Gunn v. Wagner

48 N.W.2d 292, 242 Iowa 1001, 1951 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 379
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedJune 5, 1951
Docket47875
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 48 N.W.2d 292 (Gunn v. Wagner) 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
Gunn v. Wagner, 48 N.W.2d 292, 242 Iowa 1001, 1951 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 379 (iowa 1951).

Opinion

Garfield, J.

This appeal presents two questions: (1) Jurisdiction of the trial court to hear the case. (2) Validity of a testamentary trust under which plaintiff claims title to the land in controversy.

Defendant Peoples Finance Company holds a judgment against R. M. Gunn for $3984 obtained in the district court of Polk County in December 1934. Under a general execution issued on the judgment, defendant sheriff of Black Hawk County on November 10, 1949, levied upon an undivided third interest in certain Black Hawk County land of which plaintiff, Damon M. Gunn, son of the judgment debtor, was record titleholder.

Damon brought this action in equity in Black Hawk County against the sheriff and judgment creditor, alleging he is sole owner of the land and the judgment has never been a lien upon it and asking that the execution sale be enjoined, the judgment creditor be enjoined from enforcing the judgment against the land and for a decree that the judgment is not a lien against the land. Plaintiff’s petition appears to be patterned after the one set out in Key City Gas Light Co. v. Munsell, 19 Iowa 305.

By answer and cross-petition against Damon and R. M. Gunn, the judgment creditor alleged the land levied upon and other land was owned in her lifetime by Adelaide Gunn, mother of Damon and wife of R. M., that her will attempted to leave her property in trust but the trust was void, deeds from the trustee to Damon of the land were also void, Adelaide’s property therefore descended as intestate, one third to her surviving husband, R. M. Gunn, and two thirds to her only issue, Damon. The cross-petitioner asked that its judgment be declared a lien against the undivided third interest of R. M. Gunn, said interest be subjected to its judgment and sold in satisfaction thereof.

*1004 Following trial, largely upon documentary evidence consisting of probate files and records in the estate of Adelaide Gunn, deceased, the trial court held it had jurisdiction of the action, the trust provisions of Adelaide’s will are valid, Damon is the sole owner of the land in controversy and it is not subject to the judgment against his father. Execution sale of the land was enjoined. The judgment creditor’s cross-petition was dismissed. The cross-petitioner has appealed.

I. Appellant’s challenge to the trial court’s jurisdiction is based upon rule 329, Rules of Civil Procedure, which provides: “An action seeking to enjoin proceedings in a civil action, or on a judgment or final order, must be brought in the county and court where such proceedings are pending or such judgment or order was obtained * *

While appellant contends the trial court lacked jurisdiction of the action brought by Damon, it concedes the court had jurisdiction of its cross-petition against Damon and R. M. Gunn which was a separate and independent cause of action. All issues raised in the action brought by Damon are fully presented in appellant’s cross-petition, the answers of Damon andR. M. thereto and appellant’s reply to such answers. Therefore'it seems of little consequence that the court held it had jurisdiction of the action brought by Damon as well as of the cross-action brought by appellant. Peihaps this is the reason the claim of no jurisdiction is not pressed so vigorously as the contention the trust was void.

In any event we think the trial court had jurisdiction of the action brought by Damon.

The part of rule 329 quoted above is substantially the same as section 12527, Code, 1939, which the rule supersedes. The statute, in almost identical language, has been in effect since the Code of 1873 and before that in different terms since the Revision of 1860. See Hawkeye Ins. Co. v. Huston, 115 Iowa 621, 623, 624, 89 N.W. 29. Pursuant to this statute we have frequently held a judgment debtor may not, in a court where the judgment was not rendered, enjoin its enforcement even though the judgment is void. Hawkeye Tns. Co. v. Huston, supra, which carefully reviews earlier decisions; Ulber v. Dunn, 143 Iowa 260, 119 N.W. 269; Ferris v. Grimes, 204 Iowa 587, 215 N.W. 646; Bankers Trust Co. v. Scott, *1005 215 Iowa 1107, 246 N.W. 836; Educational Film Exchanges v. Hansen, 221 Iowa 1153, 266 N.W. 487.

In the cited cases the injunction was sought by the judgment debtor usually upon grounds which might have been urged in defense to the action in which the judgment was rendered. In Grattan v. Matteson, 51 Iowa 622, 2 N.W. 432, the statute was invoked against a third party who acquired land of the judgment debtor after the judgment sought to be enjoined was obtained but the suit was based on claimed invalidity of the judgment. Brunk v. Moulton Bank, 121 Iowa 14, 95 N.W. 238, denied injunctive relief in another county to a judgment debtor discharged in bankruptcy after the judgment was obtained.

The reasons for rule 329 and the statute it supersedes are apparent. A court will not litigate matters finally determined in another court nor interfere with proceedings therein nor process therefrom. See Hawkeye Ins. Co. v. Huston, supra, 115 Iowa 621, 89 N.W. 29. Such considerations are not present here. Damon Gunn does not seek to undo anything the Polk County court did. He makes no claim the judgment is void or voidable or that it may not be enforced against any property of the judgment debtor. Damon’s claim is he owns the property in question and it may not be seized to satisfy the judgment against his father.

This language from Lockwood v. Kitteringham, 42 Iowa 257, 259, the first decision under what later became section 12527, Code, 1939, recognizes the statute is not applicable to the situation here:

“This is not like a case where it is sought to enjoin the sale of property under a general execution, where it is alleged that the property does not belong to the defendant .in execution but to a third person who seeks the injunction. In such ease it is not sought to enjoin proceedings under the execution, or the proceedings on the judgment. The officer having the writ is left free, and unobstructed in proceeding to carry out the mandate of his writ, by making the moneys therein specified from the property of the defendant- in the execution. The injunction is sought only to prevent the officer from committing a wrong, under color of his writ, by seizing property not belonging to the defendant in execution

*1006 Bennett v. Hanchett, 49 Iowa 71, 72, states: “This case does not fall within the exception alluded to in Lockwood v. Kitteringham, where it is sought to enjoin a sale of property under general execution, upon the ground that the property does not belong to the defendant in execution.”

It is true, as pointed out in Grattan v. Matteson, supra, 51 Iowa 622, 624, 2 N.W. 432, the language above-quoted from Lockwood v. Kitteringham, supra, is dictum, which was held not applicable in the Grattan case. However, we do not find it has ever been disapproved.

Visek v. Doolittle, 69 Iowa 602, 29 N.W. 762, directly supports our conclusion on the question of jurisdiction. There the homestead owned by a wife was sold under execution upon a judgment against her husband. The sale was set aside by a court where the judgment was not obtained.

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

Related

Douglas Michael Knutson v. Kaytlyn Oellrich
Court of Appeals of Iowa, 2023
Kalouse v. Burda
282 N.W.2d 98 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1979)
Matter of Estate of Kalouse
282 N.W.2d 98 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1979)
Armington v. Meyer
236 A.2d 450 (Supreme Court of Rhode Island, 1967)
Sawyer v. Sawyer
152 N.W.2d 605 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1967)
Work v. Central National Bank & Trust Co.
151 N.W.2d 490 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1967)
Moore v. McKinley
69 N.W.2d 73 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1955)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
48 N.W.2d 292, 242 Iowa 1001, 1951 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 379, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gunn-v-wagner-iowa-1951.