Allen v. O'Donald

28 F. 17, 12 Sawy. 17, 1886 U.S. App. LEXIS 2203
CourtUnited States Circuit Court
DecidedJuly 19, 1886
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 28 F. 17 (Allen v. O'Donald) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Circuit Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Allen v. O'Donald, 28 F. 17, 12 Sawy. 17, 1886 U.S. App. LEXIS 2203 (uscirct 1886).

Opinion

Deady, J.

This suit is brought to enforce the lien of two mortgages, executed by Thomas Cross and Pluma F., his wife, to secure the payment of two promissory notes made by said Thomas Cross,— the one on November 1, 1871, to the firm of Allen & Lewis, for the sum of $30,000, payable in three years after date, with interest at 10 per centum per annum, and the other on January 23, 1872, to the same firm, for the sum of $10,000, payable in one year from date, with interest at 12 per centum per annum. The mortgages were also made to Allen & Lewis, and each was executed contemporaneously with the note it was intended to secure. The first one includes 15 parcels of agricultural land situate in Marion county, and containing about 3,361.54 acres, and the second one includes the same property, and also certain lots and parts thereof situate in Salem, in sqfid county. The two parcels numbered 14 and 15 were the property of Pluma F., and consist of 80 acres of the donation of David Leslie, and the donation of F. S. Hoyt and wife, containing 131 acres.

On September 16, 1872, Pluma F. died, and on January 22,1876, the notes being still unpaid, Thomas Cross conveyed the premises to Mr. C. H. Lewis, of Portland, and of the firm of Allen & Lewis, on the parol, but admitted, trust and understanding that Lewis would, at the expense of the property, farm or let the same, and apply the rents and profits arising therefrom on the debts secured thereon; and that he might, with the consent of Cross, sell and dispose of the whole, or any portion, of said land, either at public or private sale, and apply the net proceeds thereof on said debts. On February 5, 1884, Thomas Cross died, and soon after the notes and mortgages were indorsed and assigned to Mr. L. H. Allen, of San Francisco, a member of said firm, and the plaintiff herein, who, on August 6, 1884, commenced this suit. On January 20, 1885, an order was made that the bill be taken for confessed against all the defendants except Edwin C. Cross and Frank E. Cross, the children and heirs of Pluma F., who, on March 10th, answered jointly, the latter by the former, as his guardian.

During the year 1876 the defendant Lewis, with the approval and co-operation of Thomas Cross, had the portion of the lands lying in township 6 S., and range 3 W., and containing 2,326.37 acres surveyed, and divided into tracts of near 40 acres each, aDd a plat thereof made and duly recorded, and the same appraised by Cross and other disinterested' and qualified persons. Between October 14 and November 15 of-this year, Lewis, in pursuance of said trust, sold at private and public sale 862.46 acres of the land so surveyed and.appraised for the sum of $8,593.81, the same being $268.16 more than the appraised value thereof, which was applied as follows: (1) $809.85, in payment of the expenses of the sale, including the cost of the survey, plat, and advertisements; (2) $725.50, paid on March [19]*1922, 1876, at the request of Cross, to discharge a mortgage on 320 acres of said land, given to the board of school land commissioners on June 18, 1867, to secure the payment of the note of Cross of that date for $594, and payable with interest one year after date; (3) §221.74, paid on the same day, and like request, to said board, to obtain a deed for 110.87 acres of said land theretofore purchased by Cross from the state; and (4) $6,837.11, being the remainder, on the notes aforesaid; and on November 2,1878, the firm of Allen & Lewis executed a release to Cross, discharging the lands so sold from the operation and lien of said mortgage.

On the filing of the bill, it appearing therefrom that the land was not sufficient security for the debt, a receiver was appointed to collect the rents and manage the same; and on May 30,1885, an order was made, with the consent of the defendants Edwin C. and Frank E. Cross, that the receiver sell the remaining portion of the property subject to the mortgages, except the parcels 14 and 15 aforesaid; and on September 17th he sold the same at auction, receiving for the 2,499 acres of agricultural land $39,344.04, and for the town lots $5,425, in all the sum of $44,769.04, which was applied on the notes, less the sum of $88.25 paid for advertising and an auctioneer. On March 8, 1885, the cause was before the court on exceptions to the answer of Edwin C. and Frank E. Cross for impertinence therein, namely: (1) That it was stipulated in said mortgages that in default of payment of the notes they should be foreclosed according to law, and no other or different mode of disposing of said lauds was provided therein, or contemplated by the parties thereto; (2) the sale of a portion of said lands as above stated, for $8,593.81, was contrary to the terms and conditions of the mortgages, and without the consent of the defendants; that the property so sold was then worth, and under ordinary circumstances would have sold for, $20,000; and that the expense of said sale was wrongfully charged to the proceeds thereof; and (3) that the lands of Pluma F. included in said mortgages were, at the time of such sale, and now are, worth not more than $10,000, and therefore the same ought to be released and discharged from the operation and effect of said mortgages.

In support of the answer it was contended that when a creditor relinquishes a lien on any portion of his debtor’s property, without reducing the debt in an amount equal to the value thereof, the property of the surety is so far disharged from liability therefor. The exceptions were overruled; and, in disposing of them, the court said:

“In round numbers, there is now due on these notes not less than $80,000. In the argument for the exceptions it is claimed that the whole property included in the mortgages is not sufficient to pay the debt by a much larger sum than the alleged value of the property of the defendants, and if this is so, then the defendants are not injured by what they complain of, and the allegations excepted to would be no defense to the bill, and be clearly impertinent. But the court cannot say judicially what this 3,661.54 acres of land is worth, -It cannot assume that it is only worth $70,000, and not $80,000, [20]*20though it may fetch either sum when put up at auction. The rule seems to be that the burden of proof is on the creditor, in a ease of this kind, to show that the surety has not been injured by the transaction. Brandt, Sur. § 370. It follows that the allegations excepted to are not impertinent, but constitute a good defense to the relief prayed for, as to these defendants. The plaintiff must either deny them, by a replication, or confess and avoid them by proper amendments to the bill.” 23 Ted. Hep. 573.

Thereupon, on June 1, 1885, an amendment to the bill was filed, setting out in detail the sale of the 862.46 acres aforesaid, and the disposition of the proceeds thereof, as above stated; and on September 15th a stipulation was filed to the effect that the answer to the original bill should stand as the answer to the amendment also, and admitting that the allegations in the amendment, when not denied by the answer, except the one concerning the value of the lands sold in 1876, are true; and on October 28th the usual replication was filed to the answer.

No evidence was taken in the case, except the deposition of Mr. Lewis, by the defendants, on the question of the bona fides of the transfer of the notes and mortgages, and his consent as creditor to the sale of Cross’ land in 1876. On April 6th a stipulation concerning the facts was filed, and the case was finally heard and submitted on the pleadings, and this stipulation and deposition.

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Bluebook (online)
28 F. 17, 12 Sawy. 17, 1886 U.S. App. LEXIS 2203, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/allen-v-odonald-uscirct-1886.