Goodman v. Smith

281 P.2d 1094, 177 Kan. 712, 1955 Kan. LEXIS 268
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedApril 9, 1955
Docket39,682
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 281 P.2d 1094 (Goodman v. Smith) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Goodman v. Smith, 281 P.2d 1094, 177 Kan. 712, 1955 Kan. LEXIS 268 (kan 1955).

Opinion

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Robb, J.:

This appeal was taken from a decree granting an injunction whereby a levy and resulting sale by execution were enjoined. The execution was issued out of a case where appellant, LeRoy Francis, doing business as the Wilsey Grain Company, had obtained a money judgment against appellees’ predecessors in title. Appellant Elliot Smith was a party to this appeal by reason of the fact that in his capacity as sheriff of Morris county he had served the execution levied on the land in question and was proceeding with plans to sell the land. He was enjoined on the day before the sale of the land by the injunction decree of the district court. Therefore, we will refer herein only to LeRoy Francis, doing business as the Wilsey Grain Company, as appellant.

The stipulated facts were substantially as follows: H. G. Pickett *713 and his wife, Ethel V. Pickett, owned 160 acres of land and had lived thereon with their children since 1949; on November 25, 1952, they sold 145 acres from the 160 acres to Harry Campbell, leaving approximately ten and one-half acres with the house located thereon, where the Pickett family continued to live until January 31, 1953, when they moved; on the same date Naurice and Freda Goodman and their children moved into the house; the Goodmans still occupy the premises; on January 19,1953, the Picketts entered into an agreement to sell the property by warranty deed to C. F. Seth for $7,-750.00; on January 19,1953, Seth had his daughter’s name, Freda E. Goodman, inserted as grantee in the warranty deed; also on January 19, 1953, the deed, abstract, and $7,750.00 were placed in escrow, where they remained except for abstract of title examination until sometime in January, 1954; the Wilsey Grain Company on November 28, 1952, had filed an attachment against the proceeds from the sale of the 145 acres and on the same day the Picketts had filed a motion to dismiss the attachment because the premises were occupied by them as a homestead; the Wilsey Grain Company orally dismissed the attachment on May 1, 1953, and obtained a judgment against the Picketts; Seth and his daughter took the abstract to Brown and Brown, attorneys, for examination shortly after January 19, 1953; on February 11, 1953, those attorneys submitted a preliminary title opinion which showed that the property had not been surveyed so that the legal metes and bounds description could be determined, and, along with this objection, other objections were made, as follows:

“1. Taxes for the year 1952 are shown as NOT paid.
“2. Case No. 9830 pending in the Morris County District Court, the Wilsey Grain Company vs. H. G. Pickett.
“3. A mortgage recorded in Volume 67, page 194, granted by H. G. and Ethel V. Pickett to Producers Livestock Credit Corp.
“4. One-half of the oil, gas and minerals in and under the surface of said land reserved by E. H. and Marie Hammer, husband and wife, for a period of 20 years, from January 25, 1950, or as long thereafter as there may be production.
“8. It is required that there be a plat placed on this abstract setting out the different described tracts conveyed within this one-fourth section.
“10. I would like to call attention to the fact the agreement does not except the tract of land now held by the Commodity Credit Corp.
“11. Subject to the completion of a fence as set out in the last paragraph of the purchase agreement. . . .”

*714 All of the objections set out in their opinion have not been reiterated here for the reason we do not believe that is necessary.

It was further stipulated that a final opinion was made on August 4,1953, which stated there was a lien by the Wilsey Grain Company on the judgment against the Picketts; an execution was issued August 18, 1953, out of the Wilsey Grain Company v. Pickett case; the property occupied by the Goodman family was levied upon and advertised for sale on October 2, 1953; this sale was enjoined by the present action which was filed October 1, 1953, against only the sheriff at first,' but it was later amended to bring in the Wilsey Grain Company; the warranty deed was placed of record in the office of the register of deeds in January, 1954.

Appellant’s answer denied appellees were the legal owners of the property or that it was their homestead and, in substance, stated: There had not been delivery of the warranty deed to appellees and the Picketts owned the premises as tenants in common; the premises were not their homestead and they were not living thereon; appellant had a lien on the premises by reason of his judgment of May 1, 1953; the premises were subject to execution levy and sale to satisfy the judgment; and finally, that appellees had an adequate remedy at law against the Picketts and any right, title, or interest was obtained by appellees with notice and knowledge of appellant’s claim and right and, therefore, the injunction should be denied.

Appellees filed a reply setting out a general denial to appellant’s answer. The trial court found generally in favor of appellees and against appellant on all issues and granted a permanent injunction enjoining the levy and sale of the ten and one half acres in Morris county. An amended notice of appeal was filed August 21, 1954, appealing from the judgment of the district court.

In its memorandum opinion of June 14, 1954, the trial court found the land was originally occupied by the Picketts as their homestead. After selling 145 acres the Picketts continued to live on the ten and one half remaining acres as a homestead until January 19, 1953, at which time a warranty deed was executed and delivered to the escrow holder conveying the property to Freda Goodman. The $7,750.00 full consideration in the deed was deposited with the escrow holder by Seth on January 31,1953. Picketts moved out and appellees moved into the premises and occupied them as their homestead. The trial court concluded and held:

*715 “1. That injunction is a proper remedy for the plaintiffs to pursue under the facts of this case.
“2. During all of the time that they owned the property, the Picketts were occupying it as a homestead and the lien of the Wilsey Grain Company did not attach thereto.
“3. The sale of the property to the Goodmans on January 19, 1953, and the transfer of possession to them on the 31st day of January, 1953, effectively transferred the equitable title to them, free and clear of any lien in favor of the Wilsey Grain Company.
“4. The execution issued by the Wilsey Grain Company on August 18, 1953, did not in any way attach to this property, and such company has no lien thereon.
“5. Since the property was not the property of the Picketts at the time of the issuance and levy of execution, the levy is void.
“6. Since the levy and proceedings subsequent thereto are void, it follows that a permanent injunction should issue enjoining both defendants from proceeding with the levy and sale.”

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Bluebook (online)
281 P.2d 1094, 177 Kan. 712, 1955 Kan. LEXIS 268, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/goodman-v-smith-kan-1955.