Hultz v. Taylor

215 P.2d 145, 168 Kan. 684, 1950 Kan. LEXIS 348
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedFebruary 28, 1950
DocketNo. 37,823
StatusPublished

This text of 215 P.2d 145 (Hultz v. Taylor) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hultz v. Taylor, 215 P.2d 145, 168 Kan. 684, 1950 Kan. LEXIS 348 (kan 1950).

Opinion

[685]*685The opinion of the court was delivered by

Harvey, C. J.:

This was a suit in equity to determine the title of the respective parties to a described thirty-acre tract of land which they redeemed from a mortgage foreclosure. The facts shown by the record, which are not in controversy, may be stated as follows: Caleb Hultz, hereinafter referred to as plaintiff, lived on the land and Hugh Taylor, hereinafter referred to as defendant, was farming it. A mortgage on the land previously given by plaintiff and his wife had been foreclosed and the period of redemption was about to expire. Plaintiff and defendant desired to redeem it. Neither of them had much money. They had no written agreement between them. Defendant’s father, John Taylor, who had a good bank credit, agreed to help his son out. The matter was handled as follows: Plaintiff and his wife conveyed the land to John Taylor. He borrowed $2,450 from the bank and secured it by a mortgage on the thirty-acre tract and other land. Plaintiff and defendant were to pay off that mortgage with interest. The cost of redemption was $2,852.11. Plaintiff contributed $276.36 and defendant contributed $125.75. These sums, plus the money borrowed, were used to redeem the property. Plaintiff continued to live on the property. Defendant continued to farm the land. Neither paid rent to the other. In a few years the note to the bank, with interest, was paid by defendant, partly with the money furnished by plaintiff. John Taylor and wife conveyed the land to defendant. That was the status when plaintiff and his wife brought this action.

In the petition the above facts were alleged in more detail than here set out, and it was further alleged that at the time the arrangements were made to redeem the property plaintiff and defendant had an oral agreement to the effect that each should pay upon the mortgage given to the bank and when plaintiff paid one-half the cost of redemption, with interest at five percent, he should be the owner of the south fifteen acres of the thirty-acre tract and the defendant the owner of the north fifteen acres.

In his answer defendant admitted the facts above stated as not being in controversy, denied the oral agreement alleged by plaintiff, and claimed title to the thirty-acre tract. In the trial defendant testified that his oral agrément with plaintiff was that he was to buy the land for $3,000; that plaintiff was to help him pay off the mort[686]*686gage and he was to pay back to plaintiff any money plaintiff had furnished him to pay off the mortgage.

On the trial the court found that plaintiff had paid to defendant $1,145.45 for principal and interest on the mortgage to the bank and taxes and had also paid an item of $19.55 for insurance on the buildings on the property, and it was stipulated by the parties that if the plaintiff should pay $646.80 to defendant he would have paid one-half of the cost of redemption of the land together with one-half of the taxes and all other items of expense.

The court found that plaintiff’s evidence was not sufficient to support the oral contract pleaded by plaintiff that he was to have the south fifteen acres when he paid to defendant one-half of the cost of redemption, taxes and other items. The court also found that defendant’s evidence did not support his claim that he was to buy the property for $3,000, and that the money plaintiff had given defendant to pay the mortgage at the bank was to be paid back to plaintiff and that he should have the title to the entire thirty acres. The court concluded it had jurisdiction to partition the thirty-acre tract between plaintiff and defendant, but would not adjudge partition unless within three days one or both of the parties requested an order of that kind. The order was not requested and the court taxed the costs to plaintiff.

From this order plaintiff appealed and this court wrote an opinion, which is found in 163 Kan. 180, 181 P. 2d 515, in which it was held that the trial court had not completed the case and remanded it for further proceedings.

When the case reached the trial court the court inquired of the parties if they had further evidence to offer and they answered in the negative. The court made no additional conclusions of fact or of law. The court rendered a decree in which it appointed appraisers to appraise the thirty-acre tract of land and report to' the court. It gave the parties opportunity to take the property at the appraised value, and if that was not done that the property be sold, and made an order for the distribution of the proceeds.

From this decree the defendant appealed and contended, among other things, that the judgment was outside of the issues framed by the pleadings, contending that the plaintiff in his petition sought only the south fifteen acres and conceded defendant had the north fifteen acres; that no issue had been raised by the pleadings as to the title to the north fifteen acres.

[687]*687Plaintiff filed a cross-appeal, but in his briefs stated he was satisfied with the decree if it could legally be sustained. However, he joined the defendant in arguing that the appeal could not be sustained, and argued that the court should set aside the south fifteen acres to him. Both parties argued other details of the procedure. This court, in an opinion (166 Kan. 55, 199 P. 2d 529), adopted the view (we now think erroneously) that the controversy was over only the south fifteen acres, and again remanded the case for further proceedings.

When the case reached the trial court again, in discussing our last decision, the court observed that there is considerable difference betweeen the allegations as to what the agreement was and an allegation that a certain part of the land belonged to someone. The court expressed the view that the entire thirty-acre tract was involved and that it would be inequitable to limit the decision to the south fifteen acres, but regarded the court as being bound by its last decision on that point. The court made supplemental conclusions of fact as follows:

“I. The plaintiff, Hultz, did not have any agreement with the defendant, Hugh Taylor, by which he was to have or receive the South Fifteen Acres of the Tract in question after the redemption thereof. Neither did he have any agreement with Hugh Taylor that Taylor was to have or receive the North Fifteen acres of the Tract in question after the redemption thereof.
“II. The- plaintiff, Hultz, and the defendant Hugh Taylor, did not have an agreement that after the redemption of the Thirty Acre Tract from the foreclosure sale Taylor was to have or receive all of the Thirty Acre Tract when he paid to Hultz the amount which Hultz contributed toward the redemption and other items with interest thereon and about One Hundred Fifty Dollars additional.
“HI. The plaintiff, Hultz, and the defendant, Hugh Taylor, each contributed certain moneys toward the redemption of the Thirty Acre Tract from the foreclosure sale and also certain moneys for the payment of insurance, taxes, and other expenses.
“IV. The Thirty Acre Tract was redeemed as a whole and not in parcels of the North Half and South Half thereof.
“V.

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Related

Hultz v. Taylor
181 P.2d 515 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1947)
Hultz v. Taylor
199 P.2d 529 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1948)

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Bluebook (online)
215 P.2d 145, 168 Kan. 684, 1950 Kan. LEXIS 348, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hultz-v-taylor-kan-1950.