to remove all personal property before the sale, but I wonder if a WA court has addressed that issue.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Candace<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<div style="border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>From:</b> wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com <wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Dalynne Singleton<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Monday, June 3, 2019 7:23 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv <wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [WSBAPT] Money found by new owners of home bought from Trust<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white">
<span style="font-size:24.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#323232">Reminds me of a law school examination question…</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white">
<span style="font-size:24.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#323232">I found this interesting awhile back and it seems to fit your scenario…
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white">
<span style="font-size:24.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#323232">See:
</span><a href="https://www.elderlawanswers.com/who-gets-cash-hidden-in-house-by-deceased-former-owner-7176"><span style="color:blue">https://www.elderlawanswers.com/who-gets-cash-hidden-in-house-by-deceased-former-owner-7176</span></a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white">
<span style="font-size:24.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#323232">Who Gets Cash Hidden in House By Deceased Former Owner?</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white">
<span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#323232">Imagine you bought a house and, a year and a half later, you discovered bundles of cash that had been hidden away by the deceased former owner. Who would be entitled to the money -- you or the former
owner's estate? Confronted with just such an unusual case, an Oregon appeals court has overruled a lower court and determined that the new owner may keep the windfall.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#323232">William and Helene Valoff owned a house in Milwaukie, Oregon. After Mr. Valoff's unexpected death, all assets of his estate were transferred to Mrs. Valoff.
Following Mrs. Valoff's death, her estate sold the house to Helen Sollars. The sale agreement required the estate to leave certain specific personal property (such as a stove and a refrigerator) but to otherwise "remove all personal property (including trash
and debris)" before the closing of the sale.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white">
<span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#323232">About a year and a half after the closing, an electrician working on the house found bundles of money hidden above the ceiling of the basement. The bundles were bound with rubber bands and adding machine
tapes bearing Mr. Valoff's handwriting. Because of uncertainty about who owned the money, the police seized and counted it and found that it totaled about $122,000.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white">
<span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#323232">Ms. Sollars argued that she should receive the money because she was the rightful owner of anything left in the house after the closing. The Valoff estate countered that it remained the owner because
it did not intend to transfer any right to the money when it sold the house to Ms. Sollars. A trial court agreed with the estate, reasoning that the sale agreement was for the transfer of a house, not of money that neither party had known about. Ms. Sollars
appealed.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white">
<span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#323232">On September 24, 2008, the Oregon Court of Appeals reversed the trial court and ruled that Ms. Sollars is the owner of the money. The court concluded that the sales agreement's reference to "all personal
property" unambiguously included the money found in the house. The fact that the money's existence was not known at the time of the sale makes no difference, the court held.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white">
<span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#323232">To read the full text of the case, <i>Sollars v. City of Milwaukie</i> (Or. Ct. App., No. CV06020213; A132996, Sept. 24, 2008), <a href="http://www.publications.ojd.state.or.us/Publications/A132996.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color:#00B9D2">click
here</span></a>.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial Rounded MT Bold",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">Dalynne Singleton</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:#1F497D"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:#1F497D">Gourley Law Group</span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:#1F497D">Snohomish Escrow</span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:#1F497D">The Exchange Connection</span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Rounded MT Bold",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">1002 10<sup>th</sup> Street / PO Box 1091</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Rounded MT Bold",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">Snohomish, WA 98291</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Rounded MT Bold",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Rounded MT Bold",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">360.568.5065</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Rounded MT Bold",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">360.329.4079</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Rounded MT Bold",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">360.568.8092 fax</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Rounded MT Bold",sans-serif;color:#0563C1"><a href="mailto:dalynne@glgmail.com">dalynne@glgmail.com</a></span></u><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><b><i><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black"> </span></i></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Californian;color:black">LICENSED IN WASHINGTON AND OREGON</span></i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">IMPORTANT/CONFIDENTIAL: This e-mail message (and any attachments accompanying it) may contain confidential information, including information protected by attorney-client
privilege. The information is intended only for the use of the intended recipient(s). Delivery of this message to anyone other than the intended recipient(s) is not intended to waive any privilege or otherwise detract from the confidentiality of the message.
