Dillow v. Warfel

71 Iowa 106
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedMarch 7, 1887
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 71 Iowa 106 (Dillow v. Warfel) 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
Dillow v. Warfel, 71 Iowa 106 (iowa 1887).

Opinion

Rothrock, J.

The case is very much involved in its facts, and it appears to be necessary to an understanding of the corftroversy to set out the report of the referee. It is as follows:

“On May 29, 1879, B. II. and B. A. Billow, who were then husband and wife, and living together as such, purchased [107]*107of T. J. Potter and O. M. Levy the N. W. ¿ of N. E. -J, and N. E. 1 of N. "W". ¿, of section 22, and the S. W. ^ of the S. E. ¿ of section 15, all in township 73, range 30, Union county, Iowa, at which time the real estate contract herewith returned was executed and delivered by the parties. In making this purchase, E. H. Dillow acted for himself, and as the agent of his wife. In the following spring the Dillows took possession of said real estate under and by virtue of said contract of purchase.
“II. On the thirteenth day of June, 1880, the Dillows, by E. H. Dillow, acting for himself and as the agent of his wife, E. A. Dillow, sold the N. E. J of the N. W. J of section 22, above described, to 'W. A. Maxwell, and assigned and conveyed to him in writing all their interest in said tract, which they held under the Potter-Levy contract.
. “III. On the fourth day of February, 1882, the Dillows, who had ceased to live together as husband and wife, sold the remaining eighty acres of said land to Amzey Courter, and conveyed the same to him by an assignment in writing of the Potter-Levy contract, which assignment was executed personally by each of the Dillows.
“IY. Owing to the failure of said Courter to comply with his contract of purchase with the Dillows, the above contract was rescinded by the parties, and said Courter, on the eleventh day of February, 1882, reassigned said contract to E. H. Dillow. Said assignment, as originally drawn, seems to have been made toEeuben H. Dillow and E. A. Dillow, but the latter name has been erased from the instrument, and I am unable to say from the evidence whether or not this erasure was made before or after its execution; but I find, as a matter of fact, that it was intended as a rescission of the contract mentioned in number three, and it, in effect, places the title to the land in the same position it was in before the making of the contract mentioned in number three.
“Y. On the reverse side of the Oourter assignment there ■ appears an assignment of said contract from E. H. Dillow [108]*108to R. A. Dillow, dated February 11, 1882; but I find that this assignment was not based on any consideration, and no delivery of the same was ever made, and the same is without any legal force or effect. ■
“YI. From the above, after making these various'assignments, I find that the interest in said land conveyed by the Potter-Levy contract was owned as follows: The N. E. ¿ of the N. W. ¿ of section 22, by W. A. Maxwell; and the remaining eighty acres was owned jointly by R. H. and R. A. Dillow.
“YII. On August 3, 1882, Potter and Levy commenced an action in the circuit court of Union county, being case numbered 3,249, in which R. Ií. and R.- A. Dillow were the only defendants. In said action plaintiffs ask for judgment for the amount due on their contract, and the foreclosure of the same, etc. The Dillows, being served by personal service, appeared by J. H. Copenheifer, attorney, and filed their answer in said cause. The appearance of said attorney for R. A. Dillon, she claims, was wholly unauthorized, and, further, that it has already been adjudicated by the circuit court that such appearance was unauthorized; and I find as a matter of fact that this latter claim is established by the evidence.
“YÍII. On September 18, 1882, W. A.'Maxwell appears by J. II. Copenheifer, attorney, and files in said cause his ¡petition of intervention, setting up his claim to the forty-acre tract of said land, purchased by him of the Dillows; and the cause was continued to the March, 1883, term of court.
“IX. On March 5, 1883, the Dillows, by R. H. for himself, and claiming-to act as the agent of R. A., assigned the said contract, and sold the eighty acres held by them under the same to the defendant Warfel, for the agreed price of $2,500; said Warfel assuming to pay, as a part of the consideration, the amount due Potter and Levy on said contract. As-to this conveyance, R. A. Dillow insists that she never [109]*109received any part of the purchase price, nor ever authorized E. H. Dillow to make said contract and sale for her; and I find, as a matter of fact, that E. II. Dillow had no authority from E. A. Dillow to make this contract or sale of her interest in said land, and that she received no part of the consideration therefor, except what was paid by defendant to Potter and Levy.
“X. On the same day W. A Maxwell sold the forty acres of said land held by him to defendant Warfel, and executed the proper assignment of his contract and interest in the same to defendant.
• “XI. On March 12, 1883, defendant Warfel, by J. H. Oopenheffer., attorney, filed his petition of intervention in the circuit court in the Potter-Levy foreclosure case, setting up his purchases and assignments from the Dillows and Maxwell, and offering to pay into court the amount due Potter and Levy, and asking that they be required to execute to him a deed for the premises upon his payment of said amount.
“XII. On the same day, a judgment and decree were rendered in said cause, which gave the plaintiffs judgment against E. II. and E. A. Dillow, for the sum of $1,789, the amount due on said real estate contract, and the further sum of $150, attorneys’ fees, and, among other things in said decree, was the following: £And it is further ordered that the plaintiffs have judgment against the intervenors, W. A. Maxwell and A. M. Warfel, for costs of their proceedings in intervention, and that plaintiffs have a foreclosure of said real estate contract against all defendants and intervenors impleaded in this cause; and it is further ordered that the intervenor A. M. Warfel pay into this court the sum of $1,887.89, according to the prayer of his said petition of intervention, which said sum shall be applied on, and in satisfaction of .the above judgment; that on the payment of the said sum of money, as aforesaid, to the clerk of this court, for the use and benefit of plaintiffs, it is further ordered that [110]*110the plaintiffs make, execute and deliver to the said clerk lor the intervenor A. M. Warfel a warranty deed for the real estate described in the contract, set forth in the intervenor Warfel’s petition; that, should the plaintiffs fail or refuse to make, execute and deliver said deed of conveyance as above designated within five days after the said money shall have been paid into court, then B. T. Nix, the clerk of this court, is hereby authorized to execute said conveyance as a commissioner of this court, and deliver the same to A. M. Warfel; that, on the failure of said intervenor .Warfel to pay the said sum, plaintiffs to have special execution,’ etc.
“XIII. Iu accordance with the provisions in said'decree, defendant Warfel paid the amount of judgment into court, and, on the twentieth day of March, 1883, received a warranty deed from Potter and Levy for the land, and immediately entered into the possession of the same, and has occupied and used the same as a farm ever since.

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Bluebook (online)
71 Iowa 106, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dillow-v-warfel-iowa-1887.