Bailey v. Union Central Life Insurance

268 N.W. 173, 221 Iowa 1195
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedJune 19, 1936
DocketNo. 43593.
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 268 N.W. 173 (Bailey v. Union Central Life Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bailey v. Union Central Life Insurance, 268 N.W. 173, 221 Iowa 1195 (iowa 1936).

Opinion

Stigher, J.

This is a suit for specific performance of a composition agreement between the plaintiff and the defendants, who are all of his creditors.

Plaintiff alleges in his petition that in the summer of 1934, he was indebted to the defendant, Union Central Life Insurance Company, in the sum of $11,250.00, which indebtedness is secured by a first mortgage on his 169 acres in Marion County, Iowa, on which indebtedness there was delinquent interest, and to the defendant, Joe Utterback, Receiver of the Knoxville Citizens National Bank and Trust Company, in the sum of $4,000.-00, which indebtedness was secured by a second mortgage on said real estate and a chattel mortgage; that during the said summer he entered into negotiations with the defendants, for the purpose of effecting a settlement of his said debts and refinancing the same by obtaining a new mortgage upon the farm from the Federal Land Bank of Omaha and pursuant to said negotiations made an application for a loan to said bank; that thereafter and in October, 1934, he entered into an oral arrangement with defendant Utterback, Receiver, and the Insurance Company, through its representative, Mr. Tucker, wherein the company agreed to accept the sum of $10,925.00 from the proceeds of the loan and upon receipt thereof to satisfy and release its mortgage, and the said Utterback, Receiver, agreed to accept the balance of the loan in satisfaction of the indebtedness to his trust and upon the receipt thereof to release his second mortgage on the land and the lien of the chattel mortgage. The plaintiff further states that pursuant to said arrangements and agreements he entered into a contract with the Federal Farm Land Association through its secretary, Carl Lane, and agreed *1197 to purchase stock of said association, and pay fees and commissions for the loan, furnish an abstract, and that he did all necessary thing's to effect a loan from the Federal Land Bank of Omaha, and to procure the money to pay his creditors; that the Land Bank agreed to make a loan to the plaintiff upon said land in the sum of $12,400.00; that at the time he entered into said oral agreement with the defendants, no limitation as to time was placed upon plaintiff in procuring said loan except that it was the understanding that the loan should be completed and the money paid within a reasonable time; that on January 21, 1935, the Land Bank granted a commitment to the plaintiff for $12,-400.00 and is now ready and willing to pay the plaintiff or his creditors, the defendants, the proceeds of the loan and that he is ready and willing to execute the necessary papers to the bank to procure the funds. Plaintiff further stated that on or about December 20, 1934, the defendant Insurance Company refused to carry out its agreement and subsequently commenced an action in the District Court of Marion County to foreclose its mortgage which action is now pending; that plaintiff is ready and willing to carry out his part of the agreement and to do equity; and that he has no speedy or adequate remedy at law. The plaintiff prays that the defendants, upon the payment to them of the proceeds of the loan, be required to accept the same and to cancel and satisfy their liens against the plaintiff and that the lien on the mortgage executed in favor of the Land Bank be decreed to be a first lien, superior to the claims of the defendants in and to his said land, and for such other and further relief as may be equitable in the premises.

The defendant, Union Central Life Insurance Company, filed its answer and denied that it made an oral agreement with the plaintiff to accept $10,925.00 in satisfaction of plaintiff’s indebtedness and alleges that it never agreed to release its mortgage lien upon the payment of said sum. Said defendant admits that on January 11, 1935, it commenced an action in the district court of Marion county, Iowa, to foreclose its mortgage and that the said action is now pending.

The plaintiff filed a reply to the answer to conform with the proof and stated therein:

“Par. 1. That in the letters of August 8, 1934, and August 26, 1934, the defendant, Union Central Life Insurance Com *1198 pany, by its duly authorized officers and agents agreed to accept the sum of $10,925.00 in full payment of its mortgage, which letters were addressed to Carl II. Lane, Secretary of the National Farm Loan Association, which letters were in compliance with the oral arrangement made between plaintiff, Joe S. Utter-back, Receiver, and F. C. Tucker, Field Representative of the Insurance Company.”
‘ ‘ Par. 2. That if the defendant, the Union Central Life Insurance Company by said letters intended to limit the date on which its offer to accept would expire on September 20, 1934, waived such limitation by letters written to Carl Lane, Secretary of the National Farm Loan Association, and placed no further limitation thereon, and is now estopped from claiming that the acceptance on the part of the Insurance Company to take $10,925.00 was so limited.”

On January 4, 1936, a decree was entered wherein the trial court found that the plaintiff entered into a composition agreement with all of his creditors, that is the defendants, wherein the plaintiff, Bailey, agreed to and did apply for a loan to the Federal Land Bank of Omaha and the Federal Land Bank Commissioner on his real estate and from the proceeds of the loan the defendant Insurance Company agreed to accept $10,925.00 in payment of plaintiff’s indebtedness and to release its mortgage and that Joe S. Uttérback, Receiver of the Knoxville Citizens National Bank and Trust Company, agreed to accept the balance of the proceeds of the loan over and above the sum of $10,-925.00 less the taxes, expenses of the loan and stock in the National Farm Loan Association in full satisfaction of plaintiff’s indebtedness to the trust and to release his second mortgage; that said agreement was to be carried out within a reasonable time, and as expeditiously as possible considering the volume of business then being handled by the Land Bank and the Land Bank Commissioner, that the Insurance Company by its conduct, is estopped from claiming the agreement was to be performed by December 20, 1934; that plaintiff has performed his part of the arrangement and has obtained a loan of $12,400.00 and that the bank and the Commissioner are now able and ready to complete the loan and pay the proceeds to the plaintiff or the defendants.

The court further found that after the loan was available *1199 and before this suit was commenced the Insurance Company refused to accept the sum agreed upon and commenced its foreclosure action; that the defendant, Joe S. Utterback, Receiver, etc., has been ready and willing to carry out the agreement on his part; that the defendant Insurance Company should be required to accept the sum of $10,925.00 and release its first mortgage lien and dismiss its foreclosure suit. The decree ordered that plaintiff proceed to close his loan within sixty days from the date of his decree unless for good cause shown, and pay the proceeds to the defendants as provided in the agreement and upon such payment the defendants shall cancel and surrender plaintiff’s notes and mortgages and release their respective liens upon the real estate. The decree enjoined the defendant Insurance Company from prosecuting its foreclosure suit and ordered its dismissal at the Insurance Company’s cost.

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Related

Union Central Life Insurance v. Schultz
271 N.W. 249 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1937)

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Bluebook (online)
268 N.W. 173, 221 Iowa 1195, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bailey-v-union-central-life-insurance-iowa-1936.