Christy v. McKee

94 Mo. 241
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedOctober 15, 1887
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 94 Mo. 241 (Christy v. McKee) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Christy v. McKee, 94 Mo. 241 (Mo. 1887).

Opinion

Norton, C. J.

This cause is before us on plaintiffs’ appeal from a judgment of the circuit court, in [245]*245sustaining a demurrer to the petition. The petition is of great length, and on that account its insertion here will be omitted, inasmuch as the points made will sufficiently appear by the following summary of the facts stated therein, as presented by counsel for plaintiffs : Prior to November, 1875, one Thomas Ryan, being the owner of certain real estate, situate in part on Olive ’street and Washington avenue, in the city of St. Louis, executed two separate deeds of trust, one to the trustees •of the Butchers’ and Drovers’ Bank, conveying the property on Olive street, and one to the trustee of Stewart Van Vliet, conveying the property on Washington avenue, to secure the payment of certain loans of money made by them, respectively, to him. On the twenty-second day of November, 1875, while Ryan was the owner of the equity of redemption in those two lots ■of land, the plaintiff, Mrs. Christy, recovered a judgment against him for $11,628.83, .which then, by the force of the statute, attached as a Hen upon Ryan’s said equity of redemption. On May 19, 1876, Ryan conveyed, among other parcels, his interest, being his equity of redemption, in the two lots above mentioned, according to the legal effect of the facts pleaded, tó the Butchers’ and Drovers’ Bank. As a part of the consideration for such conveyance, the bank agreed to extinguish the debts so secured by said deeds of trust, and also to pay the Christy judgment, above referred to, against Ryan. Soon after this conveyance, the bank paid the Van Vliet notes and took into possession the notes and deed of trust securing the same.

In 1877, after the maturity of these notes, as well as those held by itself, secured on the Olive street lots, the bank transferred and delivered .the same to Wm. McKee, in settlement of a demand held by McKee against it. The notes and the deed, of trust securing their payment were bequeathed by Wm. McKee, now ■deceased, to the defendant, Eliza McKee, who after-[246]*246wards caused the lots on Olive street and Washington avenue, under the power contained in the deeds of trust, to be sold to satisfy the notes, and she herself became the purchaser and went into possession thereof. The case of Christy v. Ryan, in which, on November 22, 1875, she recovered the judgment of $11,628.83, was appealed to the court of appeals, and came to this (Supreme) Court, where the judgment of the circuit court was, in July, 1879, affirmed." On July 19, 1879, Mrs. Christy caused execution to issue from the circuit court on the judgment so affirmed against Ryan, and caused the same to be levied on the Olive street and Washington avenue lots, above mentioned, as the property of Ryan. The same were sold under this execution by the sheriff and purchased by Mrs. Christy, and a sheriff’s deed was duly executed, conveying to her all the right, title, and interest of Thomas Ryan in said lots. Mrs. Christy now brings this suit against Mrs. McKee to set aside her" trustee’s deeds as clouds on plaintiff’s title, and if not that, at least, to subject these lots to the payment of her judgment against Ryan. There is. a demurrer to this petition on the ground that it does not state a cause of action.

In addition to the facts above stated, it is averred in. the petition, that, on the nineteenth day of May, 1876, the Butchers’ .and Drovers’ Bank entered into an agreement in writing with Thomas Ryan, so much of which as is necessary to a proper determination of the questions involved in the case is as follows: “Inasmuch as Thomas Ryan,, wholesale grocer, by the stringency of the times and the general embarrassment of the country, has become unable, immediately, and as they mature, to meet his- current obligations, and The Butchers’ and Drovers’ Bank, for his relief, and to reestablish him firmly in business, has advanced the sum of twenty-one thousand dollars for the purchase [247]*247of certain claims against Mm, owned by various creditors, and to Mmself the sum of seven thousand dollars, purchasing from him for its benefit, but in the name of John F. Gibbons, by conveyances of even date hereof, duly executed by said Thomas Ryan and Annie E. Ryan, his wife, of all' the realty of said Thomas Ryan, lying and being in the states of Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, and New York. And which sum so paid of twenty-eight thousand dollars is- in addition to the hypothecations and liens upon the property so conveyed, and which are to be extinguished by said bank, and also in addition to and exclusion of certain other claims, dues, debts, and demands of said bank, held or owned, and whereon and whereof the said Thomas Ryan is endorser, acceptor, drawer, or surety. Now, therefore, this agreement made and entered into by and between the said Thomas Ryan and Annie E. Ryan, his wife, of the city of St. Louis and county of St. Louis, in the state of Missouri, as parties of the first part, and The Butchers’ and Drovers’ Bank,, of said city of St. Louis, a corporation duly chartered and organized under and in pursuance of the laws of the said state of Missouri, as party of the- second '.part. Witnesseth : That for and in consideration of the recitals hereinbefore .contained, and for the further consideration of the sum of one dollar by each party to the other paid, and by both respectively acknowledged, the said parties have mutually agreed and covenanted as follows :

11 First. That said parties of the first part recognize and declare that the conveyances so by them of the realty hereinbefore mentioned, made nominally to said John P. Gibbons, but in reality for the said bank, are as absolute and unconditional as against said parties of the first part, as in said conveyance expressed, subject to no equity of redemption on the part of said parties, grantors, them, or either of them, and subject to no [248]*248trust, either express or implied, on the part, or in favor of said grantors, or of them, or either of them.

X X X X X X X X X

“Fifth. On consideration hereof, said party of the second part, assuming the payment of the taxes and hypothecations, judgments and liens, as in said conveyance expressed, against which said Thomas Ryan does not warrant, covenants to and with said Thomas Ryan, at its own cost and expense, to extinguish the same, and for the sum or sums so to be by it, said bank, paid, to have no reclamation against Thomas Ryan. In witness whereof the said,” etc.

It is also averred in the petition that, contemporaneously with this agreement, said Ryan and wife conveyed to said John P. Gibbons the real estate mentioned in said agreement and including that in controversy in this suit. So much of said deed as bears on the questions arising in the case, is as follows: “This deed, made ‘and entered into this, the nineteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord, eighteen hundred and seventy-six, by and between Thomas Ryan and Annie E. Ryan, his wife, of the city and county of St. Louis, state of Missouri, as parties of the first part, and John P. Gibbons, of the city of St.

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Bluebook (online)
94 Mo. 241, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/christy-v-mckee-mo-1887.