Conner v. Long

63 Iowa 295
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedApril 24, 1884
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 63 Iowa 295 (Conner v. Long) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Conner v. Long, 63 Iowa 295 (iowa 1884).

Opinion

Reed, J.

[297]*2971. Practice in Supreme Court: assignment of errors: when to be filed. [296]*296I. The assignment of errors in this case was served on appellee and filed with the clerk at the same time [297]*297appellant’s reply to the argument of appellee was ,, ..... . served and filed. Appellees filed a motion to rr strike the assignment of errors from tlie files and £0 (iismiss the appeal, 'on the ground that the assignment was filed too late.

Section 3183 of the Code provides that the assignment of errors shall be filed with the clerk, and a copy of the same be served on appellee, or his attorney, ten days before the first day of the trial term. In this case it was served and filed more than ten days before the first day of the term. It was, therefore, in time, although not served or filed until after appellees’ argument was filed. The motion is, therefore, overruled. In Betts v. Glenwood, 52 Iowa, 124, cited by appellees in support of the motion, the facts were entirely different. The assignment of errors which was disregarded in that case was not filed within the time required by tlie statute, and was disregarded for that reason.

2. -: CERTIFICATE OF TRIAL JUDGE TO EXPLAIN RECORD. II. It is recited in the decree of the circuit court that plaintiff elected to stand on his demurrer, and that, failing to appear farther and plead or rejily to defendants’ cross petition, a default was entered against an(j that the co-arfc, having heard the proofs and inspected the pleadings, found that defendant, IT. E. Long, was the owner of the land in question.

Appellant filed with his reply wliat purports to be a certificate of the trial judge, to the effect that no trial was in fact had, and no evidence was introduced, but that the judgment was based upon the admission of plaintiff, in that, having demurred to the answer and cross-petition, lie admitted the well pleaded averments thereof. Appellees have filed a motion to strike this certificate from the files. This motion is sustained. It is not competent to explain or contradict the recital of the record by the certificate of the trial judge. Pearson v. Maxfield, 47 Iowa, 135.

[298]*2983. Judicial Sale: OF REAL ESTATE UNDER EXECUTION: STATUS OF title AFTER EXPIRATION OF TIME FOR REDEMPTION AND BEFORE DEED made. [297]*297III. The cross petition alleges that defendant, IT. E. Long, is the owner of the lands in question. An abstract of title is [298]*298attached, by which it is shown that J. W. Stewart became the owner of the land in question on the 4th day of June, 1872. On the 25th day of July, 1873, he conveyed to Joshua Martin, who on the 30th day of the same month convoyed to D. W. Scott, and on the 4th day of October, 1873, Scott conveyed to J. T. Greene. Each of these conveyances was by warranty deed. On the 8th of June, 1882, Greene* con- . veyed by quit-claim to H. E. Long, and on the 13th of the same month he conveyed by warranty deed to Charles S. Fogg, and, on the 16th of August following, Fogg reconveyed to Long by quit-claim.

It is alleged in the cross-petition that on the second of July, 1873, an attachment suit was instituted in the Guthrie district court by Phelps & DeLano against J. W. Stewart, and the attachment issued in said cause was levied on said lands, and that, on the 2d of. October following, judgment was rendered in said cause, and the attached property ivas ordered to he sold to satisfy said judgment, and on the 24th of January, 1874, the land was sold on special execution issued on said judgment, Phelps & DeLano, the plaintiff's in execution, being the purchasers; and on the 27th of the same month the sheriff executed a deed under said sale to one R. R. Tingley, and that Tingley, in 1877, gave a quit-claim of the land to one Parshall, who by a like conveyance conveyed it to plaintiff. It is also alleged that the land was sold subject to redemption, and that the sheriff’s deed was executed before the expiration of the time for redemption, and that, for that reason, the deed is void, and does not convey title to the grantor. And the prayer of the cross-petition is that the title to the land be quieted in defendant, and that the cloud east upon the title by the sheriff’s deed and the subsequent conveyances under which plaintiff claims may be removed.

The title to the land was in Stewart when the attachment proceedings were instituted, but. he conveyed to Martin be[299]*299fore the judgment was rendered. The conveyance from Scott to Greene was made before the sale on' execution, and the quit-claim from Greene to Long was made more than eight years after that sale. It will also be observed that the attachment proceedings were instituted before the Code of 1873 took effect, while the judgment and sale were after it went into effect; and a question much discussed by counsel in argument is, whether the sale is governed by the provisions of the statute in force when the proceedings were instituted, or by the Code, which was in effect at the time of the sale. Under the statute before the Code, real estate sold on execution was not subject to redemption, unless the owner filed his election before the levy to have it sold subject to that right; but, by sections 3101, 3102 of the Code, the right to redeem within one year from the date of the sale is reserved to the owner, except in cases where the judgment is appealed from, or a stay of execution is taken. The circuit court held that the sale was governed by the provisions of the Code, and that, as the deed was executed before the expiration of the time for. redemption, it was void, and, consequently, plaintiff had no interest in the property. . .

We think, however, that the case does not call for a decision of the question whether the sale was subject to redemption or not, for, conceding to defendant what he claims on that question, and conceding also that the deed is invalid, we think he is not entitled, under the allegations of his cross-petition, to have the title to the land quieted in him. The proceedings prior to the sale are in no manner questioned; nor is any question made as to the regularity of the sale; but defendant bases his right to recover solely on the ground that the property was sold subject to redemption, and no deed has been executed by the sheriff since the right to redeem expired. The obvious answer to his |>osition, however, is that, when the right to redeem had expired, all right and interest of the former owner in the ¡premises expired also; and if the deed which was executed did not operate to vest the legal title in [300]*300• the grantee, still the person who was entitled to demand and receive a deed under the execution sale became the equitable owner of the land from the time the right of redemption ceased. The right to redeem from the sale expired at the end of the year allowed therefor, whether a valid deed was then executed or not. Code, § § 3101, 3102. And, as between the former owner of the land and the person entitled to the deed, the rights of the latter are not dependent on the deed. No rights of the former owner of the land would be divested by it, nor would it create any additional rights or interests in favor of the one entitled to receive it.

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Bluebook (online)
63 Iowa 295, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/conner-v-long-iowa-1884.