Bonds v. Goodwin

85 So. 2d 480, 226 Miss. 704, 1956 Miss. LEXIS 453
Mississippi Supreme Court·Decided February 13, 1956·No. No. 39955·Published

Opinion

McGehee, C. J.

The bill of complaint herein was filed by the- appellant, Cora Bonds, a Negro woman, to cancel and set [707]*707aside a foreclosure sale made under a deed of trust on November 5, 1954, of two parcels of real estate, one consisting of approximately 200 acres of farm land and the other certain town lots on which a “Negro cafe” was operated in the town of Hollandale, all in Washington County, and which bill of complaint also asked for a partition of the property and that the complainant’s one-half undivided interest therein as a tenant in common with Alex Yates at the time of the sale be charged with one-half of the indebtedness on the property (evidently meaning one-half of the indebtedness owing under the foreclosed deed of trust and certain prior liens together with the interest thereon at the time she purchased her one-half undivided interest by her recorded deed from James Claiborne on March 25, 1952) and the costs.

The bill of complaint also sought to have cancelled a declaration of homestead filed by Lettie Mae Arrington Claiborne, and a subordinate deed of trust held by the latter, as clouds upon the interest of the complainant. The trial court held that the foreclosure sale was good and valid, and dismissed the bill of complainant except as to the declaration of homestead filed by Lettie Mae Arrington Claiborne, which was cancelled as a cloud upon the title as determined in the decree appealed from. The other defendants to the suit were Abe E. Abraham, original beneficiary in the deed of trust which was foreclosed, and against whom no relief was sought and who is not a party to this appeal; J. H. Criswell, at whose instance the deed of trust was finally foreclosed; G. Ramsey Russell, trustee therein; Alex Yates, the tenant in common of the complainant at the time of the sale; C. B. Goodwin and Paul N. Nunnery, who were the purchasers of the property at the foreclosure sale on November 5,1954, for the cash consideration of $5,207.81, and of which proceeds approximately $5,000.00 was paid to J. H. Criswell.

On January 10, 1952, James Claiborne and Alex Yates were admittedly the owners of a one-half undivided in[708]*708terest each in the lands in question. On that day they, together with Robert Castleman and Hattie Castleman, who owned a life estate in the town property, executed the deed of trust in favor of Abe E. Abraham to secure the payment of an indebtedness amounting to $2,380.54, evidenced by two promissory notes, one for $1,200.00 as principal due December 1, 1952, and one for $1,180.54 as principal due December 1, 1953.

On March 25, 1952, James Claiborne, being already indebted to his mother, the appellant Cora Bonds, executed a warranty deed to her for his one-half undivided interest in the two parcels of land in consideration of her agreement to assume and pay his share of the indebtedness then existing on the land, and the cancellation of his pre-existing indebtedness to her. This deed was acknowledged by James Claiborne before the Chancery Clerk of Washington County. The deed is made an exhibit to the bill of complaint. There is a notation thereon between the signature of the grantor and the acknowledgment taken by the chancery clerk in the following-words and figures “Book 478 page 257”. It is asserted in the brief of the appellant, and the statement is unchallenged by the appellees, that this deed was immediately recorded. Counsel for appellees also conceded during the trial that the deed was placed of record.

The deed of trust of January 10, 1952, given by James Claiborne and Alex Yates, in which Abe E. Abraham is named as the beneficiary, recites that the said deed of trust is second and subordinate to a deed of trust on the farm land of $7,500.00 owing- to N. D. Williams, on which there was a balance due of $5,000.00, and second and subordinate to a deed of trust securing an indebtedness to T. R. Sanders in the sum of $1,500.00 on which there was then owing a balance of $750.00. We presume that the appellant, Cora Bonds, intended to assume as a part of the consideration for the deed to her from James Claiborne one-half of the amount owing- to Williams and one-half of the amount owing to Sanders.

[709]*709The proof discloses without dispute that Cora Bonds paid to Abe E. Abraham the $1,200.00 note with interest which became due December 1, 1952, leaving unpaid the $1,180.54 note which was not due until December 1, 1953. Shortly after December 1, 1953, James Claiborne, J. H. Criswell and Lettie May Arrington, who was then living with James Claiborne under color of a marriage ceremony, all went to see Mr. Abraham at Vicksburg and paid to him out of some money contained in a paper sack and some additional funds of Criswell the full indebtedness then due Abraham, amounting to $2,180.54. It appears that Abraham had loaned James Claiborne an additional $1,000.00 after he had conveyed by recorded deed to the appellant, Cora Bonds, his one-half undivided interest in the two parcels of land in question. The deed of trust held by Abraham of January 10, 1952, did not provide for future advances of money or supplies to the grantors, but it did provide, in substance, that the grantors should pay any ‘ ‘ other liens of whatsoever kind or description on all or any of the property herein conveyed due and unpaid”, and that if they failed to do so the “legal holder of any of the indebtedness herein secured, whoever it may be, may pay the same and add the sum so paid, with 6% per annum interest thereon, to the amount of the indebtedness herein secured”; and further that if the grantors make ‘ ‘ any default in the payment of the indebtedness secured by the said deeds of trust in favor of N. D. Williams and T. R. Sanders, described hereinabove, or breach any of the terms or conditions of said deeds of trust so as to place either of them in any danger of foreclosure, the beneficiary herein may take such steps as may be necessary to reinstate such deeds of trust and place them in current condition, and shall be secured hereby for any moneys expended by him in doing so just as the indebtedness named herein is secured, and at his option may declare such default in payment or such breach of condition to be such a breach [710]*710of this contract as to allow him to proceed to foreclose this deed of trust * *

The deed of trust also authorized the legal holder of the indebtedness thereby secured to protect his lien by the payment of any taxes due and unpaid, and in keeping the buildings on the property insured in compliance with the obligation of the grantors.

If the $1,000.00 collected by Abraham on December 1, 1953, in addition to the $1,180.54 with interest, had been shown to be money advanced to James Claiborne, instead of being advanced as a payment to protect the security of the beneficiary therein as against prior liens, etc., then the amount loaned to James Claiborne in addition to the $1,180.54 note, after he had conveyed his undivided interest in the land by a recorded deed to his mother, Cora Bonds, it was not secured by the deed of trust held by Abraham.

It is not shown how much of the $2,180.54 plus some accrued interest was paid by each of the parties James Claiborne, J. H. Criswell and Lettie Mae Arrington to Abraham, but the trial court was justified in finding from the proof that Mr. Criswell refunded to James Claiborne and Lettie Mae Arrington such part of the indebtedness to Abraham as they each had paid respectively on the occasion of the settlement with Abraham.

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Bonds v. Goodwin, 85 So. 2d 480, 226 Miss. 704, 1956 Miss. LEXIS 453 (Mich. 1956).

85 So. 2d 480 (Bonds v. Goodwin) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.