If you are not the intended recipient, or if this message has been addressed to you in error, do not read, disclose, reproduce, distribute, disseminate or otherwise use this transmission, rather, please promptly notify the sender by reply e-mail, and then
destroy all copies of the message and its attachments, if any.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><a href="http://www.washingtonjustice.org/"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="84" height="120" style="width:.875in;height:1.25in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.gif@01D51AC7.D7AD71A0" alt="cid:image001.gif@01D4A349.7B16AA10"></span></a><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">
</span></b><a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.superlawyers.com_redir-3Fr-3Dhttp-3A__www.superlawyers.com_washington_lawyer_Gary-2DManca_ca059d21-2D1b6e-2D4fca-2Db396-2D80c253f82402.html-26c-3Demail-5FSmall-5Fbadge-26i-3Dca059d21-2D1b6e-2D4fca-2Db396-2D80c253f82402&d=DwMGaQ&c=4VfW4Y7UDKzr0jHM1Tk29w&r=wJy-5dBh2e8cdp8KTDyWsjq7WPfG_HRNpImWO5yfs2A&m=FCmO2jSMMhwxfYb-8WN5A3L-M6GKeJ_8gc6cS3vECHM&s=z2j9M4GPJAL7pempIOe0TGAPkMWrzXJSlY1lyMRDlRg&e=" title=""Visit the official website of Super Lawyers" "><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:blue;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="100" height="32" style="width:1.0416in;height:.3333in" id="Picture_x0020_2" src="cid:image002.png@01D51AC7.D7AD71A0" alt="Rated by Super Lawyers"></span></a><span style="color:#1F497D"> </span><span style="color:black"><img border="0" width="155" height="120" style="width:1.6145in;height:1.25in" id="Picture_x0020_3" src="cid:image003.png@01D51AC7.D7AD71A0" alt="cid:image005.png@01D41461.BB016100"></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<div style="border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>From:</b> <a href="mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com">
wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com</a> <<a href="mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com">wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com</a>>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Jennifer Mackley<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Monday, June 3, 2019 3:01 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv <<a href="mailto:wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com">wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com</a>><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [WSBAPT] Money found by new owners of home bought from Trust<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">PC was repairing electrical wires in garage and found a panel concealing envelopes of cash and husband’s audio tapes of extra-marital interactions with a number of women. The husband died a while ago, the wife died in 2017, and the home
was purchased from the wife’s Trust. The box next to the clause regarding <i>Items Left by Seller</i> was NOT checked in the real estate contract. It states “Any personal property, fixtures, or other items remaining on the Property when possession is transferred
to Buyer shall thereupon become property of the Buyer, and may be retained or disposed of as Buyer determines.” So who do the discovered items (that were presumably stashed by the husband) belong to? The owners? The husband’s estate? The wife’s estate? The
heirs of the Trust? Who do the current home owners contact to determine ownership?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><b><span style="color:black">Jennifer Mackley
</span></b><span lang="DA" style="color:red">|</span><span lang="DA" style="color:black"> Mackley & Mackley, PLLC
</span><span lang="DA" style="color:red">| </span><a href="mailto:(206) 938-4969"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none">(206) 938-4969</span></a><span style="color:black">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;color:#1F497D">SPECIAL NOTICE TO CLIENT(S): This email is directed to you, please DO NOT FORWARD to any other party or you could be waiving the attorney-client privilege.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;color:#1F497D"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;color:#1F497D">WARNING: This email (including any attachments) is covered by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (EPCA), 18 U.S.C., Sec. 2510 - 2522, is confidential and may also be attorney-client privileged. This
information is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to whom it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, or the employee or agent responsible to deliver it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any use, dissemination,
distribution, or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. Any violation of the ECPA is subject to the penalties stated therein. If you have received this e-mail in error, please immediately notify me by replying to this e-mail and delete the original. Thank
you.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thanks for your insight.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jennifer<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>