Duesterberg v. Swartzel

17 N.E. 155, 115 Ind. 180, 1888 Ind. LEXIS 318
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedMay 18, 1888
DocketNo. 14,292
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 17 N.E. 155 (Duesterberg v. Swartzel) 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
Duesterberg v. Swartzel, 17 N.E. 155, 115 Ind. 180, 1888 Ind. LEXIS 318 (Ind. 1888).

Opinion

Howk, J.

In this case Gerard IT. Duesterberg, executor of the will of Louis Stolpp, deceased, sued Joseph A. and Mary A. Swartzel, Lizzie M. Dove and Benjamin R. Pegram, as defendants, in a complaint of two páragraphs. The separate-demurrers of defendants Dove and Joseph A. Swartzel to each paragraph of plaintiff’s complaint, for the alleged insufficiency of the facts therein stated to constitute a cause of action, were severally overruled by the court to the first ■paragraph, and sustained by the court to the second paragraph, of such complaint.

Defendant Pegram filed his separate answer to the first paragraph of plaintiff’s complaint, and, also, his cross-complaint against his co-defcndants herein, who appeared to such [181]*181cross-complaint and were ordered to answer it. Defendants Swartzel, Swartzel and Dove filed their answer to the first paragraph of plaintiff’s complaint, and plaintiff was ruled to .reply. The cause was tried by the- court, and a finding was made for the defendants, and judgment was rendered accordingly.

The only errors assigned here by plaintiff call in question the sustaining of the separate demurrers of appellees Joseph A. Swartzel and Lizzie M. Dove to the second paragraph of plaintiff’s complaint. By a.separate assignment, defendant Pegram also says-that the court below erred in sustaining such demurrers to the second paragraph of plaintiff’s complaint. But as such second paragraph was not the complaint of Pegram, we can not see how it concerns him whether the court did,-or did not, err in sustaining demurrers to such paragraph of plaintiff’s complaint; or, if the rulings were erroneous, upon what ground defendant Pegram could claim that he was injured by such errors.

In the second paragraph of his complaint, plaintiff alleged that on the 15th day of November, 1886, in a certain cause in the court below, in which he, as such executor as aforesaid, was plaintiff, and one Joseph A. Pollock was defendant, by the consideration of such court the plaintiff recovered a judgment against said Pollock for the sum of $1,021.40, with six per cent, interest thereon, and costs of suit taxed at -dollars; that at the time of the rendition of such judgment said Joseph A. Pollock was the owner in fee simple of the real estate in Knox county, Indiana, described as lots numbered 164, 165, 166 and 167, in Plarrison’s addition to the city of Vincennes, then and since of the value of $12,000; that prior to the rendition of said judgment said Joseph A. Pollock and his wife, Evaline A. Pollock, executed a mortgage on all of said real estate to Joseph L. Bayard. John H. Robb and Louis L. Watson for the sum of $5,900; that at the February term, 1887, of such court, said Bayard, Robb and Watson brought an action against said Pollock and wife [182]*182to foreclose said mortgage, and made defendants thereto plaintiff herein in his trust capacity as executor of the will of Louis Stolpp, deceased, and said Benjamin R. Pegram, defendant herein, alleging the junior lien of this plaintiff by virtue of his said judgment, and a junior lien in favor of said Pegram by virtue of a judgment in such court recovered by said Pegram of said Joseph A. Pollock, and asking that this plaintiff and said Pegram be required to answer as to whatever claim to or interest in said real estate they respectively had, or claimed to have; that this plaintiff and said Pegram appeared to said action in such court, and filed answers and cross-complaints therein against said Pollock and wife, plaintiff herein setting up his aforesaid judgment lien; that issues were joined between all the parties to said action, and such proceedings were had therein that the court below, at its--term, 1887, found and adjudged that there was due said Bayard, Robb and Watson, on account of their said mortgage lien, the sum of $5,797; that there was due plaintiff herein, executor as aforesaid, on his said judgment lien, the sum of $1,137.97; that there was due said Pegram, on account of his said judgment, thesum of $115.96; all of which sums were due from said Pollock, and were liens on the aforesaid real estate; that it was decreed in said action that said real estate should be sold to satisfy said judgments, and that the proceeds of such sale should be applied, first, to the payment of the lien of said Bayard, Robb and Watson; secondly, to Evaline Pollock, wife of said Joseph A. Pollock, by reason of her marital'rights, whatever portion of her one-third remained, if any, in excess of what was necessary to satisfy said mortgage lien; thirdly, the remainder, first, to the plaintiff herein on his said judgment lien, and next to said Pegram on his judgment lien; and fourthly, the surplus, if any, to said Joseph A. Pollock.

And plaintiff further said, that, pursuant to said judgment and decree, an order of sale thereon was issued to the sheriff of Knox.county, commanding him to sell said real estate as pro[183]*183videcl in said decree; that, on the — day of-, 1887, pursuant to said decree, said sheriff offered and sold said real estate for the sum of $5,945 to defendant Joseph A. Swartzel, who, at the time of such sale, paid said purchase-money, and received from such sheriff’ a certificate of sale pursuant thereto, entitling him to a deed for said real estate on the — day of-, 1888, if the same was not sooner redeemed from such sale. And plaintiff averred that immediately after such sheriff’s sale, and before the expiration of the year for redemption, defendant Joseph A. Swartzel, to wit, on the 20th day of April, 1887, purchased of said Pollock all of said real estate, and, pursuant to such sale, by their quitclaim deed of that date, Pollock and his wife conveyed to said Swartzel said real estate, whereof the fee was then in said Pollock; that, at the time of such sale, said real estate was of the value of $12,000, and the equity of redemption was worth $2,000 ; that said Swartzel paid said Pollock for the fee of such real estate the sum of $500, and took said conveyance for the purpose of preventing redemption either by •said Pollock or by his wife; that, in arriving at the amount said Swartzel should and did pay for such real estate, he and said Swartzel took into consideration plaintiff’s judgment lien thereon, recognizing the same as a valid lien on ■such real estate, which was subject to execution to satisfy plaintiff’s judgment the same as if said Pollock had redeemed the real estate from the sheriff’s sale thereof instead of conveying the same in fee to said Swartzel; that immediately after the sale and conveyance of such real estate by Pollock and his wife to said Swartzel, the latter took and had since retained possession of the property, the rental value of which was $50 per month ; that said Mary A. was the wife of said Joseph A. Swartzel, and said Lizzie M. Dove had, or claimed to have, some interest in such real estate, or some part thereof; and that plaintiff’s judgment was unpaid, and, by-virtue thereof, he had a lien on said real [184]*184estate prior to any lieD, claim or interest thereon or therein of the defendants and each of them. Wherefore, etc.

We are of opinion that the court below committed no error in sustaining the separate demurrers of defendants Joseph A.. Swartzel and Lizzie M. Dove to the second paragraph of plaintiff’s complaint. The facts stated in such paragraph were wholly insufficient to show any cause or right of action in favor of the plaintiff against such defendants, or either of them, or against the real estate described in such paragraph.

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Bluebook (online)
17 N.E. 155, 115 Ind. 180, 1888 Ind. LEXIS 318, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/duesterberg-v-swartzel-ind-1888.