Harlen v. Watson

63 Ind. 143
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 15, 1878
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 63 Ind. 143 (Harlen v. Watson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Harlen v. Watson, 63 Ind. 143 (Ind. 1878).

Opinions

Biddle, J.

In 1875, Joshua E. Harlen, Jr., Rosa B. Harlen and John C. Harlen, by David N. Eisk, their next friend, brought this complaint to review a ’judgment rendered in 1870 against them and the appellant, at the suit of the appellees, declaring a deed purporting to convey certain lands to the plaintiffs, the defendants therein, and the appellant, to he fraudulent and void as against creditors, and decreeing -the sale of said lands to satisfy certain claims in favor of the appellees against Joshua E. Harlen, Sr., the vendor in the deed.

To the present complaint for review the appellant is made a party defendant. She appeared, and, admitting-the facts as stated in the complaint, filed a cross complaint against the appellees, which substantially contains-the following averments:

That, on the 21st day of April, 1870, certain of the- appellees filed their complaint against the appellant, Joshua E. Harlen, Sr., and Josiah M. Clark, and the other appellees herein, averring, that, on the 21st day of October,, 1868, Joshua E. Harlen, Sr., was the owner of certain described lands ; that, on said day, the said Joshua E. Harlen, Sr., and the appellant, then his wife, conveyed the-said lands to J osiah M. Clark, without any eoiusideratiou,, [146]*146and that said Clark, on the 24th day of October, 1868, conveyed the same to the said Joshua 3L Harlen, Jr., Rosa B. Harlen and John C. Harlen and the appellant; that, prior to said conveyances, the said Joshua K. Harlen, Sr., was indebted to certain of the defendants herein, in large sums of money, for which they have since recovered judgments, sued out executions thereon, and exhausted the property of Joshua K. Harlen, Sr., which failed to satisfy said judgments, and that said conveyances were fraudulent, etc.; that, on the 6th day of May, 1870, she, for herself and as guardian ad litem of the minor defendants, the said Joshua K. Harlen, Jr., Rosa B. Harlen and John C. Harlen, filed their separate answers to said complaint in two paragraphs, the first being a general denial, and the second a cross complaint, showing that the appellant had paid full value for the property conveyed to her and said children, without knowledge of the existence of the indebtedness of the said Joshua K. Harlen, Sr., to the plaintiffs; that said conveyance was accepted by them without any fraudulent intent, and asked that the title to said lands be quieted in them ; that to this cross complaint the plaintiffs filed their demurrer, for the reason that the same did not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action, which demurrer was sustained by the court, and exceptions reserved to the ruling; that such proceedings were had in said cause, that a. verdict was returned at the May term, 1870, but no entry of judgment or decree was made or signed by the court during said May term, 1870 ; that, at a time subsequent to said term, a nunc pro tunc entry of the finding and judgment in favor of said plaintiffs and against the appellant and others, and an order of sale of said premises, were made in said cause solely by J. V. Cox, clerk, as of the 16th day of May, 1870, “ and said suit being determined went off the docket, and has never since been reinstated.”

That, on the 19th day of December, 1870, said plaintiffs [147]*147in the original suit filed in said court, against this appellant and others, a complaint entitled, “ A motion for rendition of judgment.” This plaintiff avers that she had no notice whatever of the pendency of said proceedings ; yet such proceedings were had thereon, as that, at the May term, 1871, of said, court, a decree was rendered therein setting aside the appellant’s title to said lands, and declaring that the said conveyance was fraudulent and void as against the creditors of Joshua 3L Harlen, Sr., and decreeing a sale of said lands to pay the judgments aforesaid; that the sheriff of the county, on the 14th day of November, 1874, sold said lands as lands are sold on execution, and that the same were bought by Aquilla Jones, one of the defendants hereto, who now holds the certificate of purchase from said sheriff; that the appellant, during all said time was, and still is, under legal disability,'being a married woman, the wife of her co-defendant, Joshua K. Harlen, Sr.; that a full and complete transcript of the record in said cause is filed herewith and made a part hereof; that the court erred in sustaining the demurrer to said cross complaint in said cause, and erred in rendering judgment that said conveyance was fraudulent and void, and in subjecting said premises to sale to pay the debts of Joshua 3L Harlen, Sr., and erred in rendering judgment without having acquired jurisdiction over the person of the appellant, and erred in appointing the guardian ad litem of the minor defendants in said suit, who is and was at the time a married woman, being the wife of Joshua 3L Harlen, Sr.

Prayer* that the judgment he reviewed and set aside; that the demurrer to the cross bill therein be overruled; that the title to said lands he quieted in the vendees of said deed, and that the sheriff he enjoined from executing a deed to the purchaser at said sheriff’s sale, etc.

A demurrer to this cross complaint, alleging the insufii[148]*148ciency of the facts therein stated to constitute a cause of action, was sustained, and exceptions reserved.' The appellant stood hy her demurrer, and the court rendered judgment against her. This ruling presents the only question in the case for our consideration.

To the complaint in the judgment and proceeding sought to be reviewed, the appellant answered by a general denial, and also filed the fallowing cross complaint :

“ Second. And, for an answer and cross complaint herein, she says, that, before the execution of the deed mentioned in said complaint to her and her said children, to wit, on the 10th day of January, 1860, her husband, to whom she has been married and for whom she has toiled more than thirty years last past, was the owner of two hundred acres of land in Clinton county, in said State, of the value of $10,000, free from incumbrances except as herein mentioned, as well as of a large amount of personal property. Ilis personal property was more than sufficient to pay all his debts existing at that time. The portion of said lands occupied as a homestead by her and her'said husband, consisting of forty acres, rvas incumbered by a mortgage to the school fund of said county of Clinton for the sum of $500. And this defendant avers, that, in consideration of the sum of $500, then advanced by her. to her said husband, at his request, out of her own separate funds, to pay off said mortgage, he, her said husband, then agreed and promised to convey said homestead, Avhich Avas then of the value of three thousand dollars, to her, by Avay of settlement for her separate use, but he neglected to make such conveyance. After-wards, and but a short time before the purchase of the lands mentioned in the complaint and an adjoining forty-acre tract, her said husband, being desirous of disposing of said lands in said county of Clinton, and re-investing the proceeds thereof in lands and other property in said county of Tipton, in consideration that this defendant [149]

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Bluebook (online)
63 Ind. 143, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harlen-v-watson-ind-1878.