Bernards v. Beck

115 P.2d 329, 167 Or. 178, 1941 Ore. LEXIS 12
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedJune 24, 1941
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 115 P.2d 329 (Bernards v. Beck) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bernards v. Beck, 115 P.2d 329, 167 Or. 178, 1941 Ore. LEXIS 12 (Or. 1941).

Opinion

KELLY, C. J.

The complaint herein contains three causes of action: first, forcible entry and detainer; second, a cause based upon a contract of rental and of occupancy thereunder of lots 1, 2 and 3, block 2, Orenco Townsite in Washington county, Oregon, the rental prescribed in said contract being $15 per month and said occupancy being continued for four years and nine months; and third, a cause based upon holding and occupancy of said premises by defendant after notice given by plaintiff to defendant that the rental thereafter for said premises would be at the rate of $500 per month.

Defendant’s affirmative defense, as stated in defendant’s answer, is as follows:

“I.
On or about April 4, 1930 plaintiff, together .with Lena Bernards, his wife, mortgaged to one M. B. Johnson certain real property in Washington County, Oregon, which included the real property described in *180 plaintiff’s complaint, as security for an indebtedness then owing from plaintiff to said M. E. Johnson.
II.
On or about April 6, 1934, said M. E. Johnson commenced a suit in equity in the Circuit Court of the State of Oregon, for Washington County, against plaintiff and said Lena Bernards for the foreclosure of said mortgage, and such proceedings were thereafter had in said suit that on July 11, 1934 a decree foreclosing said mortgage against the aforesaid real property was duly and regularly entered.
m.
Thereafter execution issued out of said Circuit Court and upon said decree to the Sheriff of said Washington County and on June 29, 1935 said sheriff duly and regularly sold said real property upon said execution to said M. E. Johnson, which sale was thereafter duly confirmed by said Circuit Court, and said M. E. Johnson upon said sale became entitled to the possession of said real property, and plaintiff ceased to be the owner thereof except as to the statutory right of redemption, which has since expired, and ceased to have any right in or to said real property or the possession thereof or the rents therefrom, and has never since been entitled to the possession or rents thereof.
IY.
After said sale, said M. E. Johnson demanded of defendant that defendant either vacate said premises or attorn to said M. E. Johnson, and defendant thereupon did duly attorn to said M. E. Johnson and has ever since been and still is the tenant of said M. E. Johnson in said premises and has regularly paid rent to said M. E. Johnson therefor.”
Plaintiff’s reply contains the following affirmative allegations:
“I.
On August 10, 1934, this plaintiff and Lena Bernards, his wife, filed a petition in the District Court *181 of the United States for the District of Oregon for composition or extension pursuant to the terms of Section 75 of the Bankruptcy Act as the same had been amended by the act of Congress duly enacted under date of March 4, 1933; that plaintiff was in possession of said property and has remained so in possession by his said tenant, the defendant above named; and that said proceedings have ever since been pending in the District Court of the United States for the District of Oregon; and that by reason of said petition and said bankruptcy pursuant to the said statute, the State Courts were and are deprived of jurisdiction to proceed with the foreclosure of the mortgage, or alleged mortgage, referred to in defendant’s said answer.”

It is contended by defendant that inasmuch as there is no bill of exceptions in this case, the only question presented is whether the pleadings and the findings support the judgment of dismissal.

Unless this court may take judicial knowledge of the record of the federal court as alleged in plaintiff’s reply, it is apparent that the judgment of the trial court is so supported and should be affirmed.

The modern rule seems to be that the state courts should be controlled by the federal statute whenever the pendency of a bankruptcy proceeding such as the one here involved is brought to the attention of such courts whether by formal pleading, or proof, or in any other way.

In a case holding that the Frazier-Lemke Act deprived the Wisconsin County Court of jurisdiction to continue or maintain foreclosure proceedings against a mortgagee whose petition was pending in the bankruptcy court, the United States Supreme Court, speaking through Mr. Justice Black, said:

“Congress set up in the Act an exclusive and easily accessible statutory means for rehabilitating distressed farmers who, as victims of a general economic depres *182 sion, were without means to engage in formal court litigation. * * *
In harmony with the general plan of giving the farmer an opportunity for rehabilitation, he was relieved, — after filing a petition for composition and extension — of the necessity of litigation elsewhere and its consequent expense. This was accomplished by granting the bankruptcy court exclusive jurisdiction of the petitioning farmer and all his property with complete and self-executing statutory exclusion of all other courts. * * *
Congress manifested its intention that the issue of jurisdiction in the foreclosing court need not be contested or even raised by the distressed farmer-debtor. The protection of the farmers was left to the farmers themselves or to the Commissioners, who might be laymen, and considerations as to whether the issue of jurisdiction was actually contested in the County Court, or whether it could have been contested, are not applicable where the plenary power of Congress over bankruptcy has been exercised as in this Act.” Kalb v. Feuerstein, 308 U. S. 433, 60 S. Ct. 343, 84 L. Ed. 370.

Taking cognizance of the proceedings pending in the bankruptcy court, it is clear that the state court was and is without jurisdiction in this case. We find no authority in support of plaintiff’s argument that the state court has jurisdiction to entertain the second and third causes of action because those causes are for rentals and rentals do not pass into bankruptcy administration. On the contrary, rentals accruing upon mortgaged property belonging to the debtor, who has filed his petition in the bankruptcy court are properly taken by the mortgagor’s trustee in bankruptcy up to the time the mortgagee enters or brings a bill to foreclose or enter. Subsequent to such action by the mortgagee, the rentals from the mortgaged property may be treated as belonging to the mortgagee; but as to the real property of the debtor, not set apart *183 as exempt, the rentals therefrom are within the exclusive dominion and jurisdiction of the bankruptcy-court. Annotation to 75 A. L. R. 1526, et seq. See In re Cigar Stores Realty Holdings, Inc., 69 F. (2d) 823; Re Van Rooy, 21 F. Supp. 431.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
115 P.2d 329, 167 Or. 178, 1941 Ore. LEXIS 12, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bernards-v-beck-or-1941.