Hulen v. Chilcoat

113 N.W. 122, 79 Neb. 595, 1907 Neb. LEXIS 377
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 12, 1907
DocketNo. 14,821
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 113 N.W. 122 (Hulen v. Chilcoat) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hulen v. Chilcoat, 113 N.W. 122, 79 Neb. 595, 1907 Neb. LEXIS 377 (Neb. 1907).

Opinion

Epperson, C.

August 2,1904, plaintiff filed his petition in the form of a creditor’s hill to subject the real estate in controversy to the payment of a judgment for $1,216,15 obtained by plaintiff May 11, 1904, against the defendant Joel T. Chileoat. Plaintiff alleged that the property was bought with the money of his debtor, but fraudulently placed in the name of the latter’s son, the defendant Roy E. Chileoat, and held by him in trust for his father. Plaintiff filed a notice of Us pendens in the office of the register of deeds as provided by law. August 11, 1904, defendant White purchased the land in controversy of Roy E. Chileoat. February 2, 1905, plaintiff obtained another judgment for $1,087.50 against Joel T. Chileoat upon a note due November 4, 1904. On February 9, 1905, plaintiff filed a supplemental, petition in this cause, alleging that he had obtained the second judgment, and praying that the property in controversy be subjected to its payment. Later plaintiff filed an amended and supplemental petition, alleging, among others, the above facts, and making White a party defendant, but charging no fraud on his part. Upon trial the court found against all of the defendants, and directed a sale of the property for the satisfaction of plaintiff’s judgments. Defendants appeal.

This case involves the right of plaintiff to recover [597]*597against tlie Chilcoats, and, if that he resolved in plaintiff’s favor, his right to recover as against the defendant White must be determined.

1. As to the defendants Chilcoat: The undisputed evidence shows that on August 14, 1908, $3,800 belonging to the father and $200 belonging to the son were deposited in a bank at Wisner, Nebraska, in the name of the son. On the same day $3,000 of this amount was paid for the property in question and the title taken in the name of Roy E. Chilcoat, who was then but a few months past twenty-one years of age. Negotiations therefor were made jointly by the father and son. Plaintiff then held two notes against Joel T. Chilcoat, due respectively November 4, 1903, and November 4, 1904, upon which the judgments above mentioned Avere obtained. To overcome the presumptions against them, defendants introduced evidence tending to show that the $3,000 paid for the property was obtained by Roy E. Chilcoat in the following manner: Joel T. Chilcoat owed his brother William $2,200, which Roy assumed. This sum, together with $600 borrowed from his father and $200 of his own money, made up the purchase price of the property. A short time before William agreed to take Roy for this $2,200 indebtedness, he refused to grant an extension of time to Joel for its payment, because he needed the money. Yet in a very short time we find him releasing his brother, who was then able to pay the debt, and accepting therefor the young man Avhose property interests it appears did not exceed $200 in value. A part of the alleged $2,200 indebtedness owing to William was contracted in 1892. No written evidence of the indebtedness between the Chilcoats was introduced in evidence, nor its absence explained. We are satisfied that, the" defendants Chilcoats did not overcome the presumption Avhieh the laAV raises against them, and, so far as their interests are concerned, the judgment of the district court is right and should be affirmed.

2. The fmdant White concedes that he has no defense to the cam e of action alleged in the original petition [598]*598which was pending at the time he purchased the property, and he reserved $1,250 from the purchase; price to protect himself against the plaintiff’s claim as there alleged. But he contends that the supplemental’ petition subsequently filed does not relate back to the filing of the original petition so as to charge' the property in his hands with the lien claimed by plaintiff for the first time in the supplemental petition: The rule of Us pendens is not intendeel to prevent the sale of the property, but to hold it within the jurisdiction of the court for the purpose of granting the relief sought. Merrill v. Wright, 65 Neb. 794. It is a general rule that pending litigation neither party can alienate the property in controversy so as to affect the rights of the other. This court recognized this rule in Merrill v. Wright, supra, and cases there cited. But can it be said that a litigant is entitled to the enforcement of rights accruing to him subsequently to the institution of an action, and alleged in supplemental or amended pleadings, as against a purchaser whose title vested prior to such accruing rights. An amendment which more fully sets forth the original cause of action will undoubtedly relate back to the institution of the suit, and thereby purchasers pendente lite are not relieved. But the bringing in of a new cause of action, which of itself constitutes a separate ground of relief, is a different matter, and, in our opinion, has no relation to the filing of the original petition so as to charge the property in the hands of a pendente lite purchaser against whom no fraud is charged.

in Bennett, Lis Pendens, sec. 82, it is said: “Where the original bill or petition does not involve the property,' but, pending the suit, an amendment or amended petition or bill is filed alleging new matter, and involving property not before in litigation, the Us pendens created by the. amendment will commence from the filing of the amendment or amended pleading, and will not relate back to the commencement of the action so as to affect intervening-rights.” 1 Freeman, Judgments (4th ed..), sec. 199, is as [599]*599follows: “It is further necessary, in order to conclude a purchaser by virtue of a judgment, that by the record in the.case at the time of tire purchase the parties to the suit and the nature of the claim made to the property should be so stated that no subsequent amendment will be necessary. If any amendment is made, lis pendens as to the matters and parties involved in the amendment dates from the time it is made. The amending of a bill to show a new equity creates a new Us pendens. Thus where property was sought to be subjected to the payment of plaintiff’s demands upon one ground, and that ground becoming untenable; the bill was amended to show another equity, upon which plaintiff prevailed in the suit, a purchaser preceding the amendment was held not to be bound by the decree.” In Stone & Warren v. Connelly, 1 Met. (Ky.) 652, the plaintiff attached the property of his debtor. Later, and subsequently to a sale of the property by the debtor, an amended petition was filed, alleging a judgment obtained upon the debt and the return of an execution “no property found.” The evidence failed to support the case as first alleged, and regarding the amendment with reference to the purchaser the court said: “An entirely new1' Us pendens was created by this amendment. By it the plaintiff’s right to come into a court of equity was placed u /.on a different and distinct ground. It did not operate as a continuation of the original equity which had been relied on, but asserted an additional and independent ground of equitable relief. It presented an entirely different state of case, and amounted, substantially, to a new cause of action. The Us pendens which it created cannot be permitted to relate back to the commencement of the action, so as to affect intervenir." rights.”

An amended or supplemental p- ' ition setting forth a new or different cause of action is in the nature of a new suit. The only purpose we can see for permitting it is to save a multiplicity of suits.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
113 N.W. 122, 79 Neb. 595, 1907 Neb. LEXIS 377, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hulen-v-chilcoat-neb-1907.