Harper v. Sallee

26 N.E.2d 987, 305 Ill. App. 85, 1940 Ill. App. LEXIS 1052
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedApril 15, 1940
DocketGen. No. 9,227
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 26 N.E.2d 987 (Harper v. Sallee) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Harper v. Sallee, 26 N.E.2d 987, 305 Ill. App. 85, 1940 Ill. App. LEXIS 1052 (Ill. Ct. App. 1940).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Hates

delivered the opinion of the court.

This is an appeal by appellant, hereinafter called defendant, from an order of the circuit court of Vermilion county, authorizing the master to issue a deed to the appellee, hereinafter called the plaintiff, for an undivided two-thirds interest in defendant’s farm, and ordering the sale of the remaining one-third interest so as to compel contribution by the defendant to the plaintiff for one-third the money paid, to redeem from a foreclosure sale of the farm in question.

•The farm, containing 72 acres, was originally owned by William L. Sallee, the husband of the defendant. On March 22, 1928, William L. Sallee and his wife, Lula May Sallee, executed a mortgage to secure three thousand dollars ($3,000.00), which became the property of the Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company, by assigmnent. Afterwards, on January 3, 1931, William L. Sallee, and his wife Lula May Sallee, executed a deed to a third person, and the third person in turn conveyed an undivided two-thirds of said land to William L. Sallee, and an undivided one-third to Lula May Sallee.

Subsequently on February 2,1931, William L. Sallee and Lula May Sallee executed a second mortgage to secure a note for $6,885.25, which note was signed by William L. Sallee, and his son, Alva M. Sallee. This second mortgage was a lien upon the undivided two-thirds of the land owned by William L. Sallee only. Lula May Sallee joined in the junior mortgage to release her dower, but she did not sign the note.

After the junior mortgage was given, William L. Sallee died, and by his will devised all his property to Lula May Sallee, his widow (defendant), by virtue of which she became the owner of his undivided two-thirds of the land in question. The entire fee was covered by the first mortgage for three thousand dollars, and the undivided two-thirds which she acquired by the will, was also incumbered by the junior mortgage.

After the death of William L. Sallee, both mortgages fell into default. The Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company instituted foreclosure proceedings on the first mortgage, cause number 21542, in the circuit court of Vermilion county. The Farmers’ State Bank of Rossville, Indiana, holder of the junior mortgage, had failed, but its receiver was made a defendant in the foreclosure suit. He filed an answer and also filed' a counterclaim, praying for foreclosure of the junior mortgage. A decree of foreclosure, under the first mortgage, was entered on the 23rd day of November, 1935, and on January 6, 1936, a sale was had thereon, at which sale the Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company purchased said premises on a bid of three thousand dollars and received the usual certificate of purchase, bearing that date. On March 17, 1936, a decree was entered, foreclosing the junior mortgage upon the counterclaim, but no sale was ever had thereunder. The junior mortgage did not pledge the rents. The counterclaim did not pray for application of them and the decree made no disposition of them.

On January 4, 1937, Edward Harper, the plaintiff in this proceeding, who was not a party in the foreclosure suit and was not a creditor, obtained an assignment of the above mentioned unexecuted decree on the junior mortgage.

On January 5, 1937, the last day of the year subsequent to the sale above mentioned, he paid the sum of $3,180, the correct amount of the redemption money, to the master in chancery, and obtained a certificate of redemption, which was recorded. The holder of the certificate of purchase surrendered it and accepted the redemption money.

Edward Harper, having made the redemption, did not proceed to sell under the junior decree, but on the 18th day of May, 1937, he filed his complaint in this cause, making Lula May Sallee, party defendant, and prayed for an order directing the master in chancery to issue a deed to him for the entire premises covered by the certificate of purchase from which he redeemed.

The complaint set forth that the plaintiff was in possession of the premises in controversy. The defendant answered, admitting this averment, but averred that such possession was that of a trespasser. Defendant filed a counterclaim praying to be restored to possession and demanding an accounting from the plaintiff for all rents collected by him while withholding possession.

The court entered a decree holding that the redemption by Edward Harper did not destroy the legal effect of the master’s sale, and that he is subrogated to the rights of the purchaser at that sale, in the land covered by his junior decree, and that he is entitled to a deed for that two-thirds interest. ,

The decree also held that as to the one-third owned by Lula May Sallee, the redemption by Edward Harper, “did not destroy her equity of redemption — and that she is entitled to her one-third, provided she makes contribution to Edward Harper by paying one-third of the redemption money, with interest,” and provides for the sale of Mrs. Sallee’s one-third interest to make said sum, unless paid, in the usual form of foreclosure sales. The contribution money was not paid, and after the 30 days fixed in the decree, the master in chancery issued a deed to the plaintiff for the undivided two-thirds interest, and advertised and sold defendant’s one-third interest to make the contribution money. By her appeal the appellant seeks to have the order authorizing the master to issue a deed to appellee for the undivided two-thirds of her farm, declared to be null and void, as well as all acts performed under it, and seeks an accounting* for all rents collected by appellee during his possession on all the premises, and to have the decree reversed, which required her to contribute one-third of the redemption money.

Under our statute, redemptions fall into two classes,

(1) redemptions within 12 months after the sale, and (2) redemptions after 12 months after the sale, and within 15 months. The effect upon the title to real estate of these two classes of redemption is entirely different. The difference may be stated to be that by redemption within the 12-months ’ period, no matter by whom made, no title is acquired by the redemptioner, whereas by virtue of a redemption properly made and completed after the 12-months ’ period the redemptioner acquires the title to the property. The statute gives the right to redeem within the 12-months ’ period to “any defendant, his heirs, administrators, assigns or any person interested in the premises through or under the defendant.”

Where there is a redemption within one year, the statute provides such sale and certificate of purchase shall be null and void. Ill. Rev. Stat. 1939, ch. 77, sec. 18 [Jones Ill. Stats. Ann. 107.168]. The payment of the redemption money to the master in chancery and its acceptance by the certificate holder completely washed from the title the lien of the first mortgage, and the effect of the foreclosure and sale under the first mortgage. Hack v. Snow, 338 Ill. 28; Butter v. Brown, 205 Ill. 606. By his redemption the plaintiff acquired exactly what the mortgagor would have acquired by redemption. That was, the abatement of the lien. Morse v. Smith, 83 Ill. 396. The certificate and sale, then, having been made void and nullified by the redemption, thereafter no valid deed could be issued upon the certificate. Payment of the debt destroyed the lien. Haigh v. Carroll, 209 Ill. 576, 580, 581; Davis v.

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Related

Priess v. Buchsbaum
76 N.E.2d 195 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1947)
Farmers State Bank v. Sallee
37 N.E.2d 576 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1941)
Harper v. Sallee
34 N.E.2d 860 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1940)

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Bluebook (online)
26 N.E.2d 987, 305 Ill. App. 85, 1940 Ill. App. LEXIS 1052, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harper-v-sallee-illappct-1940.