Campbell v. Bowen

54 N.E. 409, 22 Ind. App. 562, 1899 Ind. App. LEXIS 225
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 28, 1899
DocketNo. 2,843
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 54 N.E. 409 (Campbell v. Bowen) 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
Campbell v. Bowen, 54 N.E. 409, 22 Ind. App. 562, 1899 Ind. App. LEXIS 225 (Ind. Ct. App. 1899).

Opinion

"Wiley, J.

— Appellee sued appellants and one John Calhoun for conversion. The complaint, is in three paragraphs. The first paragraph avers that Calhoun was the tenant of appellee, under a written lease; that the premises occupied under said lease by Calhoun was a farm owned by appellee; thal by the terms of said lease Calhoun was to pay appellee two-fifths of all crops grown upon such farm, the same to be delivered to him at Sedalia, Moran, or Erankfort, at the option of appellee, and as directed by him. It is further averred that said Calhoun, during the year 1897, raised on said farm wheat, oats, and clover seed; that appellee’s two-fifths of the wheat was twenty bushels; that his. two-fifths of the oats was ninety-two bushels; and that his two-fifths of the clover seed was six bushels. It is then averred that Calhoun hauled said wheat, oats, and clover seed to Erankfort, and sold the same to appellants, who were partners in buying and selling grain; that said Calhoun did not retain other wheat, oats, and clover seed with which to pay said rent, or any part thereof; that appellants paid him therefor ninety cents per bushel for the wheat, sixteen cents per bushel for the oats, and $3.25 per bushel for the clover seed; that appellants took possession of said grain, and mingled the same with other grain of like kind in their'warehonse, and that all of said grain was of the value of $52.80. It is then averred that appellee made a demand upon appellants for payment, which was refused, and that Calhoun was, and still is, insolvent, etc. The second paragraph simply avers that appellee was the owner of the property described in the first paragraph; that it was in the possession of Calhoun; that he unlawfully, and without right, delivered the same to appellants; that they unlawfully converted it to their own use, and mingled it with other like grain of their own, so it could not be identified, to appellee’s damage, etc. The .third para[564]*564graph of complaint is so like the first that it is unnecessary to* set it out at length.

The appellants demurred to each paragraph of complaint, and based their demurrer upon two grounds of objection: (1) That there was a defect of parties plaintiff, in that Calhoun should have been made a party plaintiff; (2) that the complaint, nor neither paragraph thereof, stated facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action. This demurrer was overruled, to which ruling appellants excepted, and they answered by general denial. Appellee dismissed as to Calhoun. Trial by jury, resulting in a verdict in favor of appellee, and over appellants’ motion for a new trial judgment was rendered against them on the verdict. They have assigned as errors the overruling of the demurrer to the complaint, and the overruling of the motion for a new trial. The first ground of objection to the complaint, viz., that there was a defect of parties plaintiff, has been waived by appellants in their failure to discuss it. ¥e will now consider the objection that the complaint does not state' facts sufficient, etc. It is evident that the first and second paragraphs of complaint proceed upon the theory of the right of appellee as landlord, to hold and enforce his statutory lien as a security for his rent. Under the averments of these paragraphs, appellee was entitled to two-fifths of the crops i’aised on his farm by Calhoun, the same to be delivered at a designated place. His ownership of the property depended upon his rights under the lease, and the right given him by statute. By the express tex’ms of section 5224 Horner 1897, the landlord has a lien upon the crop raised on the leased premises under the tenant’s contract for the payment of rent, whether such rent is to be paid by a part of the crop, or in cash. The tenant can not devest the landlord of such lien without his knowledge or consent. If the tenant sell the landlord’s share of the crop, without his permission, he may recover such share, or value, from the purchaser’, for the purchaser can not acquire a better title to the crop than the tenant had. [565]*565Also, the purchaser is bound to take notice of the statutory lien which the landlord has upon the crop for the payment of rent due or to become due. The law was so declared in Kennard v. Harvey, 80 Ind. 37. That case was very similar to this. There the rent to be paid was cash, and it was averred in the complaint that the tenant sold the entire crop to appellees, Loér & Davis, who removed the same, and sold it in a foreign market. It was held that that was a conversion of the grain, and rendered them liable to the landlord for its value'. Here the rent was to be paid in kind, and from the complaint, which must be taken as true for the purposes of the demurrer, the tenant sold the appellee’s share to the appellants, and they mingled it with like grain of their own, so that it could not be distinguished. "We must hold that such acts amounted to a conversion. In Kennard v. Harvey, supra, the court said:. “Upon the facts stated in each paragraph of the complaint * * x it is very clear that the statute quoted gave the appellant a specific lien on the crop raised on her farm by her tenant Harvey. * * * As the rent reserved was, by the terms of the lease, a cash rent, the statute, also, by strong implication, prohibited the tenant Harvey from removing from the leased premises, the 'one-half of the crop, growing or matured.’ In view of these statutory provisions, of the specific lien thereby given the appellant upon the crop raised on her farm by her tenant ITarvey, for the payment of the cash rent reserved to her under the lease, and of the prohibition implied therein against the tenant’s removal from the leased premises, of the one-half of the crop growing or matured thereon, we are of the opinion that each paragraph of the complaint stated facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action, in favor of the appellant and against the appellees Loer and Davis.”

It is argued by appellants that the complaint is defective, because it fails to aver that Calhoun did not have corn sufficient remaining on the leased premises with which to pay appellee the entire rent. It is a sufficient answer to this to [566]*566say that the complaint does aver that Calhoun did not retain other wheat, oats, and clover seed with which to pay the rent, or any part thereof. So far as it appears from the complaint, there was no corn raised on the land, and, in any event, as the rent was to be paid in kind, Calhoun could not out of the corn, if there was any, pay two-fifths of the wheat, oats, and clover seed, without the consent of the appellee. Under the decision in Kennard v. Harvey, supra, which is in point, the first and third paragraphs of complaint must be held good. Appellants were bound to take notice of the landlord’s, statutory lien, and actual notice was not necessary. The second paragraph of complaint is a simple count for conversion. Appellants have not pointed out any tenable objection to it, and we are unable'to discover any. There was no error in overruling the demurrer to each paragraph of the complaint.

Appellants next discuss the overruling of their motion for a new trial. The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grounds of the motion may be considered jointly, for they are based upon the alleged facts that the verdict is not sustained by sufficient evidence and is contrary to law. Appellants’ learned counsel enter upon the discussion of this question by asserting that there was a failure of proof to sustain the verdict. After an examination of the entire record, which contains the evidence, we are unable to agree with counsel in this assertion.

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Bluebook (online)
54 N.E. 409, 22 Ind. App. 562, 1899 Ind. App. LEXIS 225, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/campbell-v-bowen-indctapp-1899.