Geitz v. Gray

280 S.W.2d 859, 47 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 1747, 1955 Mo. App. LEXIS 150
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 14, 1955
DocketNo. 29264
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 280 S.W.2d 859 (Geitz v. Gray) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Geitz v. Gray, 280 S.W.2d 859, 47 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 1747, 1955 Mo. App. LEXIS 150 (Mo. Ct. App. 1955).

Opinions

MATTHES, Judge.

In November, 1951, Josephine Geitz, hereinafter referred to as plaintiff, and Carl E. Starkloff, an attorney at law, entered into a contract whereby Starkloff agreed to represent plaintiff in her claim for damages for wrongful death of her husband. Stark-loff was to receive a fee of 35'% of the amount recovered for plaintiff. Thereafter, and in the same month, R. Shad Bennett, hereinafter called appellant, who is also an' attorney, was brought into the case by Starkloff to assist in the prosecution of plaintiff’s claim. Under their agreement the fee recovered, based upon the 35% contract, was to be divided equally between them. There was a suit filed in behalf of plaintiff in the Circuit Court of Lincoln County, Missouri. Following some pretrial proceedings, such as the taking of depositions, the case was tried in said county, resulting in a verdict and judgment in favor of plaintiff for $5,650. Appellant actively participated in the preparation for, and trial of, the case.

Prior to the trial, Starkloff and appellant agreed that Honorable Omer IT. Avery, an attorney of. Troy, Missouri, should be retained as local counsel, to assist in the trial. Avery was actually contacted by Starkloff and participated in the trial of the case. Following the trial, and on December 10, 1952, the insurance company interested in the outcome of the case and obligated to pay the judgment rendered therein, issued its draft for the amount of the judgment, payable to plaintiff and Carl E. Starkloff, appellant, and Omer H. Avery, her attorneys. Having been served on July 7, 1952, with a levy by the United States Collector of Revenue against the interest of Starkloff in plaintiff’s claim for unpaid income taxes, plaintiff refused to endorse the draft. This precipitated the filing of a motion in Lincoln County Circuit Court by the three attorneys who had represented plaintiff in the trial, styled, “Motion of * * * to correct records”. In reality, the object of the motion was to obtain an order to compel plaintiff to endorse the draft; to direct the circuit clerk to reduce draft to cash, and then pay 35'% of the amount thereof to appellant and balance of 65% to plaintiff.

In time:sthere was an order entered by the court under which plaintiff was paid the amount due her. This left $1,882.50 in the registery of the Circuit Court of Lincoln. County, (35% of the judgment less the amount advanced by plaintiff to defray costs).. Leave having been obtained, the United States of America, hereinafter called respondent, intervened and filed a claim in said court to the full amount of the fund.

Appellant’s position was, and is, that he is entitled to the whole of said fund. He claims half thereof by virtue of his contract with Starkloff, and the other half by reason of an assignment executed by Starkloff to him on January 3, 1952. Prior to the assignment appellant advanced or' loaned to Starkloff money as follows: September 10, 1951, $300; October '10, 1951, $700; November 12, 1951, $150; December 12, 1951, $1,500. Subsequent thereto and on December 29, 1952, appellant paid to Omer H. Avery $200 for services rendered by him in assisting in the trial of plaintiff’s case.

. The claim of respondent to the fund is based. upon the indebtedness of Starkloff for income taxes. In this connection it was undisputed that the assessment list , was received by the Collector of Internal Revenue on October 17,1949, and that respondent caused notice of lien for unpaid taxes urider Internal Revenue Laws to be filed in the office of the Recorder of Deeds of St. Louis County, Missouri, on January 12, 1950, and in the office of the Recorder of Deeds of Lincoln County, Missouri, on April 10, 1953. Appellant and respondent stipulated in the trial court that in 1950 and 1951, Starkloff was a resident of St. Louis County, Missouri.

The judgment rendered below directed the sum of $13.20 paid out of the fund held by the circuit clerk to defray court costs, and the balance of $1,869.30 distributed equally between appellant and respondent, each to receive $934.65. Follow[862]*862ing unavailing motions for new trial, both parties appealed from the judgment of the trial court. However, respondent has abandoned its appeal.

Appellant has seven points in his brief, in which we find some duplication. Essentially, his contentions are: (1) Neither the filing of the assessment list' with Collector of Internal'Revenue nor the filing of notice of tax lien in the office of the Recorder of Deeds of St. Louis County, Missouri, constituted notice to appellant; (2) the interest of Starkloff in the lawsuit wherein he was one of the attorneys representing plaintiff, was an “intangible, inchoate, conditional, or contingent interest”, and therefore not subject to the lien of respondent; (3) Omer H. Avery, employed as local counsel to assist in the trial of the case, had lien upon proceeds of judgment and right to assign his interest therein to appellant, consequently the court should have taken the amount of $200 paid by appellant to Ave-ry into consideration in rendering judgment.

Respondent’s lien for unpaid taxes due from Starkloff arose by virtue of Title 26 U.S.C.A., § 3670,1 and its claim of priority, is based upon'Title 26 U.S.C.A. §§ 3671 and 3672.2 Pursuant to the provisions of said section 3672, this state enacted a statute, Section 14.010 RSMo 1949, V.A.M.S., providing for the filing of notice of liens fo'r taxes due the United States.

The lien of respondent came into existence on the date the assessment list was received by the collector. Section 3671, supra; Citizens State Bank of Barstow, Tex. v. Vidal, 10 Cir., 114 F.2d 380; Filipowicz v. Rothensies, D.C., 43 F.Supp. 619; U. S. v. Maddas, D.C., 109 F.Supp. 607. However, as to any mortgagee, pledgee, purchaser, or judgment creditor, the lien was not valid and effective until notice thereof was filed by the collector in accordance with the'law of the state in which the property subject to the lien is situated. Section 3672, supra. In this state the notice must be filed in the office of the recorder of deeds where the property subject to lien is situated. Section 14.010, supra. Appellant’s position is that he was a “purchaser” within the meaning of the applicable statute. While respondent does not concede that this status existed, nevertheless it has briefed the case on that theory, and contends that even though appellant did in fact purchase the interest of Starkloff in the fee which accrued under contract with plaintiff, he acquired same with the lien of respondent impressed thereon.

As stated, in 1950, when the notice of the lien for unpaid taxes was filed in the recorder’s office of St. Louis County, Missouri, and in 1951, when Starkloff’s right or interest in the lawsuit of plaintiff v. Chester Gray came into existence, he was a resident of that county. This being true, and inasmuch as Starkloff’s right was an intangible, the situs thereof was the domicile of Starkloff, i. e., St. Louis County. 15 C.J.S., Conflict of Laws, § 18(c), page 928; State of California ex rel. Hauser v. St. [863]*863Louis Union Trust Co., Mo.App., 260 S.W.2d 821. Therefore respondent complied with the provisions of the applicable statutes, and the filing of the notice of lien in St. Louis County, Missouri, constituted notice to appellant, Glass City Bank v.

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

Related

Kopp v. Baird
313 P.2d 319 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1957)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
280 S.W.2d 859, 47 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 1747, 1955 Mo. App. LEXIS 150, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/geitz-v-gray-moctapp-1955.