Dulaney v. Jensen

181 P.2d 605, 63 Wyo. 313, 1947 Wyo. LEXIS 13
CourtWyoming Supreme Court
DecidedJune 10, 1947
Docket2357
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 181 P.2d 605 (Dulaney v. Jensen) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wyoming Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dulaney v. Jensen, 181 P.2d 605, 63 Wyo. 313, 1947 Wyo. LEXIS 13 (Wyo. 1947).

Opinion

*317 OPINION

Riner, Chief Justice.

The District Court of Laramie County rendered a judgment declaring that a certain deed absolute in form executed by Effie M. Dulaney and Ernest M. Du-laney as grantors designated in the instrument as “wife and husband” to Henry Jensen, grantee, to be a mortgage and awarding a money judgment in favor of said grantors and against said grantee. The property involved embraces five acres of ground described by metes and bounds, is located about four or five miles from the City of Cheyenne and the eastern boundary thereof adjoins the westerly boundary of the Fort Francis E. Warren military reservation. The Dulaneys as plaintiffs, now the respondents, brought an action in the district court aforesaid seeking the relief thus granted against Jensen as defendant who as appellant has brought this proceeding to review that judgment here by direct appeal. The parties will usually be mentioned hereinafter as “plaintiffs” and “defendant” or by their respective names.

*318 Briefly outlined the pleadings of the parties are as follows: Plaintiff’s petition after describing the real estate owned by them and referred to above and alleging that on July 7, 1941 they owed the defendant about $350 for materials and supplies purchased from him by them for improvements upon said premises and that on the date last mentioned, the defendant filed in the County Clerk’s office of Laramie County a “notice of intention to file a lien” for $410 upon said property then stated:

“That no lien was ever filed by the defendant but to secure to defendant the payment of the said indebtedness for materials and supplies the plaintiffs executed and delivered to the defendant a warranty deed bearing date of August 20, 1941 conveying to defendant in fee simple, the premises aforesaid, which deed though absolute in form, was intended by both plaintiffs and defendants to be a mortgage only, and to stand as security for the payment of said indebtedness aforesaid and to serve no other purpose; that at the time of delivery by plaintiffs of said deed to the defendant it was understood and agreed by and between the plaintiffs and said defendant that defendant would enter into the possession of said premises under said deed and that defendant, in order to realize from said premises the amount of said indebtedness, would rent or sell said premises or parts or parcels thereof and that as soon as defendant had either through rentals, sales or sale contracts obtained money equal to the amount of said indebtedness with interest thereon at the rate of 7% per annum he would reconvey said premises to plaintiffs”.

Their pleading then avers that the defendant took possession of the property and still holds it, that notwithstanding the defendant had, not later than August 20, 1942, realized and received through rentals and sale contracts, a sum greatly in excess of the amount due him on said indebtedness, he has refused to reconvey the property to plaintiffs or account to them for these rents and profits so received by him. The prayer of the *319 petition sought a judgment that the deed aforesaid be declared a mortgage to secure said indebtedness to defendant, that the deeded premises should be reconveyed to them and that they be given a money judgment against the defendant for the excess moneys over the amount of their debt to the defendant and concerning which he declined to render an accounting.

The answer of the def endant set out three alleged defenses. The first, a general denial of the averments of plaintiff’s petition, the second, a general demurrer thereto and the third, a claim that under said deed, the defendant now holds and possesses the aforesaid real estate as sole owner free and clear of any rights of the plaintiffs therein. The answer also presented by way of cross petition a suit to quiet title to these premises in the defendant and against the claims of the plaintiffs thereto.

A reply to this answer was filed by plaintiffs, in form a general denial of its allegations except that it is admitted that plaintiffs claim an interest in the real estate in question.

The case was tried to the court without a jury with the result hereinbefore indicated.

