Culbertson v. Board of Commissioners

52 Ind. 361
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedMay 15, 1876
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 52 Ind. 361 (Culbertson v. Board of Commissioners) 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
Culbertson v. Board of Commissioners, 52 Ind. 361 (Ind. 1876).

Opinion

Buskirk, J.

In March, 1873, the appellant presented his petition to the board of commissioners of Floyd county, the appellee, under the provisions of an act entitled “an act requiring county commissioners to perform certain duties in relation to the refunding of taxes wrongfully assessed and collected,” approved March 2d, 1853. 1 G. & H. 110. The objects of the petition were to obtain the refunding of certain taxes, assessed against the appellant, for the year 1871, and paid for him without his knowledge or consent, and also to obtain, the abatement of certain other taxes assessed against him for the year 1872.

The prayer of the petition was denied by the appellee, and an appeal was taken from its decision to the court below. The cause was submitted to the court below for trial, upon an agreed statement of facts, and a finding was made in favor of appellant, but in a merely nominal amount, and to a very limited extent. To so much of the finding of the court below as was adverse to the prayer of his petition, the appellant at the time excepted.

The agreed statement of facts is as follows:

“Prior to the 8th day of August, 1870, the said John C. Culbertson resided in the city of New Albany, Indiana. He had resided there for about thirty years from choice. He was not born in Indiana. In August, 1870, he had no occupation or business of any kind. He lived upon an income derived from the rents of real estate, bank stocks and money loaned. He had a dwelling-house on Bank street, in New Albany, which he occupied with his family, consisting of his wife and two children, until the 8th day of August, 1870.

“ On the said 8th day of August, 1870, he relinquished the possession of his house to one Conn, having rented the same to him, with all the furniture therein, in consideration of a rental of three hundred and fifty dollars per annum, [363]*363payable quarterly, and agreeing to give said Conn three months’ notice before requiring him to vacate the premises. No time was fixed for the determination of the lease, other than as above stated.

“ On the same day, with the intention of ceasing to be a resident of Indiana for an indefinite time, he departed from Indiana, with all the members of his family, for the purpose of residing in Europe, with the expectation of again becoming a citizen of Indiana at some indefinite time in the future, probably two or three years.

“The person Conn, who from that day occupied the dwelling-house and used the furniture, was not in any manner related to said Culbertson or his family, and no room was reserved therein; neither was the furniture therein reserved for them.

“While Culbertson and his family were in Europe, and in December, 1870, some four months after he left, he wrote a letter to his brother, William S. Culbertson, a merchant of New Albany, which contained the following:

“‘They of course will only tax me upon my realty this year, as I have ceased to be a citizen for a year or two, and as life is uncertain, may never become one again.’

“Culbertson and his family rented' part of a furnished house in London during August, September and a portion of October, 1870, wherein he and his family regularly kept house during that period.

“ They then travelled from place to place on the Continent, and after living in Europe for two years and a quarter nearly, in August, 1872, he notified said Conn that he would require him to vacate his house in November following. He returned with his family in November, 1872, to New Albany, and from that time to March, 1873, they resided in New Albany.

“ Between August 8th, 1870, and their return from Europe, neither Culbertson nor any memher of his family was in the United States, and during part of the time the children were at school in Europe.

[364]*364“On January 1st, 1871, Culbertson owned real estate in New Albany township, in which the city of New Albany is situated, and corporation stocks of the fair value of twenty-three thousand three hundred and ninety dollars.

“ He also owned furniture in the house held by Conn of the value of one thousand three hundred and eighty-seven dollars.

“ Besides the realty and furniture, he had intangible personal property, to the amount of forty-seven thousand two hundred and eight dollars. Of this sum, one thousand five hundred and eight dollars was on deposit in London, England, and upon his person in Europe, and the residue, forty-five thousand seven hundred dollars, consisted of three thousand seven hundred dollars, deposited in a New Albany bank, and forty-two thousand dollars loaned at interest to the New Albany Woolen Mill Company, a corporation organized and doing business in New Albany township, outside of New Albany.

“ Culbertson did not list, nor did any one for him, at his instance or request, list any of said personalty. The assessor for the year 1871, not finding him or any one for him to leave a list with, put down an assessment of his personalty for 1871 by copying that of 1870 and returned the same, without the knowledge or aid of said Culbertson. The assessment so made and returned by the assessor was similar in amount and description to the realty and personalty actually owned by the said Culbertson on January 1st, 1871.

“ In March, 1872, the cashier of the brother of said Culbertson, without his direction, knowledge, consent or subsequent ratification of the act, paid eight hundred and eighty-one dollars and fifteen cents, the amount of tax for state and county purposes for 1871, which had been assessed as above described, to the treasurer of Floyd county.”

Upon the foregoing facts, two questions were submitted to the court below for its decision, and, by the exceptions saved, the same questions are fairly presented by the record [365]*365of this cause for the consideration of this court. These questions may be thus stated:

1. Was the appellant, upon the 1st day of January, 1871, or upon the 1st day of January, 1872, upon the facts admitted, a person “residing within this State,” within the meaning of those words, as the same are used in the third section of the assessment law, approved June 21st, 1852, 1 G. &. H. 69?

2. If the appellant, upon the said days, upon the facts admitted, was a person “not residing within this State,” within the .meaning of those words, as used in said third section, then, was the personal estate of the appellant, to the amount of forty-seven thousand two hundred and eight dollars, consisting of moneys on his person and on deposit, and. money loaned to a corporation of this State, “ personal property within this State,” within the meaning of those words, Is the same are used in said third section ?

In the court below, the first of these questions was decided in favor of the appellant, the court holding,' upon the facts, admitted, that the appellant, during the years 1871 and 1872, was not a person “residing within this State,” within, the meaning of those words, as used in said third section.

No exception was taken to this ruling by the appellee, but the court held that the appellant was liable to be taxed as a non-resident of* the State upon all personal property within this State. To this ruling the appellant excepted, and now assigns it for error here, and such assignment presents for decision the question of whether the appellant was a resident or a non-resident of this State, upon the agreed facts, from August, 1870, to November, 1872.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State Election Board v. Bayh
521 N.E.2d 1313 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1988)
Matter of Evrard
333 N.E.2d 765 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1975)
Alton v. Alton
207 F.2d 667 (Third Circuit, 1953)
Ulrey v. Ulrey
106 N.E.2d 793 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1952)
State Ex Rel. Flaugher v. Rogers
77 N.E.2d 594 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1948)
Croop v. Walton
157 N.E. 275 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1927)
Klutts v. Jones
21 N.M. 720 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 1916)
Ex parte White
228 F. 88 (D. New Hampshire, 1915)
State ex rel. White v. Scott
86 N.E. 409 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1908)
Brookover v. Kase
83 N.E. 524 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1908)
Eel River Railroad v. State ex rel. Kistler
57 N.E. 388 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1900)
Green v. Simon
46 N.E. 693 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1897)
Hope v. Barnett
20 P. 245 (California Supreme Court, 1888)
Pedigo v. Grimes
13 N.E. 700 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1887)
Carpenter v. Carpenter
30 Kan. 712 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1883)
Astley v. Capron
89 Ind. 167 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1883)
Foresman v. Byrns
68 Ind. 247 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1879)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
52 Ind. 361, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/culbertson-v-board-of-commissioners-ind-1876.