Hopkins v. Lee

143 N.W. 1002, 162 Iowa 165
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedNovember 17, 1913
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 143 N.W. 1002 (Hopkins v. Lee) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hopkins v. Lee, 143 N.W. 1002, 162 Iowa 165 (iowa 1913).

Opinion

Deemer, J.

Plaintiff was a minor at the time of the levy-on and sale of the property in question, arriving at full age on March 12,1910. He was the owner of the property, consisting of about one acre of land in the city of Webster City, Iowa, having acquired the title thereto by and from Charles Howell and wife, which deed was duly filed of record on May 14, 1902. After the making of the deed, plaintiff’s father lived in and upon the property, and plaintiff went to work upon a farm some seven miles from Webster City. He visited his father, M. C. Hopkins, Sr., while he lived upon the property, two or three times a year after he ceased living with him, aside from occasional visits on Sunday. The father was indicted by the grand jury of Hamilton county four times, at least, for the illegal sale of liquor upon the property in question, once in May, 1906, again in February, 1907, December, 1907, and finally, in October, 1909, and he spent some time in jail because of convictions upon these indictments. Plaintiff knew of at least three of these indictments, and knew that his father had been convicted on some of them. A mulct tax was levied upon the property, some time before the one for which the sale, which is now attacked, was made, and plaintiff brought action to set the same aside, but for some reason the same was never tried. In September of the year 1909, the assessor of Webster City made a return to the county auditor of all those engaged in the sale of liquor in the city, and among others reported Milton Hopkins, Sr., as engaged therein, giving a description of the property in question and reporting plaintiff as the owner thereof, and a mulct tax of $150 was assessed against the property. Notice of the return by the assessor was personally served upon both plaintiff and his father on September 13, 1909, and the tax was certified to the county treasurer on September 30, 1909. As the tax was not paid, the property was sold for taxes by the treasurer on December 6, 1909, defendant Lee being the purchaser thereof for the [168]*168amount of the tax, with interest and costs. On April 21,1911, plaintiff commenced this suit to set aside the tax sale and as grounds thereof alleged:

. . . That at the time said sale he was a minor under the age of twenty-one years, and that he was in no manner concerned in the wrongful act for which said mulct tax was levied, and in no manner consented to the wrongful keeping or sale of intoxicating liquors upon the said premises. That the plaintiff did not attain the age of twenty-one years until the 12th day of March, 1910.
Par. 5. That the father of this plaintiff was in possession of said premises at the time of the alleged wrongful keeping and sale of liquors, and that his occupancy of said premises was without any lease of contract or consent on the part of the plaintiff.
Par. 6. The plaintiff says therefore that said mulct tax was void and illegal and levied without authority, and never became a lien upon the said premises.
Par. 7. That the levy of said mulct tax was without jurisdiction and without due process of law.
Par. 8. That no notice of the intention to make said levy was served on plaintiff as provided by law.

Although plaintiff alleged that he had no notice of the illegal sale of liquor on the premises, that he did not consent to the occupancy thereof by his father, and that he had no notice of the levy, the testimony does not support these allegations. On the contrary, it affirmatively appears that plaintiff consented to the use of the property by his father, and he had notice that illegal sales were being made thereon by his father. Again, it appears that notice of the return by the assessor was given him as required by law.

1. PARENT AND child: control of minor's property. It is true that plaintiff was a minor during this entire period, and that he had no guardian, save perhaps a natural one — his father — but of course the father, as . such, had no legal authority over his son’s property, not acquired from either parent.

[169]*1692. Intoxicating Liquors: mulct tax assessment: notice. [168]*168As plaintiff was over fourteen years of .age, when the [169]*169assessor reported the property as subject to the mulct tax, the notice was properly served upon him alone. As we understand it, plaintiff’s counsel claim that as he, plaintiff, was a minor, the property was not subject to the mulct tax; that plaintiff had no knowledge of the illegal sales of • liquor; that there is no authority for levying a mulct tax for a part of a year; and that no tax was ever levied by the board. As we have already observed,' the testimony does not support some of these allegations of fact, and we take it the only questions in the case are: First, May a mulct tax be levied upon the property of a minor, and, if so, may it be levied for but a part of a calendar year? Incident to these two questions is a claim made for appellant that the board of supervisors must levy the tax, and as there is no showing of such a levy, the tax is invalid. To a proper understanding of a discussion of these matters, it is necessary to quote a part of the statutes with reference to what is known as the mulct tax.

Code, Section 2432 reads:

Every person, partnership or corporation, except persons holding permits, carrying on the business of selling or keeping for sale intoxicating liquors, or maintaining a place where intoxicating liquors are sold or kept with intent to sell, shall pay an annual tax, to be called a ‘mulct tax,’ of six hundred dollars, in quarterly installments as hereinafter provided, which tax shall be a lien upon the real property wherein or whereon the business is carried on, or where the place for selling or keeping for sale is maintained, from the time each installment of tax as hereinafter provided shall become due and payable. In case the person carrying on the business or maintaining the place is a different person from the owner of the real property wherein or whereon the business is carried on or the place maintained, then the tax shall be payable by the person conducting such business or maintaining such place. But such owner may pay such tax at any time after the same becomes due and payable for the purpose of releasing his property therefrom. . . .

[170]*170Code Supp. Section 2433, reads in part as follows:

In the months of December, March, June and September of each year, and before the twentieth day of each of said months, the assessor of each township, town or city, or assessment district thereof, shall return to the county auditor a list of persons who are, or since the last quarterly return have been, engaged in carrying on within said township, town, city or assessment district the business of selling or keeping for sale intoxicating liquors, or maintaining any place where such liquors are sold or kept for sale, and also a description of the real property wherein or whereon such business is carried on or such place is maintained, with the name of the occupant or tenant and owner or agent.

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Bluebook (online)
143 N.W. 1002, 162 Iowa 165, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hopkins-v-lee-iowa-1913.