Helm v. Belvin

1924 OK 628, 232 P. 382, 107 Okla. 214, 1924 Okla. LEXIS 669
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJune 17, 1924
Docket13523
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 1924 OK 628 (Helm v. Belvin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Helm v. Belvin, 1924 OK 628, 232 P. 382, 107 Okla. 214, 1924 Okla. LEXIS 669 (Okla. 1924).

Opinion

LYDTCK. J.

The land involved in this action is located in Garvin county and was the allotment of Josephine Belvin, a Chickasaw Indian, who died intestate on February 6, 1906. She left surviving her the following heirs, to wit: Chas. A. Belvin, her husband; Elizabeth Belvin (now Helm), a daughter; James Belvin, a son; William Bel-vin, a son; Arabelle Belvin (now Pollard), a daughter; Stella Belvin (now Green), a daughter; and Rosa Belvin (now Davis). a daughter. Under the law of descent and distribution in force in the Indian Territory at the time of the death of the said allottee, Chas. A. Belvin, thej surviving husband, became the owner of a life estate in said land and each of the six children became the owner of an undivided one-sixth interest in said land subject to such life estate. The husband continued to occupy said land and take the rents and profits therefrom until August 17, 1920. when he diejd intestate. In March, 1911, Arabelle PoPard. nee Belvin. daughter of the allottee above named, died intestate, and shortly thereafter her husband, Roy Pollard, died intestate, leaving their daughter, Bell Pollard, as the sole heir to Arabelle Belvin’s interest in said land. On May 7, 1915, Rosa Belvin (now Davis), daughter of the allottee, conveyed her one-sixth interest in said land to one Bud Hejim.

This action is one for partition of said 'lands and was instituted in the district court of Garvin county by Bud Helm and Elizabeth Helm, as plaintiffs, against all other heirs of said allottee, as defendants. James P.elvin filed an answer and cross-petition wherein he claimed that in February, 1919, I here was due to Garvin county as taxes upon said land the sum of $1,032.28, and that the land was about to be sold for laxes, and that he had paid said taxes out of his own funds to prevent the same 'being lost to tbe owners of the land. He claimed he was entitled to be subrogated to the lien of Garvin county upon said land to secure -the repayment to him of the monies he 'had thus paid to Garvin county as taxes thereon. Rosa Davis and her husband. Tom Davis, filed an answer and cross-petition claiming that the deed which they had made to Bud 1-Ielm as aforesaid had been obtained by fraud, and they asked a cancellation of that deed. The case was tried to the court without a jury, and the court rendered judgment canceling said deed from Rosa Davis and Tom Davis to Bud Helm as fraudulent and rendered judgment in favor of James B.elvin, giving him a lien upon said lands for the taxes which hej claimed to have paid as aforesaid, and ordering said land partitioned and sold for the benefit of the respective owners as provided *216 by law. Th^ plaintiffs, Bud Helm, Elizabeth Helm, and also Stella Green and Bell Pollard, appealed to this court by petition in error with case-made attached.

From an examination of the evidence in the record, we are of the opinion that it is insufficient to support the allegations of fraud, and that the Judgment of the court canceling such deed for fraud is clearly contrary to the weight of the evidence, and on said account that portion of the judgment should be reversed. The consideration paid is, at least, reasonably fair under the adverse conditions existing, and little, if any, overreaching appears. See McDonald, Adm’r. v. Strawn, 78 Okla. 271, 190 Pac. 558; Adam v. Porter, 58 Okla. 225, 158 Pac. 899; Rogers v. Harris, 76 Okla. 215, 184 Pac. 459; Washington v. Morton 90 Okla. 142, 216 Pac. 457; Derdyn v. Low, 94 Okla. 41 220 Pac. 945.

The plaintiffs in error contend that James Belvin did not pay these taxes, but that 'he merely loaned the money to his father to pay them. They urge that if it be true that .Tamois Belvin did pay these taxes, he did it voluntarily for the purpose of protecting his father in his ownership of the life estate in said land and not under such circumstances as would entitle him to be reimbursed by the| other owners of said land or to have a lien thereon in order to obtain such reimbursement.

It is a well-settled and admitted rule of law that it was the duty of Ohas. A. Belvin, the owner of the life estate, to pay the taxes on this' land. In January, 1919, Chas. A. Belvin was in default in the payment of taxes on said land ever since statehood. Elizabeth Helm, plaintiff in this case, brought a suit in the district court of Gar-vin county against Chas. A. Belvin alleging, his failure to pay these taxes and sought the appointment of a receiver on that ground to take possession of the land and make the amount of said taxes out of said life estate. In that action and on January 30, 1919, the district court did appoint a receiver “with authority to take landlord possession” of such real estate and to rent out the same and out of the rents and profits to pay such taxes. Thereupon James Bejlvin, by mortgaging certain other lands which he owned individually, borrowed the sum of $1,200 for the purpose of furnishing the money out of which such taxes could be paid. The taxes were paid on February 14, 1919. just two weeks after the making of the order for the) appointment of this receiver who was to take possession of the land and make the taxejs out of the rentals of said life estate!. The tax receipts are in .evidence and. upon their face show the taxes to have beejn paid by Chas. Belvin, the owner of the life estate, and do not show that the same were paid by Jamejs Belvin. This effectively destroyed and ended the receivership proceedings because such proceedings were instituted solely for the purpose of causing the taxeis on said land to be paid. Chas. Belvin, the owner, was thereby enabled to continue to possess said land and enjoy the life Estate, getting the use, rents, and profits therefrom until his death the following year.

On the witness stand James Belvin was asked to “state to the court how you came to pay the taxes.” His answer was. “My father said that he did not have the money to pay them with, and taken a mortgage on my place to pay it and save the land.” He was asked, “Did you pay the money to the county treasurer as is shown by these certificates”? He answered, “I don’t know whether I paid it or Mr. Nesbitt paid it over.” Mr. Nesbitt was the man from whom be obtained the farm loan.

Tnder the evidence in the case, we are of the opinion that the money with which these taxes wére paid was furnished by James Belvin either as a mere loan to his father or as an advancement and favor to his father to enable his father to avoid giving up his life estate into th^ hands of the receiver which had been appointed and to enable his father to maintain such life estate as his home rather than to surrender it to a receiver for the period of years likely necessary to enable the receiver to collect sufficient rents and profits from the life estate to pay all of said back taxes!

In 13 C. J., page 828, the author says:

“Where land is charged with a burden, each part should bear no more than its due proportion of the charge, and where the owner of any part of such land is compelled to pay more than his proportion of the) charge, equity will enforce contribution against the owners of the other parts. However, in such a case the equities of the parties must be equal, and the one paying and discharging the charge, lien, or incumbrance must do so for the benefit of all. The doctrine of contribution does not apply where the one making the payment doejs so to protect an independent interest or to satisfy a primary liability on his part.”

But in applying the rule above stated we must consider thej law as set out in 21 O. J..

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1924 OK 628, 232 P. 382, 107 Okla. 214, 1924 Okla. LEXIS 669, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/helm-v-belvin-okla-1924.