First Trust Joint Stock Land Bank v. Merrick

266 N.W. 279, 221 Iowa 585
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedApril 7, 1936
DocketNo. 43291.
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 266 N.W. 279 (First Trust Joint Stock Land Bank v. Merrick) 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
First Trust Joint Stock Land Bank v. Merrick, 266 N.W. 279, 221 Iowa 585 (iowa 1936).

Opinion

Stiger, J.

On November 25, 1933, plaintiff filed its petition in foreclosure of a real estate mortgage.

Defendant L. E. Julius, owner of the premises, filed.his answer, alleging that on November 17, 1933, he leased the premises to Donald and Myrtle Blair for the year beginning March 1, 1934, and that on the same day he assigned said lease to W. P. McCulla, intervener, for a valuable consideration.

In answer to the petition of intervention by W. P. McCulla claiming the 1934 rents under the assignment thereof from Julius, the plaintiff alleged that such assignment, if there was an assignment, was colorable only, without consideration, and made for the sole purpose of preventing plaintiff from procuring a receiver.

On March 23, 1934, a decree of foreclosure was entered denying plaintiff’s application for a receiver and finding that McCulla, intervener, was the owner of the 1934 lease.

On May 19, 1934, plaintiff, at sheriff’s sale under special execution bid $13,734.51, and received a sheriff’s certificate of sale for the land involved in the foreclosure action. There was a deficiency judgment of $2,000.

On February 27, 1935, the defendant Julius filed his application for an extension of the period of redemption under chapter 110, Laws of the Forty-sixth General Assembly.

The plaintiff filed its resistance to the application, which reads as follows:

“Comes now the plaintiff and resists the application of L. E. Julius, for continuance and as grounds therefore states:
“That the plaintiff makes the petition, answer, all pleadings filed and all proceedings had in said cause, a part of this resistance, by reference.
“That the said L. E. Julius has refused to do equity, that *587 he wrongfully disposed of the entire 1934 rentals, thereby depriving the plaintiff of any portion whatsoever of the 1934 rentals. That he has refused to pay the taxes.
“That to grant said L. B. Julius a continuance under the provisions of House File 84 of the Acts of the Forty-sixth General Assembly [chapter 110] would be inequitable to the plaintiff. That the defendant is estopped from obtaining relief under the provisions of House File 84 of the Acts of the 46th General Assembly, because of his conduct in the past and because of his refusal to do equity.
“Wherefore, plaintiff prays that the application for extension of redemption be denied.”

The applicant, Julius, filed a reply, denying the allegations of the resistance and stating that the question of the disposition of the 1934 rentals was disposed of by this court adversely to plaintiff’s contention, that no appeal was taken, and that the question is now res adjudioata. The plaintiff thereafter filed an amendment to the resistance, stating in substance that the defendant L. E. Julius did not file a motion for continuance under chapter 182 of the Laws of the Forty-fifth General Assembly, and that, after the sale of said premises, the said Julius did not file any application for an extension of the redemption period under chapter 179 of the Acts of the Forty-fifth General Assembly; that chapter 110, Laws of the Forty-sixth General Assembly, applies only to cases where an application for an extension was pending prior to March 1, 1935; and that the case at bar does not come under the provisions of said chapter 110.

On July 12, 1935, the trial court granted L. B. Julius, owner of the premises, an extension of the period of redemption to March 1, 1937, and the plaintiff appeals from this order.

The trial court found that Mr. McCulla, the intervener, purchased the 1934 lease for a valuable consideration.

The assignment of rent by the owner prior to the commencement of a foreclosure action does not, of itself, defeat the owner in his attempt to take advantage of the moratorium laws of this state. Prudential Ins. Co. v. Brennan, 218 Iowa 666, 252 N. W. 497.

In the Brennan case, supra, the assignment of the rents was for the first year of the extended period of redemption.

*588 In this case the owner, Julius, did assign the 1934 rents, but the land was not leased nor the lease assigned for any year of the period of redemption. The plaintiff-appellant insists that the record shows that it is impossible for Julius to make redemption by refinancing or sale or otherwise within the extended period of redemption.

The appellant purchased the real estate at sheriff’s sale for $13,734.51. E. F. Ducharme, field man for appellant, was the only witness that testified to the value of the farm. In his opinion the value of the buildings is $2,450 and the value of the land is $10,000. He stated the buildings were in fair to good condition.

The record shows that Julius owns personal property of the value of $3,000, encumbered with a chattel mortgage of $800. In addition, he’ owes about $300. His equity in the personal property is around $2,000, which, with the value of the farm fixed at $12,450, brings the total vaule of his property to $14,450.

Julius has a complete line of farm machinery, 65 hogs, 34 head of cattle, including 15 milch cows, and from 10 to 12 horses.

The amount necessary to redeem is $13,734.51 and interest plus around $900 paid by plaintiff on taxes since the execution sale.

A commitment of $7,500 was made by the Federal Land Bank.

The purpose of the statute is to afford the owner of the land, who is in financial distress, an opportunity to refinance or pay the indebtedness and save his farm within the moratorium period. If the financial circumstances of the owner are such that the court can reasonably hold that there is no possibility of saving the property and that he is hopelessly insolvent, the application will be denied. Federal Land Bank v. Wilmarth, 218 Iowa 339, 252 N. W. 507, 94 A. L. R. 1338.

In the Wilmarth case, supra, the court states on page 353 that:

“When determining what is or is not good cause, the district court must keep in mind the purposes of the statute, together with the fact that under the statute the granting of the continuance is to be the rule.”

*589 Clearly the appellee Julius is not hopelessly insolvent. We cannot reasonably hold that there is no possibility, under the record in this case, that Julius cannot save his farm.

Appellant claims Julius failed to do equity.

Julius purchased this farm in 1929, and went into possession March 1, 1930. He paid two years taxes and interest to November, 1931. In 1935 the fences were washed out by high waters, and Julius repaired the damage, and the farm is fenced and cross-fenced hog tight. The failure of Julius to do equity, as claimed by appellant, was his failure to pay interest and taxes in 1931 and the years following. These are the years that inspired the Forty-fifth General Assembly in February, 1933, to declare an emergency and enact chapters 179 and 182 of said session.

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Related

Prudential Insurance v. Schaefer
278 N.W. 602 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1938)
First Trust Joint Stock Land Bank of Chicago v. Spencer
278 N.W. 333 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1938)

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Bluebook (online)
266 N.W. 279, 221 Iowa 585, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/first-trust-joint-stock-land-bank-v-merrick-iowa-1936.