Hickenlooper v. Christy

196 F. 479, 116 C.C.A. 253, 1912 U.S. App. LEXIS 1512
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedMay 13, 1912
DocketNo. 2,054
StatusPublished

This text of 196 F. 479 (Hickenlooper v. Christy) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hickenlooper v. Christy, 196 F. 479, 116 C.C.A. 253, 1912 U.S. App. LEXIS 1512 (9th Cir. 1912).

Opinion

WOLVERTON, District Judge.

This is a suit by appellant for sub-rogation to the rights of one S. J. Rich, a prior mortgagee of certain real property, for a revival of the mortgage, for decree against the Crystal Springs Investment Company, and for a foreclosure of the revived mortgage and sale of the mortgaged premises, the proceeds to be applied upon such decree.

The undisputed facts upon which the suit is based are these: On the 8th day of July, 1907, one Thomas G. Clegg and wife executed their mortgage to Rich upon certain lands of which Clegg was the owner, consisting of 331 acres, more or less, to secure the payment of their promissory note of $1,400 given at the same time. Before September 25, 1908, Clegg and wife sold and conveyed the property covered by the mortgage to the Crystal Springs Investment Company, Limited, and on that date the Investment Company executed a mortgage back to Clegg to secure the payment of $2,080, the same being subject to the Rich mortgage. On October 26, 1908, Clegg sold and assigned his mortgage against the Investment Company to the Brown-Hart Company, Limited, and on February 23, 1909, he sold and assigned all remaining and existing right in said mortgage to the defendant T. H. Christy. Christy was the cashier of the First National Bank of Blackfoot, and in reality the latter assignment was for the Use -and benefit of the bank. Later, to wit, on April 20, 1910, the Brown-Hart Company assigned all its right and interest in the mortgage to Christy. The Rich mortgage having been foreclosed, the real property covered by it was on June 30, 1908, sold at sheriff’s sale, and Rich himself became the purchaser. This entitled him to a deed at the end of one year from that date; that being the statutory time for redemption under foreclosure sale in Idaho. The Investment Company becoming insolvent, the defendant W. J. D’Arcy was appointed receiver, and on June-28, 1909, the receiver petitioned the District Court of the state of Idaho, in and for Bingham county, being the-court by which he was appointed receiver, for authority to borrow [481]*481$2,500 with which to redeem the property from sale under the Rich mortgage. In pursuance of such petition, the court granted the order prayed for, authorizing and directing the receiver to borrow such sum as might be deemed necessary to redeem the said property from sale, not to exceed $2,500, and to execute a mortgage upon the property as security for the payment of such loan as might be obtained. These facts having been alleged, it is further set forth in the complaint as follows:

“Your orator; further says that he was solicited by the said receiver and by the defendant, T. H. Christy, his predecessors in interest, and the stockholders and subsequent lien claimants of the real estate described in paragraph No. 3, to advance the said sum of twenty-live hundred dollars ($2,500.00) with whieh to redeem said real estate from said sale to S. J. Rich, and the said receiver contracted and agreed with him that the repayment of the said money so loaned would be secured by a lirst mortgage upon said real estate, and the said defendant T. H. Christy, and his predecessors in interest, agreed with your orator that his loan should he prior to all other liens; that pursuant to said agreement with the said receiver and with the defendant, T. H. Christy, and his predecessors in interest, believing that the court would make the order set out as Exhibit E, and to save said property for the benefit of all interested therein, on the 30th day of June, 1909, your orator advanced two thousand twelve dollars and seventy-six cents ($2,012.76) to the said receiver, which said money was actually used by him in paying the judgment of the said S. J. Rich and redeeming the property described in paragraph 3 from said lien, judgment, and foreclosure: that said receiver failed 1o make, execute, and deliver to your orator a mortgage upon the said real estate set out in paragraph 3; that on the 1st day of July, 1910, your orator demanded payment of said receiver of the sum of two thousand twelve dollars and seventy-six cents ($2.012.76), with interest thereon at the rate of 12 per cent, per annum from the 30th day of June, 1909, to the 30th day of June, 1910, together with a reasonable attorney’s foe; that said receiver duly allowed said claim, except as to attorney’s fees, but refused payment for the reason that he had no funds or assets with which to make payment of said claim; that thereafter, on said 2d day of July. 1910, upon motion, the district court for the county of Bingham, state of Idaho, granted your orator leave to institute suit against the said receiver in any court of competent jurisdiction to establish a lien upon the real estate described in paragraph 3 and to have said lien declared a first lien upon said property and to secure such other and further relief as the court should adjudge him to be entitled to.”

Tt was further proven at the trial that the complainant on June 30, 1909, advanced to the receiver the sum of $2,012.76, which sum was used by the receiver in payment to the sheriff of the Rich decree of foreclosure; that the property decreed to be sold, and which was sold by the sheriff, was thereby redeemed from the sheriff’s sale to Rich, and the lien of the decree discharged; also, that the receiver has not executed the mortgage to complainant to secure the repayment of the money so advanced by the latter, although he stands.ready to do so at any time the complainant is ready to accept the same. The claim for said sum so advanced has been allowed by the receiver against the estate of the Investment Company, but the receiver was unable to pay the same for lack of funds. Christy has also instituted suit to foreclose the mortgage executed to Clegg; it being the second mortgage on the premises. The complainant further admits upon the witness stand that he was solicited neither by Christy, his predecessors, the stockholders of the Investment Company; nor subsequent lien claimants of the premises covered by the mortgage to advance the money in ques[482]*482tion, and that he went too far in his allegations in the complaint to the effect that" he was so solicited by such parties.

This -leaves but one question, and that a question of fact to be determined under the evidence, which is whether the receiver contracted andl agreed with the complainant that the repayment of the money loaned the receiver, namely, the $2,012.76, should be secured by a first mortgage upon the land, and whether Christy and his predecessors in interest agreed with complainant that his loan should take precedence over all other liens. Concerning this matter the complainant testifies as follows:

“Q. I will ask you whether or not you had. a conversation with Mr. Christy on or about the 28th day of June, 1909. A. Tes, sir.
“Q. Tou may relate the conversation. A. I think, though, that it was the 29th or SOth when I had the conversation with him.
“Q. The 29th? A. Either the 29th or 30th.
“Q. Tou may relate the conversation and the circumstances leading up to it. * * * A. I asked Mr. Christy if he was going to take care of that property, or whether he was going to let it go by default, and he said he was going to let it go; that he had other collateral for his security, and wasn’t sufficiently interested to take care of it.

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Bluebook (online)
196 F. 479, 116 C.C.A. 253, 1912 U.S. App. LEXIS 1512, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hickenlooper-v-christy-ca9-1912.