Hollyfield v. Geibel

20 Cal. App. 2d 142
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 2, 1934
DocketCiv. 5777
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 20 Cal. App. 2d 142 (Hollyfield v. Geibel) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hollyfield v. Geibel, 20 Cal. App. 2d 142 (Cal. Ct. App. 1934).

Opinion

THOMPSON, J.

Martin E. Geibel, as executor of the estate of George W. Hollyfield, deceased, has appealed from a judgment which was rendered against him in his representative capacity, foreclosing a lien upon specifically described real property, to satisfy a judgment which was rendered in another suit quieting title in this plaintiff, Susanne Holly-field, to an undivided one-fourth interest in the real property, and to the sum of $1683.52 held in the possession of this appellant.

It is contended the former judgment which determined this respondent’s title to the undivided one-fourth interest in the real property and to said sum of $1683.52 in the possession of the appellant, and establishing a lien upon the real property to secure the payment of the said sum of money, is void for the reason that the court was without jurisdiction in that cause, and that, in any event, the court exceeded its jurisdiction by creating the lien and failing to provide that said sum should be paid from the assets of the estate only in due course of administration after all debts and expenses of the estate were first paid.

*145 The appeal is presented to this court on a settled bill of exceptions, which shows that George W. Hollyfield died testate in Los Angeles, possessed of real and personal property; that aside from some nominal legacies, his widow was named sole devisee under his will; that upon proceedings duly had the will was admitted to probate and Martin B. Geibel was appointed and qualified August 19, 1930, as executor thereof; that the estate was appraised at the sum of $21,000, including the real property and the sum of $6,734.07 involved in this action, which were claimed as the property of the estate. The bill of exceptions shows that the proceedings of a former suit to quiet title in Susanne Hollyfield to an undivided one-fourth interest in that property were received in evidence in this case over the objections of the appellant. The pleadings in the former suit arc not included in the bill of exceptions save that brief summaries thereof do appear. The judgment which was rendered in that case appears in full. After reciting the preliminaries thereof, including the fact that the appellant “Martin B. Geibel, as executor of the estate of George W. Hollyfield, deceased, by himself in his own proper person” appeared as attorney for the estate, the judgment then provides in part:

“Thereupon the trial of said action proceeded, and evidence both oral and, documentary was offered by the respective parties, and said parties having filed herein a written stipulation relating to the judgment that might be entered herein; thereupon . . .
“ It is ordered, adjudged and decreed as follows:
“1. That the plaintiff Susanne Hollyfield is the owner and entitled to the possession of an undivided one-fourth interest in and to the following described real property . . . (describing the property hereinbefore referred to).
‘ ‘ 2. That Susanne Hollyfield was the owner and was entitled to be paid at the date of the death of George W. Hollyfield . . . one-fourth of moneys on deposit in the First Trust & Savings Bank of Pasadena, California, in an account in the name of . . . Mary Jane Fleming Hollyfield, . . . which said moneys on deposit in said account amounted at said time to the sum of $6,734.07, of which one-fourth herein found to belong to the plaintiff, amounted to the sum of $1,683.52.
“3. . . . That the said plaintiff, Susanne Hollyfield, was at the time of the commencement of this action, and now is the *146 owner absolute and in fee simple of an undivided one-fourth interest in and to real property above described, and the owner of the above mentioned sum of money amounting to $1,683.52, ...”

The judgment in the former action then determines that Martin E. Geibel, as executor of the estate of George W. Holly-field, deceased, is entitled to the custody of said undivided three-fourths of the real property and three-fourths of the money in bank “for the purpose of administration”. That judgment further determines, pursuant to the allegations of her cross-complaint which was filed in that action, that the fee in said undivided three-fourths of the real property and of three-fourths of the money in bank belongs to Mary Jane Fleming Hollyfield, subject to a lien on her share of the real property to secure the payment to Susanne Hollyfield of said sum of $1683.52, found to be her property. The paragraph in the decree which creates the lien is worded as follows:

“Subject, however, to a lien upon the above described undivided three-fourths interest in said property in favor of the plaintiff herein, Susanne Hollyfield, and to secure the payment of said sum of $1683.52, per provisions heretofore made. ’ ’
The bill of exceptions also shows that after the introduction of oral and documentary evidence in the former suit to quiet title, the following stipulation of respective parties, including the attorney for the estate, with regard to the rendering of judgment and the conclusiveness thereof, was filed' in the following language :
“That without further proof being offered by any parties to said action that the above entitled court may, if it is so advised, enter a judgment in the above entitled action in accordance with copy of said judgment hereunto attached to this stipulation.
“With reference to the plaintiff Susanne Hollyfield, it is understood and agreed that her attorney, Howard F. Shepherd, does not have authority to settle or compromise the above entitled action for his client, but does stipulate that the facts brought forth at the trial of the action will support a judgment in the form hereunto attached.
“It is further stipulated by all parties hereto that findings of fact and conclusions of law in connection with the judg *147 ment to be entered in the above entitled action, are hereby waived.
“It is further understood and agreed by all parties to this stipulation that the right of any party to said action to move for new trial, or to vacate the above mentioned judgment and enter a different judgment, or to appeal therefrom, is, in consideration of the mutual agreements hereto, expressly waived. ’ ’

To show certain alleged admissions of the plaintiff as to the nature of her claim of title to the real and personal property which is involved herein, the appellant procured an order of court for diminution of the record and filed in accordance therewith a certified copy of the amended complaint in the former suit to quiet title. It is true that an original pleading in a particular suit on trial, under the provisions of section 670 of the Code of Civil Procedure, has been deemed to be a part of the judgment roll, even though it has been superseded by an amended pleading, at least for certain purposes, such as the determination of whether the action is barred by the statute of limitations. (2 Cal. Jur. 514, sec. 254.) That rule, however, has no bearing on the present case.

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Bluebook (online)
20 Cal. App. 2d 142, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hollyfield-v-geibel-calctapp-1934.