Buckel v. Auer

120 N.E. 437, 68 Ind. App. 320, 1918 Ind. App. LEXIS 73
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 17, 1918
DocketNo. 9,648
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 120 N.E. 437 (Buckel v. Auer) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Buckel v. Auer, 120 N.E. 437, 68 Ind. App. 320, 1918 Ind. App. LEXIS 73 (Ind. Ct. App. 1918).

Opinion

Caldwell, C. J.

Judgment was rendered against appellants by reason of their election not to plead further on the overruling of their demurrers filed to the [322]*322second, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth and eleventh paragraphs of answer. These rulings are assigned as error.

Appellants are heirs at law of Creszentia Auer, deceased, appellants Mary Buckel, Frances Peak, Amelia Toepp and Joseph C. Lauber being children of her first marriage, and the other appellants George Lauber, Jr., and Amanda Lauber being children of her deceased son, George Lauber, who died before her decease.

Appellees other than PuShane, administrator, are collateral kindred and heirs at law of Charles Auer, who was Creszentia Auer’s second husband. Creszentia Auer diéd in 1891. Charles Auer died in 1913. Appellee PuShane is administrator of his estate.

The complaint was in three paragraphs, each of which was lengthy. For purposes of the consideration of the substantial questions presented by the briefs, the first and third paragraphs were to the effect that at the time of the decease of Creszentia Auer she held in her own name the record title to a number of tracts and lots of land situate in St. Joseph county, Indiana; that, while the record title to such lands stood in her name, she in fact held such lands in trust and as trustee in trust for appellants; that such trust in lands arose from the averred fact that a number of years before her decease, Creszentia purchased such lands with money which she held by implied trust for appellants, taking title in her own name.

The second paragraph of complaint differed from the first and third in the following respects: It described as purchased and held in trust a single rather than a number of tracts of land. It alleged that [323]*323such tract was purchased by, and conveyed to, Creszentia Auer on January 12, 1872, and that immediately thereafter Charles Auer executed his quitclaim deed, his wife Creszentia not joining, by which he quitclaimed such tract to appellants. Such deed contained no covenants and described as quitclaimed no specific interest in such tract. Both the complaint and the deed made a part of it, were silent respecting the purpose for which the deed was executed.

It was not averred in any paragraph of complaint that Creszentia held the described lands, or the money with which it was alleged that the purchase' was made, under a direct or express trust. No paragraph of complaint classified the alleged trust as express or implied, direct, resulting, or constructive. Appellants in their brief state that from the facts averred a resulting trust arose. The complaint contained no averment of fraud, bad faith or concealment. By the complaint appellants sought to quiet their title to the lands described in the respective paragraphs of complaint against appellees’ alleged claim to the one-third thereof, it being alleged in effect that appellees claim that on the decease of Creszentia such one-third descended to Charles Auer as surviving husband and from him to them as heirs at law.

The sixth and seventh paragraphs of answer were directed to the first paragraph of complaint, the eighth and ninth to the second paragraph, and the tenth and eleventh to the third paragraph. In their relation to questions presented and controverted by the briefs, each of these paragraphs, although differing from the others somewhat in phraseology, was to the effect that Creszentia Auer more than twenty years before the bringing of this action, appellants [324]*324having full knowledge of the fact at the time, revoked and repudiated the trust and trust relation averred in. the respective paragraphs of complaint, and that she by her last will and testament disposed of the involved property as her own and unaffected hy any trust. There were allegations also to the effect that Charles Auer and his representatives held the lands and interests in lands in controversy here adversely for more than twenty years after the decease of Creszentia and up to the time of the commencement of this action. Certain of these paragraphs disclosed also that Charles Auer’s claim to the land interests involved here was based on an election to take under the statutes of descent rather than under his wife’s will. The sixth, eighth and tenth paragraphs of answer contained formal allegations invoking the fifteen years’ statute of limitations, and the seventh, ninth and eleventh the twenty years’ statute.

1. If to each paragraph of 'complaint one sufficient paragraph .of answer was addressed, the judgment is thereby sufficiently supported and must he affirmed. In such a case the question of the correctness of the court’s rulings on the demurrers filed to the other paragraphs does not involve reversible error. Williams v. Wood (1915), 60 Ind. App. 69, 107 N. E. 683, and cases; Hayward v. Hayward, Admr. (1917), 65 Ind. App. 440, 115 N. E. 966, 116 N. E. 746. That is to say, if the court’s rulings on the demurrers filed to the sixth, eighth and tenth paragraphs of answer were correct, the judgment must he affirmed, even though the rulings on the demurrers filed to the seventh, ninth and eleventh paragraphs,were erroneous, and vice-versa. It results that if either the twenty or the fifteen years’ [325]*325statute of limitations is applicable here, and is well pleaded, tbe judgment must be affirmed.-

We first direct our attention to tbe element of tbe second paragraph of complaint to the effect that Charles Auer, on January 12, 1872, quitclaimed to appellants the lands in -such paragraph of complaint described. It will be remembered that such deed did not purport to release to appellants any particular or specific interest in the lands described. There was no reference to any interest in the lands that might ripen into, a present estate on the death of Charles Auer’s wife. The language of the deed was general; simply that Charles Auer quitclaimed to appellants the involved lands, describing them. The wife, as we have said, did not join in the execution of the deed.

2. The general rule is that a quitclaim deed does not estop the person executing it from asserting an after-acquired interest in the lands therein described. Haskett v. Maxey (1893), 134 Ind. 182, 33 N. E. 358, 19 L. R. A. 379; Bryan v. Uland (1885), 101 Ind. 477, 1 N. E. 52; Graham v. Graham (1876), 55 Ind. 23. However, a recital in a deed without covenants, in substance, that the grantor thereby intends to convey an interest specifically described and identified may be effective, through the principle of estoppel, to convey an after-acquired interest. McAdams v. Bailey (1907), 169 Ind. 518, 82 N. E. 1057, 13 L. R. A. (N. S.) 1003, 124 Am. St. 240; Hight v. Carr (1916), 185 Ind. 39, 112 N. E. 881; Mosier v. Carter (1911), 84 Kan. 361, 114 Pac. 226, 35 L. R. A. (N. S.) 1182, note.

[326]*3263. [325]*325Viewing Charles Auer’s interest in his wife’s real estate as an interest inherited from her at her [326]*326decease, and consequently as acquired subsequently to tbe execution'of tbe quitclaim deed, such deed under the foregoing principles and authorities was not effective to convey it, since such deed was general in its nature, there being no recital pointing out specifically the estate or interest intended to be conveyed.

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Bluebook (online)
120 N.E. 437, 68 Ind. App. 320, 1918 Ind. App. LEXIS 73, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/buckel-v-auer-indctapp-1918.