Cox v. Hunter

79 Ind. 590
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 15, 1881
DocketNo. 8978
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 79 Ind. 590 (Cox v. Hunter) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cox v. Hunter, 79 Ind. 590 (Ind. 1881).

Opinion

Howk, J.

— This was a suit by the appellee, as the administrator of the estate of Sylvanus Cox, deceased, against the appellants, to set aside a certain deed alleged to have been fraudulently executed by said Sylvanus Cox, in his lifetime, to the appellant Robert E. Cox, and to subject the real estate therein described to sale for the payment of said decedent’s debts. The cause, having been put at issue, was tried by a jury and a verdict was returned, in substance, as follows: “We, [591]*591the jury, find for the plaintiff as against the defendant Robert E. Cox, and that the conveyance to him in question was fraudulent as against the creditors of Sylvanus Cox, deceased, and we further find, that the defendant Corey became the purchaser of part of the real estate in question, as charged in the complaint, and there will be due from him to the defendant Robert E. Cox, on account of such purchase, on the 24th day of March, 1881, the sum of $168.”

The appellants’ motions for a new trial, and in arrest of' judgment, having each been overruled, and their exceptions, saved to each of these rulings, the court rendered judgment on the verdict for the appellee, as prayed for in his complaint.

In this court, the appellants have assigned errors as follows:

1. The complaint does not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action.

2. The complaint does not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action against them, or either of them.

3. The circuit court erred in overruling their motion in arrest of judgment.

4. The court erred in rendering judgment, collectible-without relief from valuation laws.

5. The court erred in overruling their motion for a new trial.

In his complaint, the appellee alleged in substance, that, on the-day of December, 1875, the decedent, Sylvanus Cox,, was the owner of certain real estate, particularly described, in Warren county, containing one hundred acres, more or less,, which was reasonably worth $3,000, and was all the property, real or personal, belonging to said decedent at that time, subject to execution; that said decedent was,-at the time, indebted to various persons in the sum of $900, of which about $90 was secured by a mortgage on said real estate; and that, at said date, the said decedent, for the fraudulent purpose of cheating, hindering and delaying his creditors, except those secured by said mortgage, voluntarily conveyed said real estate to the appellant Robert E. Cox, who was the decedent’s [592]*592only child, which said conveyance of said real estate was so received by the appellant Cox, without giving any consideration therefor, except his agreement to assume and pay the said mortgage debt, and with full knowledge on his part of the fraudulent purpose of his grantor, and that the conveyance of .said real estate entirely stripped the decedent of all the property, subject to execution; that afterwards, to wit, on the-day of-, 187 — , said Sylvanus Cox died intestate, leaving no personal estate whatever, that had come to appellee’s knowledge, and leaving said debts, existing at the time of said fraudulent conveyance, due and unpaid, and then valid and subsisting demands against said decedent’s estate; and that, ■on the-day of February, 1880, the appellee was duly appointed the administrator of said decedent’s estate by the proper court, and, as such, had duly qualified and entered upon the discharge of his duties.

And the appellee further alleged, that, on the-day of --, 1879, the appellant Robert E. Cox conveyed by deed a part of said real estate to the appellant Ezra J. Corey, who was .still indebted to his co-appellant Cox, in the sum of $225, on ac■count of the purchase-money of said real estate; wherefore, etc.

It will be observed that the first three errors assigned by the appellants call in question the sufficiency of the facts stated in appellee’s complaint to constitute a cause of action, all of them, however, after the trial and verdict, and the first two ■of them after the rendition of judgment, on appeal and for the first time in this court. It is manifest,ffirom the facts alleged in the complaint, that the appellee commenced his suit under the provisions of the third clause of section 84 of the act of June 17th, 1852, providing for the settlement of decedents’ estates. In said section 84, it is provided that The real estate liable to be sold for the payment of debts, when the personal •estate shall be insufficient therefor, shall include — * * * * Third. All lands, and any interest therein, which the deceased, in his lifetime, may have transferred, with intent to defraud his •creditors.” 2 R. S. 1876, p. 526; section 2333, R. S. 1881.

[593]*593In section 85 of the same act, it is further provided: “ But the lands thus fraudulently conveyed shall not be taken from any one who may have purchased them for a valuable consideration, and without knowledge of the fraud, but such lands shall be liable to be sold only in cases in which they would have been liable to attachment and execution by a creditor of the deceased in his lifetime; and no proceeding by any executor or administrator, to sell any lands so fraudulently conveyed, shall be maintained, unless the same shall be instituted within five years after the death of the testator or intestate.” Section 2334, R. S. 1881.

The first objection urged by the appellants’ counsel to the sufficiency of appellee’s complaint in this case is, that “it does not allege that the said Sylvanus Cox died within five years next before the filing of said complaint.” It will be seen from the closing sentence of section 85, above quoted, -that no such proceeding as the one now before us “ shall be maintained, unless the same shall be instituted within five years after the death of the testator or intestate.” The proceeding could not be maintained, unless instituted within the time limited, and therefore it was incumbent on the appellee to show by the allegations of his complaint, that the death of his ■intestate had occurred within five years before the institution of his suit. If his complaint contained no such showing, it would have been bad, we think, on a demurrer thereto for the want of sufficient facts. The record shows that this suit or proceeding was instituted by the appellee on the first day of March, 1880. It was alleged in the complaint that “on the -day'of December, 1875, the decedent, Sylvanus Cox, was the owner in fee simple of the following described land,” etc., “and that, at said date, the said decedent for the fraudulent purpose,” etc., “voluntarily conveyed said premises to the defendant Robert E. Cox,” etc., “and that afterwards, to wit, on the-day of-, 187-, said Sylvanus Cox died intestate,” etc. The blanks as to dates, in these allegations,are a just sub[594]*594ject of criticism; but an objection to a pleading, on the ground of blank dates therein, can not ordinarily be reached by a demurrer thereto for the want of sufficient facts (though it may where the suit must be commenced within a specified time),,, but only by a motion to make more specific. Hyatt v. Mattingly, 68 Ind. 271; and Shappendocia v. Spencer, 73 Ind. 128.

It seems to us, however, that the complaint shows with suf-ficient certainty, at least after verdict, that this proceeding was instituted within five years after the death of the appellee’s intestate.

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Bluebook (online)
79 Ind. 590, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cox-v-hunter-ind-1881.