Gemignani v. Partee

302 S.W.2d 821, 42 Tenn. App. 358, 1956 Tenn. App. LEXIS 142
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedApril 25, 1956
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 302 S.W.2d 821 (Gemignani v. Partee) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gemignani v. Partee, 302 S.W.2d 821, 42 Tenn. App. 358, 1956 Tenn. App. LEXIS 142 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1956).

Opinion

CARNEY, J.

The complainant below, Arthur J. G-em-ignani, Administrator of Mrs. Kittie Williamson, deceased, appeals from a decree of the Chancery Court dismissing his nulla bona bill in which he sought to reach several parcels of land and places of business as the property of the defendant Ed Partee and which property was claimed by Marvella Partee, wife of Ed Partee.

The deceased Mrs. Kittie Williamson on January 30, 1950, had been awarded a judgment for $3,000 against the defendant Ed Partee in the Circuit Court of Shelby County, Tennessee, for the death of her husband.

The $3,000 judgment was awarded as a result of an automobile collision which occurred in eastern Arkansas on'June 8, 1949, when a truck owned by the defendant, Ed Partee, and carrying cotton choppers was involved in a collision. A number of persons Avere-injured in this collision and the husband of Mrs. Williamson was killed.

Execution was issued on the judgment and returned “nulla bona” by the sheriff of Shelby County in March, 1950.

[361]*361On October 8, 1953, the complainant Administrator of Mrs. Williamson filed bis bill in tlie present canse against the defendant Ed Partee and wife, Marvella Partee, and a number of other persons were made parties defendant. Those parties in addition to Partee and wife were persons who held deeds of trust against some of the property involved in the litigation or who had assisted the defendants Partee and wife in procuring loans or who were former owners of some of the property sought to be subjected.

The bill alleged that since June 8,1949, the date of the collision in Arkansas, the defendant Ed Partee had followed a fraudulent scheme whereby he had rendered himself “execution proof” and yet continued to enjoy the benefits of owning property and operating several businesses in and around Memphis.

The bill further alleged that a number of the defendants had collaborated and cooperated with the defendant Ed Partee in helping him keep himself “execution proof” and that such practices included the placing of deeds of trust on some of the property. The bill also alleged in substance that while the defendant Marvella Partee claimed to own the property hereinafter referred to yet in truth the defendant Ed Partee was the true and real owner and that said property should be subjected to the payment of complainant’s judgment, no part of which had been paid at the time of the trial.

The bill also sought discoveries from all of the defendants concerning their financial associations with the defendants Ed Partee and wife, Marvella Partee. The defendant Ed Partee filed an answer insisting that he was insolvent and execution proof and that all the property [362]*362involved in the litigation actually belonged to his wife, the defendant Marvella Partee.

The wife, Marvella Partee, answering through the same solicitor as her husband, said in substance that her husband had been sick and unable to work since 1947 and that she had been the sole support and money-maker in the family since that time. She denied any attempt to defraud or defeat the claims of the complainant or any other creditor but insisted that she was both the legal and equitable owner of the properties sought to be subjected to the judgment against Ed Partee.

The complainant sought a trial before the Chancellor upon oral testimony on the ground that funds were not available to properly prepare the case by deposition. The Chancellor overruled this motion. Thereupon, the complainant demanded a jury and the trial was heard upon oral testimony before a jury in Chancery Court.

The defendant Ed Partee did not testify but the defendant wife, Marvella Partee, did testify along with a number of other witnesses.

The issues of fact were submitted to the jury by the Chancellor as follows:

“Now, gentlemen, the issues of fact to be submitted to you for answer are:
“Issue of fact number 1: ‘After June 8, 1949, did the defendant, Ed Partee, directly or through the instrumentality of other persons, transfer or convey, without adequate consideration, any assets or properties owned by him?’
[363]*363“You can answer that yes or no. If yonr answer to issne of fact number 1 is “no”, then that terminates the case, and in that event you need not answer the other issues.
“Issue of fact number 2: ‘Is the defendant, Ed Partee, the owner of the restaurant and beer parlor known as “Thomas Street Grill”, located at 1407 Thomas Street, Memphis, Tennessee?’
“You can answer that issue yes or no.
“Issue of fact number 3: ‘Is the defendant, Ed Partee, the owner of the grocery known as the “Person Avenue Market”, located at 115-117 West Person Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee?’
‘ ‘ That issue can be answered yes or no.
“Number 4: ‘Is the defendant, Ed Partee, the owner of the restaurant and beer parlor known as the “Mount Zion Cafe”, located at 100 Keel Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee ? ’
“That issue will be answered yes or no.
“5: ‘Is the defendant, Ed Partee, the owner of the real estate known as the “Person Avenue Property”, which was deeded to Marvella Partee by warranty deed filed for record on June 16, 1949?’
“Those issues will be answered “yes” or “no”, and the issues which I have read to you are the issues which will be submitted to you for consideration. ’ ’

[364]*364The jurors answered the first question “no” and as instructed by the Chancellor they made no further answers to the other questions.

Thereupon, the Chancellor dismissed complainant’s hill with reference to the four parcels of property mentioned above. He sustained the bill against an estate by the entirety of the defendant Ed Partee in a house and lot referred to as the “Hamilton Street Property” which was shown to be heavily encumbered by deeds of trust.

The Chancellor ordered the interest of the defendant Ed Partee in the “Hamilton Street Property” sold and the proceeds paid into the Begistry of the Chancery Court. The Chancellor reserved a ruling as to whether or not the defendant Ed Partee was entitled to any exemptions in the proceeds from the sale of said interest.

On June 23, 1955, after the jury verdict the Chancellor made the following additional findings of fact:

“In this cause the solicitors for the complainant and the defendant, Marvella Partee, have each requested the Court to make findings of fact submitted to the Court in this cause by each of them.
“The Court has previously advised the solicitors for both parties that it would find such facts as the Court feels justified by the proof and which are submitted, without being argumentative, in succinct, definite and concise form.
“Prom the proposed findings of fact submitted by the complainant, the Court makes the following findings of fact:
[365]

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302 S.W.2d 821, 42 Tenn. App. 358, 1956 Tenn. App. LEXIS 142, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gemignani-v-partee-tennctapp-1956.