Esteves v. Esteves

Plaintiffs, Flora Esteves and Manuel, bought a house with their son, Defendant, Joao Esteves. Plaintiffs obtained a one-half interest in the residence, and Defendant obtained the other one-half interest in the home. All three individuals moved into the residence and lived there for approximately three to eighteen months. In this period, Defendant spent a substantial amount of labor to make repairs and improvements to the property. Thereafter, Defendant moved out, however, Plaintiffs continued to live on the premises for eighteen years. In 1998, Plaintiffs and Defendant sold the residence. Plaintiffs initiated this action to determine how the proceeds should be divided. The trial court held that Plaintiffs paid 61,892 for operation and maintenance expenses, thus, mandating that Defendant pay half of that amount. Also, the trial court found that Defendant spent more labor on the property, compared to Plaintiffs. The value of the excess labor was $2,000. The trial court allowed Defendant to obtain a $2,000 credit for the operating and maintenance expenses from Plaintiffs. Overall, the trial court held that Defendant did not have a right to demand credit for the rental value of Plaintiff’s sole occupancy of the residence.