Deverell v. Horton

234 So. 2d 879, 285 Ala. 588, 1970 Ala. LEXIS 1077
CourtSupreme Court of Alabama
DecidedApril 30, 1970
Docket6 Div. 764, 764-A
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 234 So. 2d 879 (Deverell v. Horton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Deverell v. Horton, 234 So. 2d 879, 285 Ala. 588, 1970 Ala. LEXIS 1077 (Ala. 1970).

Opinion

MADDOX, Justice.

This is a proceeding in equity, as authorized by statute, for the sale of property of tenants-in:common and for a division of the proceeds of the sale.

■ Complainants in this cause are David and-James Horton, who are brothers. The respondent is James Deverell. Complainants say that prior to March 11, 1968, they were the joint owners and tenants-in-common — each with an undivided one-half interest — in certain real and personal property primarily used for the rental and upkeep of riding horses. On March 11, 1968, James Horton sold his one-half interest to James Deverell, subject to a mortgage on the real estate held by one C. P. Campbell, and Deverall continued the partnership with David Horton on substantially the same basis. Deverell was to pay his share of the partnership debts as they came due and pay James Horton $3,700 for his share. James Horton claims that Deverell has paid only $300 on what he owes, and that he therefore asserts a vendor’s lien against whatever interest respondent Deverell has in the property. The complainants asked for a public auction for the sale of the partnership property and for a division of the proceeds.

Respondent Deverell filed a demurrer to the complaint on the ground, among others, that there is a misjoinder of parties complainant in that the bill affirmatively alleges that1 James Horton' does not own án interest in said real estate. The court overruled this demurrer.

Deverell then filed an answer and cross-bill in which he also prayed that the partnership' property' be' sold and the proceeds be distributed among the joint owners or tenants-in-common.

The trial court ordered a sale of the property stating that all parties were in full accord and agreement to the order of sale. The decree, entered with the consent of all parties according to the court, dissolved the partnership, ordered the property sold at public outcry (subject to the balance due under ,a first mortgage to Campbell), and ordered a referral to the Register for a determination by him of the respective interests of .the separate parties to the partnership and for an accounting to establish their interests after sale.

The Register then gave notice of sale and held the sale at which Landvestors, Inc., was the high bidder at $13,000.

Respondent Deverell then filed an exception to the report of the Register in which he alleged that the value of the land greatly exceeded the bid, further claiming that partnership debts were some $16,000.

The court heard the argument on the exceptions and continued the hearing on the exceptions, stating that it was the purpose and intent of the court to obtain the highest price possible for the property. The court ordered that any of the parties to the proceeding could obtain a firm offer from a “prospective purchaser” of the said property and refused to rule upon Deverell’s exceptions at that time.

Thereafter, Landvestors, the successful bidder at the public sale, filed demurrers to the exceptions filed by Deverell and also made a motion to strike the exceptions, both "of which the court overruled.

. At some time during these proceedings concerning the exceptions, one Royal Jones purportedly filed a bid of ‘$Í9,400. The [591]*591record does not show how- and under what circumstances this bid was made,- but apparently Jones was a “prospective purchaser” under the order of the court. Landvestors tendered a “matching bid” of “ * * $5,001.55, which,-when considered together with the $13,000.00 previously paid -into (sic) the Register and the $1,399.45 paid out to protect the subject real - and personal property, makes a total price of $19,401.00 or the sum of $1.00 in excess of the offer made by said Royal Jones. * - * * ”

The court then entered an order styled “Decree Confirming Sale” as follows:

“The Register having caused notice of sale to be advertised pursuant to the decree of this Court entered on, to-wit, April 25, 1969, and the. Deputy Register having held said sale on, to-wit, May 29, 1969, in accordance with said decree, and having filed his report on, to-wit, June 4, 1969, reporting that the highest and best bid was made by Landvestors,. Inc., in the amount of $13,000.00, which said sum has been paid into the Registry of the Court, - and the said report having been ordered to lie over one day for exceptions, and the exceptions having been heard and the Court having received a bid for the properties above referred to in the sum of $19,400.00 (which said sum represents a substantial increase over the sum bid at the public sale) before any confirmation by the Court of the said public sale, and the Court finding (and it does hereby find) that the sale price of the said properties as bid and knocked down to the purchaser at said public sale, namely, Landvestors, Inc., is inadequate and that the proferred (sic) bid of $19,-401.55 (sic) is a fair and reasonable price for the said properties and, for this advanced price, the report of the Deputy Register is hereby adopted and confirmed and it is CONSIDERED, ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED by the Court as follows:
ONE: The exceptions are hereby over- . ruled and denied. TWO : The said sale,- both -of the. real property and of the personal property is hereby ratified and confirmed in all respects, upon payment of'-the sum of $5,001.55 by Landvestors, Inc. to the Register.”

The Court further ordered , the Register to execute a deed to the real. estate and a bill of sale of the personal property to Landvestors.

To this decree Deverell made a motion to set aside the judgment. He alleged that the bid of Royal Jones was $1,398.45 higher than the bid of Landvestors in that Jones’ bid was for $19,400 outright. It is not disputed that the court allowed Landvestors.a credit of $1,399.45 already paid to preserve the property. The court denied Deverell’s motion.

The Register made an accounting and the parties were paid.

Appellant Deverell-assigns a,s error the trial court’s action . ip . overruling his demurrer to the original bill of complaint. He claims there was a [misjoinder of parties complainant in that the complaint shows that James Horton, one of complainants, had sold his interest in the property and therefore did not have title'or. .a'perfect equity in an interest in the subject matter of the suit. Without' deciding whether there was a misjoinder we think that if there was error, it was. waived when Deverell agreed to the entry of the consent decree which'ordered a sale of the property. In fact, Deverell does not assign as error the court’s entry of the decree ordering a sale of the property. By consenting to the decree of the court ordering a sale, without reserving the right to object to prior irregularities, Deverell waived any prior irregularity and released any prior errors. Gunter v. Hinson, 161 Ala. 536, 50 So. 86 (1909): Furthermore, Deverell-, in his cross-bill, asked the court to order. ,a public sale of the real and personal property and if there was a misjoinder of parties complainants, Ejeverell’s rights were -not ad[592]*592versely affected. See Holloway v. Holland, 260 Ala. 101, 69 So.2d 289 (1953).

In other assignments of error Deverell contends that the trial court erroneously refused to confirm the sale to Royal Jones for $19,400 and committed error in accepting Landvestors’ bid of $19,401 and giving Landvestors credit for the amounts which Landvestors had paid in order to preserve the property during the period of litigation.

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Bluebook (online)
234 So. 2d 879, 285 Ala. 588, 1970 Ala. LEXIS 1077, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/deverell-v-horton-ala-1970.