Abramson v. Horner

80 A. 907, 115 Md. 232, 1911 Md. LEXIS 136
CourtCourt of Appeals of Maryland
DecidedApril 4, 1911
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 80 A. 907 (Abramson v. Horner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Maryland primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Abramson v. Horner, 80 A. 907, 115 Md. 232, 1911 Md. LEXIS 136 (Md. 1911).

Opinion

*234 Pattison, J.,

delivered the opinion of the Court.

The appellant in this case, being the holder of a judgment recovered against Albert N. Horner, one of the appellees,' for the sum of three thousand two hundred eighty-three dollars and sixty-six cents ($3,283.66), filed in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County, sitting in equity; his bill against the appellees, Albert N. Horner and Harry C. Fox, praying therein that a deed from Jennie B. Hieatzman and husband to Harry C. Fox, one of the appellees, dated the 29th day of November, 1907, and filed with the bill as an exhibit, be set aside and declared void and the lands described therein he sold for the payment of the indebtedness aforesaid.

The bill alleges that the lands mentioned in the deed are the property of Albert N. Homer and that Fox has no interest whatever in them, and that the conveyance of them to Fox by Mrs. Hieatzman and husband was merely a scheme on the part of Homer to hinder delay and defraud his creditors, particularly the appellant. That Albert N. Horner has no property standing in his name, so far as the appellant has been able to discover after diligent research, from which the payment of the.indebtedness aforesaid can be realized. That the claim upon which the judgment was recovered existed for a long time before the above mentioned conveyance of the lands.

Horner, in his answer, alleges that he hasyio “personal or specific knowledge” of the recovery of the judgment against him or of the conveyance of his sister, Mrs. Hieatzman, ánd husband to Fox, or of the interest of Fox in said lands, and therefore could neither admit nor deny the allegations of the bill in relation thereto. He denied that said lands belonged to him or that they had ever belonged to him, and further denied that the conveyance of the land to Fox was a scheme on his part to hinder, delay or defraud his creditors or any of them. He also denied that the claim upon which the judgment was recovered had existed for a long time prior to the conveyance aforesaid, and alleged that he had been *235 able at all times and. was at the time of the filing of the bill able to pay all claims against him.

Fox in his deposition, taken under sections 17 and 18, Article 35 of the Code of 1904, stated that he was a resident of Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, and was at that time sixty-four years of age and a machinist by trade. That his wife was Homer’s cousin, and that he was in Baltimore on the occasion of the execution of the deed from Mrs. Hieatzman and husband to him; that he went there at the request of Horner and is the party to whom Mrs. Hieatzman and husband conveyed the lands; and is the person who thereafter executed a mortgage thereon to Joseph R. Gunther. He testified that he did not pay anything for the lands, but was acting for Mr. Horner and had “no further interest than to oblige Mr. Horner.” He could not recall whether he had, after executing the mortgage, executed a deed with the name of the grantee left blank, but when asked if the title to the lands still remained in him, he said “It does not”; he did not know, however, when he conveyed it, but it had been conveyed and this was done at the request of Mr. Homer. He could not recall whether he had executed a second mortgage on the property. He stated that he had repeatedly acted for Mr. Homer as grantee and mortgagor in relation to various properties in Baltimore and elsewhere when he had no interest in the" same, “except expenses and anything that was given me for my trouble.” That in the last two years prior to his testifying he had executed for Mr. Homer many deeds and mortgages relating to property in which he had no interest.

Joseph B. Sauter, the former owner of the lands, testified that he sold them for seven thousand dollars, of which the sum of forty-eight hundred dollars was paid by the certified check of Albert 1ST. Homer delivered to him by one J. Wesley Evans, through whom the sale had been effected, and the balance thereof, the sum of twenty-two hundred dollars, was in a mortgage, resting upon the lands, held by one Reinhold. When the deed therefor was to be executed he was asked to *236 convey the property to Mrs. Hieatzman, which he dicl. He never knew or heard why he should have been asked to do so. This deed from Sauter to Mrs. Hieatzman was executed on the 26th day of July, 1907.

John Timanus testified that he acted for both Sauter and Evans, as well as for Mr. and Mrs. Reinhold, the mortgagees-, in the sale and conveyance of said lands by Sauter. He prepared the deed to Mrs. Hieatzman, as directed by Evans. He did not know why Horner’s check was used in part payment of the purchase money, but as the check was certified that did not bother him. Timanus also testified that he was one of the counsel for Horner in this case, although it does not so appear upon the record.

Joseph R. Gunther, an attorney of Baltimore City, testified that he was applied to by Evans in 1907 for a loan upon these lands. Evans, when he first applied, did not say for whom the application was made, hut later, when asked who would execute the mortgage, he stated that he was making application for Albert N. Homer and produced- the deed from Sauter to Mrá. Hieatzman, as well as other title papers. Evans stated, however, that the mortgage would be executed by Mrs. Hieatzman, that Mrs. Hieatzman was a sister of Mrs. Horner and “was holding the title as a matter of convenience for Mr. Horner.” Gunther said he was afterwards told that Mr. and Mrs. Hieatzman had declined to sign the mortgage and that it would be executed by Fox. Mr. Gunther then prepared the deed to be executed by Mr-, and Mrs. Hieatzman to Fox, as well as a mortgage from Fox to him as trustee. On the occasion of the delivery of the deed and mortgage and payment over of the consideration thereof, Horner, Evans and Fox were all present. The new mortgage- was for twenty-six hundred dollars. After applying so much thereof as was necessary to the payment of the old mortgage with accrued interest and certain expenses that had been incurred by the filling of the mortgage for foreclosure, there was left of the consideration the sum of one dollar and ninety-six cents. This was paid by check drawn *237 to the order of Eox and handed him, which was at once endorsed by him and delivered to Horner. He further testified that in the title papers handed him by Evans, there was a deed executed by Jennie B. Hieatzman and husband of the same date as the deed from Sauter to Mrs. Hieatzman. In this deed the name of the grantee was left blank. Evans explained why this was done by saying “It was executed in that shape so that Mr. Horner could insert the names of such persons as he saw fit.” Eox executed the mortgage and signed the notes upon being told to do' so by Mr. Horner.

Robert Biggs, counsel for the appellant, in whose hands the claim had been placed for collection, made careful investigation, of the land records to discover any property standing in the name of Homer, but found none, nor was he able to locate any personal property belonging to Horner. He found upon the records debts owing by Horner amounting to at least five thousand dollars'in addition to the judgment of Moms Abramson.

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Bluebook (online)
80 A. 907, 115 Md. 232, 1911 Md. LEXIS 136, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/abramson-v-horner-md-1911.