Burkett v. Peoples Bank of Biloxi

83 So. 2d 185, 225 Miss. 291, 1955 Miss. LEXIS 582
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 7, 1955
Docket39767
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 83 So. 2d 185 (Burkett v. Peoples Bank of Biloxi) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Burkett v. Peoples Bank of Biloxi, 83 So. 2d 185, 225 Miss. 291, 1955 Miss. LEXIS 582 (Mich. 1955).

Opinion

*295 Gillespie, J.

On October 4, 1950, Gulf Coast Manufacturing Company, Inc., owned a certain parcel of land in Jackson County, Mississippi, described as, “Commencing at a point on the West line of Halstead Road 264 feet South of the Northeast corner of the NE 1/4 of the NE' 1/4 of SE 1/4 of Section 29, T. 7 S., R. 8 West, thence running South along the West line of Halstead Road 132 feet, thence running West 660 feet, more or less, thence running North 132 feet, thence running east 660 feet, more or less, to the point of beginning. Being a portion of the Northeast quarter of the Northeast quarter of the Southeast quarter of Section 29, Township 7 South, Range 8 West, Jackson County, Mississippi.”

On or about said date, a building was erected on the land for the owner’s use in manufacturing caskets, the business in which the owner was engaged.

On October 4, 1950, Gulf Coast Manufacturing Company, Inc., executed a deed of trust to the Peoples Bank of Biloxi, appellee herein. The land was described as follows: “Commencing at a point on the West line of Halstead Road 264 feet South of the Northeast corner of the NE% of the NE% of Sec. 29, T. 7 S., R 8 W, thence running South along the West line of Halstead Road 132 feet; thence running West 660 feet, more or less, thence running North 132 feet, thence running east 660 feet, more or less to the point of beginning.

“Being a portion of the Northeast quarter of the Northeast Quarter of the Southeast quarter of Sec. 29, Township 7 South, Range 8 West, Jackson County, Mississippi.

“And being known as building being erected for the *296 Gulf Coast Manufacturing Company, which business is engaged in the manufacture of caskets.”

On February 28,1951, Gulf Coast Manufacturing Company, Inc., borrowed additional funds from appellee and executed another deed of trust to appellee in which the land was described exactly as in the deed of trust dated October 4, 1950, except that the paragraph following the description read: “And being known as building now erected for the Gulf Coast Manufacturing Company, which business is engaged in the manufacture of caskets. ’ ’

On February 9, 1952, Gulf Coast Manufacturing Company, Inc., borrowed certain funds from Andy Page, and on the same date executed a deed of trust to the said Andy Page on the lands first above mentioned and therein accurately described said lands. This deed of trust contained a provision immediately following’ the description of the property as follows: “Subject, however, to those two certain deeds of trust executed by the grantor herein to the Peoples Bank of Biloxi, Mississippi, beneficiary, and of record in the office of the Chancery Clerk of Jackson County, Mississippi.”

All of the aforementioned deeds of trust were properly acknowledged and seasonably placed of record in the Chancery Clerk’s office of Jackson County, Mississippi, and were unpaid and uncancelled of record at all times mentioned in this opinion.

Gulf Coast Manufacturing Company, Inc., had become indebted to Mid-South Funeral Supply, Inc., and on November 12, 1952, a judgment was rendered in favor of Mid South Funeral Supply, Inc., against Gulf Coast Manufacturing Company, Inc., which was enrolled on December 1, 1952. At the time Mid South obtained and enrolled its judgment, it had no actual notice of the two deeds of trust held by appellee.

Subsequently, an execution was issued on the aforementioned judgment and the sheriff sold the land under the execution on April 6, 1953, at which time Miss Amy *297 Burkett, appellant, who then had actual notice of appellee’s two deeds of trust, purchased the property. Appellant paid the sheriff the amount of her bid and was given a sheriff’s deed under which she claims in this suit.

Appellant contends that her title under the sheriff’s deed is free from the lien of the two deeds of trust held by appellee because of the erroneous descriptions in said deeds of trust.

Appellant concedes that as between appellee and Gulf Coast Manufacturing Company, Inc., the appellee was entitled to have the descriptions in the deeds of trust reformed. Gulf Coast Manufacturing Company, Inc., made no defense.

Section 868 of the Mississippi Code of 1942 provides: “ ... all deeds of trust and mortgages whatsoever, shall be void as to all creditors and subsequent purchasers for a valuable consideration without notice, unless they be acknowledged or proved and lodged .with the clerk of the chancery court of the proper county, to be recorded in the same manner that other conveyances ...”

For the purpose of considering the prior decisions involving the question under consideration, it should be noted that creditors and subsequent purchasers for a valuable consideration without notice are ®venly dealt with in the statute. The registry statute applies with as much force to a creditor obtaining a lien by judgment as it does to a subsequent purchaser or encumbrancer; and creditors without notice and subsequent purchasers for value without notice are on the same footing and are protected to the same extent. Sack v. Gilmer Dry Goods Company, 149 Miss. 296, 115 So. 339; Nugent and Company v. Priebatsch, 61 Miss. 402.

The description of the land in the two deeds of trust upon which appellee relies are exactly the same. It is apparent that there is an error in the first part of the description in each deed of trust in that it places the lot in the NE1/^ of the NE^4 rather than in the NE% of *298 the NE14 of the SE14- If'the descriptions in the two deeds of trust had contained only the first paragraph, such descriptions would have been void as against creditors and subsequent purchasers for value without notice. The second paragraph of the description is in these words: “Being a portion of the Northeast quarter of the Northeast Quarter of the Southeast quarter of Sec. 29, Township 7 South, Range 8 West, Jackson County, Mississippi.” The whole description must be read together and reconciled so as to make a good description of the land, if the whole description when read together is such as to reasonably enable one to find the land. We reach the conclusion that it is apparent that there is an error in the description, and that it is apparent that the error is in the first paragraph thereof, and that the whole description when read together is such as to reasonably enable creditors or subsequent purchasers to find the land. We hold that the record of a deed of trust is sufficient to charge creditors and subsequent purchasers with constructive notice of its existence, notwithstanding an error in the description, whenever it is apparent what the error is and the description is such as reasonably to enable creditors and subsequent purchasers to find the land.' This rule was recognized, if not applied, in Sack v. Gilmer Dry Goods Company, supra, a case upon which appellant strongly relies in her brief.

When Mid South Funeral Supply, Inc., obtained and enrolled its judgment, there was of record the deed of trust given by Gulf Coast Manufacturing Company, Inc., to Andy Page, and this deed of trust was regular in every respect and contained a perfect description of the property here involved.

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Bluebook (online)
83 So. 2d 185, 225 Miss. 291, 1955 Miss. LEXIS 582, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/burkett-v-peoples-bank-of-biloxi-miss-1955.