Stephan v. Lynch

This is a dispute between a mother and her son, her only child. It was her claim below that he took advantage of her generosity in purchasing a home with her own assets and putting it in their joint names, by driving her out of it and taking possession of the premises. The lower court found in her favor, and the matter is on appeal here by the son.

The situation is best understood by examining the family history as reported in the findings. The plaintiff is twice a widow, and the defendant son is the child of her first marriage. Both parties lived in New Jersey in the sixties. In 1964 the…