Dvorak v. Dvorak

60 N.W.2d 88, 244 Iowa 1113, 1953 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 370
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedSeptember 22, 1953
Docket48293
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 60 N.W.2d 88 (Dvorak v. Dvorak) 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
Dvorak v. Dvorak, 60 N.W.2d 88, 244 Iowa 1113, 1953 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 370 (iowa 1953).

Opinions

THOMPSON, J.

Plaintiffs (husband and wife) alleged in their petition filed July 16, 1952: That on May 26, 1950, they sold the premises involved here to defendants Duain and Marian Darlene Dvorak, husband and wife, as joint tenants; that the sale was under contract for $8500, payable $1500 down and the balance at $60 per month; that the contract was recorded; that on June 2, 1951, they served on said defendants a thirty-day notice of forfeiture of said contract; that more than thirty days elapsed without redemption being made and on July 5, 195Í, they filed the notice, return of service thereof and an affidavit of nonredemption, but that “through error and mistake and under a mistaken misapprehension” they “accepted from the defendants * * # an assignment of the said defendants’ above named interest in the * * * real estate, and in the [said] contract.” There was also an allegation that the other named defendants “have or claim to have some sort of a lien or claim * * * but * * * that if [said] defendants have any claim * * * it is junior and inferior to the claims of these plaintiffs.” They’ asked a decree quieting title against all defendants.

In response to a motion for more specific statement plaintiffs later alleged that defendant, Florence Gunderson, under the name Florence Dvorak, had a judgment against defendant Edwin D. Dvorak, entered April 24, 1947, in the sum of $1200 plus attorney fees and costs.

As only defendant Gunderson appeared we shall hereinafter refer to her alone as defendant and appellee. Decree quieting title has been entered against all other defendants. On August 12, 1952, she filed a motion to dismiss urging six grounds, to wit: (1) That the petition failed to state a claim on which any relief can be granted (2) it failed to allege any facts to invoke equitable relief (3) the alleged mistake and error did not particularly affect the rights of the parties to the alleged assign[1115]*1115ment in view of tbe forfeiture of tbe contract (4) plaintiffs sought relief solely upon tbe allegation of error, mistake and misapprehension which was a conclusion and not a statement of fact (5) plaintiffs failed to allege either plaintiffs or defendants Edwin Duain and Marian Darlene Dvorak “have been prejudiced by the alleged mistake and error”, and (6) plaintiffs pleaded no facts which could divest defendant of her judgment (against defendant Edwin D. Dvorak) or any rights thereunder.

The court, on Augiist 25, made a calendar entry sustaining “the motion to dismiss * * * on grounds 4, 5 and 6 thereof.”

Thereafter nothing further was done until September 23 when plaintiffs filed another amendment to their petition and a “motion for additional time to amend and plead under Eule 85, Iowa Eules of Civil Procedure”, supported by affidavit purporting to explain the reason for the delay in “pleading further” 'after the ruling. This amendment averred that the $1500 down payment on the sale to defendant Edwin Duain Dvorak was never made in cash and that his note therefor was never paid; also “that the lien, if any, of the defendant, Florence Gunder-son, applied only to the interest of Edwin Duain Dvorak” and was inferior to plaintiffs’ rights.

On September 24 defendant moved to strike plaintiffs’ “motion for additional time to amend and plead.” This motion to strike was based solely and squarely on the proposition that plaintiffs, by failure to plead further within seven days after the court (on August 25) sustained the motion to dismiss, had elected to stand on the record, that the ruling had thereby become a final adjudication and the court had no further jurisdiction.

The court, on October 11, sustained the motion to strike, and thereafter, on October 27, notice of appeal was filed by plaintiffs “from the judgment and order * * * overruling plaintiffs’ motion for additional time to amend and plead, sustaining defendant’s motion to strike such amendment, and from each and every ruling, decision, finding, judgment and decree * * * adverse to said plaintiffs.”

I. Eule 86, E. C. P., upon which appellee relics, provides so far as pertinent here: “Pleading over — election to stand. [1116]*1116If a party is required or permitted to plead further by an order or ruling * * * such party shall file such further pleading within seven days # * *;'and if [he] fails to do so within such time, he thereby elects to stand on the record theretofore made. On such election, the ruling shall be deemed a final adjudication in the trial court without further judgment or order; reserving only such issues, if any, which remain undisposed of by such ruling and election.”

Plaintiffs assign two errors only: First, “the court erred in sustaining the motion to dismiss”, and second, “the district court should have permitted the plaintiffs’ attorney to' have amended and should have overruled the motion to strike.”

It is a sufficient answer to the first assignment of error to point out that the motion to dismiss, having been sustained on August 25, 1952, became a final adjudication of dismissal of plaintiffs’ petition seven days thereafter. It was a final judg-* ment long before the motion for leave to amend under rule 85 was filed on September 23. Plaintiffs did not appeal until October 27. This was much more than thirty days from the time of final adjudication. Their right of appeal from the ruling sustaining the motion to dismiss was lost, and this assignment of error cannot be considered.

II. Plaintiffs sought to avoid their failure to plead over after the ruling on the motion to dismiss by filing, on September 23, an amendment to their petition together with the motion for additional time to amend and plead under rule 85 above referred to. Upon motion of the defendant this was stricken. The motion of plaintiffs for additional time to amend and plead is set out herewith -.

“Comes now the above named-plaintiff and moves the Court for additional time to amend and plead under Buie 85, Iowa Buies of Civil Procedure, for the following grounds and for the following reasons: [Italics supplied.]
“1. The Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs’ Petition filed by Florence Gunderson was ruled upon by the Court and notice given of said ruling August 25, 1952.
“2. That the plaintiffs since the institution of this action have moved to California. That in order to properly prepare [1117]*1117an amendment to tbe petition it was necessary for tbe plaintiffs’ counsel to write to tbem in California, and wben tbe information was received to write again for additional information.
“3. Tbat tbe plaintiffs file berewitb tbeir amendment to tbe petition and pray for permission to file tbe same at tbis time, it being less than thirty days after tbe plaintiffs’ attorneys received notice of the rnling on tbe Motion.”

Tbe ruling of tbe court in striking tbis motion forms tbe basis of plaintiffs’ second assignment of error as set out above. We think tbe court’s ruling was correct. Plaintiffs might have moved to set aside tbe judgment then standing against tbem because of tbeir failure to plead over within seven days from tbe time of tbe ruling sustaining tbe motion to dismiss. But they elected to proceed under rule 85 instead of by motion to set aside default under rules 230 and 236. They made tbeir position clear. They bad tbe right to attempt to extricate themselves from their legal entanglement in such way as they saw fit.

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Dvorak v. Dvorak
60 N.W.2d 88 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1953)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
60 N.W.2d 88, 244 Iowa 1113, 1953 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 370, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dvorak-v-dvorak-iowa-1953.