Bothman v. Lindstrom

221 Ill. App. 262, 1921 Ill. App. LEXIS 41
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedJune 18, 1921
DocketGen. No. 25,759
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 221 Ill. App. 262 (Bothman v. Lindstrom) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bothman v. Lindstrom, 221 Ill. App. 262, 1921 Ill. App. LEXIS 41 (Ill. Ct. App. 1921).

Opinion

Mr. Justice O’Connor

delivered the opinion of the court.

The question involved in this case is: Who is entitled to funds in the hands of a receiver appointed in a foreclosure suit, the holder of a deficiency decree or the owner of the equity of redemption, the latter having purchased the mortgagor’s interest in the premises and having taken an assignment of the rents in the hands of the receiver several months after the deficiency decree was entered?

So far as it is material to state them the facts are these: May 9, 1917, the owners of the mortgage indebtedness filed their hill for foreclosure and on June 7 following a receiver was appointed. Two months later, August 7, the receiver filed a verified petition setting up, inter alia, that on December 8, 1916, the property was sold for taxes; that the general taxes for the year 1916 payable on or before May 1, 1917, amounting to $354.56, and the second instalment of a special assessment, $56.59, payable May 1, 1917, were unpaid and leave of court was asked to redeem from the tax sale and to pay the taxes and the instalment of the special assessment, together with other sums not necessary to be considered here. Notice of this was given to all the parties in interest, including the mortgagors, and on the same day, August 7, 1917, an order was entered authorizing and directing the receiver “to pay current taxes and special assessments due on said property and redeem the same from tax sale of December 8, 1916, as soon as sufficient funds are in the hands of said receiver to enable him to pay said taxes and make said redemptions.” The receiver redeemed from the tax sale, paid the general taxes for 1916 and the second instalment of the special assessment mentioned. There is no controversy about the payment of these sums. A decree of foreclosure was entered November 22, 1917. The indebtedness npt having been paid, the decree provided that the property be sold, which was accordingly done, and on December 31, 1917, a deficiency decree of $1,000 was entered against the mortgagors. Sometime during April, 1918, the receiver paid the general taxes for 1917, amounting to $344.54, and the third instalment of the special assessment, $63.55. On September 18, 1918, Wilson, as trustee,, purchased the equity of redemption from the mortgagors and he, as an individ- • ual, took an assignment of rents from them. On December 19, 1918, Wilson claimed these rents. The receiver filed his final report on April 1,1919, showing that he had on hand $926.16. The contest arose as to the ownership of the funds in the hands of the receiver, and after issue on that question was made up an order was entered charging the receiver with the $344.54 and the $63.55 paid in April, 1918, for the general taxes of 1917 and the third instalment of the special assessment, and this amount, $408.09, together with the balance which the receiver reported on hand, viz., $926.16, aggregating $1,334.25, was ordered turned over to John C. Wilson, trustee, he being the-then owner of the equity of redemption and of the rents. The receiver and the mortgagee both appealed to this court.

A preliminary question is raised as to whether the receiver, under the circumstances, had a right to appeal. As a general proposition a receiver has no right to appeal as he is merely an arm of the court, but where he is personally involved, as in the instant case, we think the matter is properly before us on his appeal and of course the mortgagee had a right to •appeal.

It is contended on behalf of the receiver that the court erred in refusing to give him credit for the general taxes for 1917 and for the third instalment of the special assessment, both paid by him in April, 1918, and in support of this it is argued that this payment was authorized by the order of court of August 7, 1917, from which we have quoted. Of course, it is the law that a receiver, who is an officer of the court, is subject to its orders, and if all parties are properly notified of the application for the order and the receiver is directed to make payments, and no question is raised by any one in interest that such, payments are improper, tbe receiver can rely upon tbe order of court. He must obey tbe order of court and obviously should not be penalized in these circumstances. Reardon v. Youngquist, 189 Ill. App. 3. But we think it also clear that tbe order entered was not sufficiently specific to authorize payment of tbe taxes and tbe in-stalment of tbe special assessment in 1918. We are of tbe opinion, upon an examination of tbe petition filed by tbe receiver and tbe order of court, that these payments were not in contemplation of tbe court when tbe order was entered, so that tbe receiver cannot rely upon such order. But counsel for tbe receiver argue that even if no order was entered, yet tbe payment was proper because the taxes and tbe special assessment were liens on tbe property prior to tbe foreclosure decree and in these circumstances tbe expenditures should have been allowed. In support of this tbe case of Atwood v. Knowlson, 91 Ill. App. 265, is cited. We think that case sustains counsel’s contention. It was there held that where taxes bad become a lien upon tbe mortgaged property before tbe decree of sale in a forecloseure suit they might be properly paid by tbe receiver. No authorities are cited in tbe Atwood case and we are of tbe opinion that tbe law in this State is that tbe purchaser at a foreclosure sale is entitled to all tbe right, title and interest of the mortgagor in tbe premises and no more, and takes tbe property charged with all of tbe infirmities of title. Davis v. Dale, 150 Ill. 239. In that ease tbe property was sold under a foreclosure decree December 21, 1891, for tbe full amount of tbe indebtedness. Tbe trust deed provided that tbe mortgagors should pay all taxes and assessments and not suffer tbe property to be sold for nonpayment; that if there was any such default, tbe trustee, or other person interested, might pay them. There tbe receiver collected moneys after the sale and took credit for $1,574.80, which be bad paid for taxes upon the property for the year 1891. The eonrt there said (p. 244): “No cross errors are assigned, nor is the correctness of the decree in respect of the payment of taxes of 1891 in any way questioned. It is difficult to see how the purchaser at the master’s sale would, in the condition of this ease, he entitled to payment of such taxes out of the rents and profits. But, as before said, the question is not raised, and need not he now determined.” In that case the facts aré substantially the same as in the instant case, and there is a clear intimation that these taxes were improperly paid. In Stevens v. Hadfield, 90 Ill. App. 405, it was said: “The purchaser at the foreclosure sale took the title with all its infirmities and burdens, and it was not for the receiver to apply the rents ancl profits accruing during the period of redemption to the removing of such infirmities or burdens for the benefit of such .purchaser.” Citing Davis v. Dale, supra, and Stevens v. Hadfield, 178 Ill. 532. In the Stevens case (90 Ill. App. 405), it was further said (p. 407): “The same reasons which preclude the receiver from assisting the purchaser at the forclosure sale by an application of the rents and profits accruing during the period of redemption upon the first mortgage lien, also preclude him from assisting here in the matter of taxes. This item was also properly disallowed.” We think the court properly held that the receiver should not be allowed credit for these two items.

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Bluebook (online)
221 Ill. App. 262, 1921 Ill. App. LEXIS 41, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bothman-v-lindstrom-illappct-1921.