The judgment of which complaint is now made, to condense it somewhat briefly, found generally for the plaintiffs and decreed that:

“the instrument dated the 20th day of August, 1941, and in form a deed absolute, be, and the same hereby is declared to be a mortgage; that the Defendant within ten (10) days from date hereof shall execute and deliver to the Plaintiffs a quit claim deed or other sufficient deed conveying to the plaintiffs all and every the lots, parcels or tracts of land”

which were thereupon described by metes and bounds; that:

“in default of the execution and delivery of the said deed as aforesaid by the Defendant, this Decree shall *320 have the effect and operation at law and in equity of such conveyance so as to vest the title to said premises in the said Plaintiffs in fee simple; that the Defendant shall assign to the Plaintiffs all of his interest and rights, if any, to policies of insurance covering the said premises.”

that plaintiffs recover of defendant the sum of $1,496.-43 and their costs; that within ten days defendant cause to be discharged of record two certain mortgages given by the plaintiffs to a local bank and which had been assigned to the defendant on May 2, 1942; and finally that the defendant’s cross petition be dismissed.

The brief of the appellant presents and argues but two specifications of error, viz.: that the judgment of the district court was not sustained by sufficient evidence and that it was contrary to law.

Under assignments of error of this character this court has frequently held that we:

“must assume that the evidence in favor of the successful party is true, leave out of consideration entirely the evidence of the unsuccessful party in conflict therewith, and give to the evidence of the successful party every favorable inference which may be reasonably and fairly drawn from it.”

Willis vs. Willis, 48 Wyo. 403, 429, 49 Pac. 2d 670, 678; Northwest States Utilities Co. vs. Brouilette, 51 Wyo. 132, 65 Pac. 2d 223, 69 Pac. 2d 623; Branson vs. Roelofsz, 52 Wyo. 101, 70 Pac. 2d 589; Horton vs. Colbron, 60 Wyo. 263, 150 Pac. 2d 315; Havens vs. Irvine, 61 Wyo. 309, 157 Pac. 2d 570; Jacoby vs. Town of City of Gillett, 62 Wyo. 487, 174 Pac. 2d, 505.

Where appellant comes here with a general finding of the trial court against him, as is true in the case at bar, this court has indicated the effect to be given that finding in these words:

“And in causes tried to a court, a general finding is one of every special thing necessary to be found to sustain the judgment.”

*321 Hinton vs. Saul, 37 Wyo. 78, 96, 259 Pac. 185, 191. See also Jacoby vs.

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

Related

Marsh v. Butters
361 P.2d 729 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1961)
Western Standard Uranium Company v. Thurston
355 P.2d 377 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1960)
Trails Motor v. First National Bank of Laramie
301 P.2d 775 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1956)
Tyler v. Jensen
295 P.2d 742 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1956)
Tompkins v. Byrtus
267 P.2d 753 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1954)
Lucksinger v. Salisbury
262 P.2d 396 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1953)
McVicker v. Kuronen
256 P.2d 111 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1953)
Chandler v. Dugan
251 P.2d 580 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1952)
Claim of Tauer v. Williams
242 P.2d 518 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1952)
Hercules Powder Co. v. State Board of Equalization
208 P.2d 1096 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1949)
Russell v. Curran
206 P.2d 1159 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1949)
Corey v. B. D. Pennington Co.
200 P.2d 333 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1948)
Wyoming Abstract & Title Co. v. Wallick
196 P.2d 384 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1948)
Dudley v. Montgomery Ward & Co.
192 P.2d 617 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1948)
Parker v. Belle Fourche Bentonite Products Co.
189 P.2d 882 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1948)
Scoggin v. Miller
189 P.2d 677 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1948)
Kaan v. Kuhn
187 P.2d 138 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1947)
Nussbacher v. Manderfeld
186 P.2d 548 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1947)
Spriggs v. Cheyenne Newspapers, Inc.
182 P.2d 801 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1947)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
181 P.2d 605, 63 Wyo. 313, 1947 Wyo. LEXIS 13, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dulaney-v-jensen-wyo-1947.