Evansville Improvement Co. v. Gardner

128 N.E. 471, 75 Ind. App. 401, 1920 Ind. App. LEXIS 333
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 15, 1920
DocketNo. 10,489
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 128 N.E. 471 (Evansville Improvement Co. v. Gardner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Evansville Improvement Co. v. Gardner, 128 N.E. 471, 75 Ind. App. 401, 1920 Ind. App. LEXIS 333 (Ind. Ct. App. 1920).

Opinion

Nichols, J.

Action by appellee against appellant for the partition of real estate located in Warrick county. [403]*403The real estate involved was conveyed by appellee’s husband to a trustee for the benefit of his creditors in which conveyance appellee did not join; such real estate, being thereafter sold by the trustee in the assignment proceedings to appellant.

The trial court found that appellee was the owner of one-third of the real estate, and that she was entitled to partition. Commissioners were appointed and they reported that the real estate could not be divided. Thereupon the court ordered the real estate sold, and appointed a commissioner to make sale, from which order, this appeal.

The facts, which are undisputed, are substantially as follows: On May 6, 1915, appellee’s husband duly executed a general assignment of all his property, including the real estate involved, to a trustee for the benefit of all his creditors, in which appellee did not join. Thereafter, until March 30, 1917, the assignment proceedings were pending in the Warrick Circuit Court. Caleb J. Lindsey, an attorney of the Warrick Circuit Court, was employed by appellee, and represented her throughout the assignment proceedings, and was present in court as her attorney when the various court orders involving the real estate were made.

On August 21, 1915, upon the petition of the trustee asking for authority to sell the real estate, the court made an order in the assignment proceedings ordering the real estate sold, which order of the court recites the following: “And comes Margaret Gardner wife of said assignor, William M. Gardner, and presents and files her written assent to the sale including her one-third interest therein, and asks that one-third of the proceeds be paid to her after the payment of the mortgage lien therein described.” •

The written assent referred to in the above order of the court was signed by appellee and was filed in the [404]*404assignment proceedings by Mr. Lindsey, acting for appellee and with her consent. It is as follows:

“Boonville, Indiana, July 8, 1915.
“To Mr. T. P. Tillman, Trustee, and to any prosspective buyers of property assigned by Wil- ■ liam M. Gardner:
I, the undersigned, wife of said William M. Gardner, agree to the sale of any and all property assigned by my said husband and agree to execute a good and sufficient deed conveying my interest in said property, to-wit: — south half of lot 3 and lots 19, 20, 21, in the town of Chandler in Warrick County, Indiana, on payment to me or my attorney, Caleb J. Lindsey, my proportionate share of the purchase price received for said property either in note or money by the terms of the sale provided.
(Signed) Mrs. Margaret Gardner.”

Said order of the court of August 21, 1915, required the trustee to sell the real estate free from any and all liens, after giving notice, and to distribute the proceeds as follows: (1) To the payment of the costs and expenses of this proceeding. (2) To the payment of the taxes accrued on said real estate to date. (3) To the payment of the mortgage lien of the Peoples Saving Bank of Evansville, Indiana (in the execution of which mortgage, appellee had joined) in the amount found to be due at the time of such payment. (4) To the payment to the wife of said assignor one-third, of the purchase money herein in lieu of her one-third interest in said real estate. (5) To the payment of the judgment liens in the order of their priority as shown by the judgments herein. The balance, if any, remaining in his hands to be paid into the general fund for the general creditors.

On September 9, 1915, the real estate was offered for sale at public auction in pursuance to said order of said court. It had been appraised at $6,000, and the [405]*405trustee was unable to get a bid for a sum equal to two-thirds of the appraised value.

On June 14, 1916, upon the petition of the trustee asking authority to have the real estate reappraised and again offered for sale, the court made an order which recites the following: “And comes also Margaret Gardner, wife of said assignor, William M. Gardner, and presents and files her written assent to said sale including her one-third interest, therein and asks that one-third of the proceeds be paid to her after the payment of the mortgage lien therein described.”

The written assent referred to in the above order of the court was signed by Caleb J. Lindsey, as attorney for appellee, and was filed in the assignment proceedings by Mr. Lindsey, acting for the appellee and with her consent. Said written assent is as follows:

“State of Indiana, County of Warrick:
Warrick Court, May Term, 1916.
“In the matter of William Gardner, assignment, Truman P. Tillman, assignee.
“Margaret Gardner shows to the Court that she is the wife of William M. Gardner, Assignor, and as such is entitled to one-third of the whole of the real estate belonging to the said William M. Gardner, as contained in his assignment to Truman P. Tillman, for the benefit of his creditors.
That she appears to this cause of action of Truman P. Tillman Trustee, for the sale of the real estate contained in this petition, and waives the issuance of summons, and hereby consents to the sale of said real estate, not waiving any of my legal rights finder the law of Indiana, under condition that my dower rights be preserved and attached to the fund arising from the sale of said real estate, as now provided by law in such cases.
(Signed) Margaret Gardner
By Caleb J. Lindsey,
Her attorney.”

Said order of the court of June 14, 1916, required the [406]*406trustee to sell the real estate free from any and all liens, after giving notice, with an order for the distribution of the proceeds as above.

On September 9, 1916, the real estate was offered for sale at public auction in pursuance to said order of the court. It had been reappraised at $4,560 and the trustee was unable to get a bid for a sum equal to two-thirds of the appraised value.

Mr. A. B. Schmitt attended that sale as the agent for appellant, and made a bid of $1,600 for the property, which was the highest and best bid offered, but less than two-thirds of the appraised value. On October 28, 1916, the trustee reported to the court that the best bid received was $1,600 and the court refused to approve the sale, and the trustee was ordered to proceed in the sale of the real estate to the best interests of the creditors. Thereupon, at the request of the trustee and upon the trustee’s statement that it required an additional amount to pay off the liens, and that the sale would then be approved by the court, Mr. Schmitt raised his bid to $1,660. Thereupon, on the same day, October 28, 1916, the trustee reported the sale of the real estate to appellant at private sale for $1,660 and asked that sale be approved.

The trustee reported that he had offered the real estate for sale at public auction on September 9, 1915, and again on September 9, 1916, and at private sale at numerous times, and that the best offer ever received was $1,660.

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Bluebook (online)
128 N.E. 471, 75 Ind. App. 401, 1920 Ind. App. LEXIS 333, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/evansville-improvement-co-v-gardner-indctapp-1920.