J. M. Radford Grocery Co. v. Shaw

9 S.W.2d 419, 1928 Tex. App. LEXIS 814
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 22, 1928
DocketNo. 467.
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 9 S.W.2d 419 (J. M. Radford Grocery Co. v. Shaw) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
J. M. Radford Grocery Co. v. Shaw, 9 S.W.2d 419, 1928 Tex. App. LEXIS 814 (Tex. Ct. App. 1928).

Opinion

HICKMAN, C. J.

This suit was instituted by appellant J. M. Radford Grocery Company against appellant J. T. Ball, appellee James Shaw, banking commissioner of Texas, and J. E. Norton to establish and foreclose an abstract of judgment lien against four sections of land in Nolan county. Since we have determined that the question of limitation is decisive of the appeal, and since our holding on that question renders it unnecessary for us to consider and determine the other questions of law discussed in the briefs, we shall make a statement of such facts and proceedings only as throw light upon that issue.

The appellant grocery company’s judgment, which was the foundation of its alleged lien, was against J. E. Norton; the abstract thereof being died, duly recorded, and indexed on the 2bth day of December, 1923, in Nolan county. James Shaw, banking commissioner, in his answer, sought to foreclose an abstract of judgment lien against the lands in controversy, founded upon the registration of an abstract of judgment rendered in the district court of Stephens county in favor of his predecessor in office against J. E. Norton, which abstract of judgment was filed in Nolan county on the 30th day of November, 1923, and was duly recorded and indexed by the clerk thereof.' J. E. Norton filed a disclaimer of any interest in the land in controversy. Appellant Ball, the owner of the land at the time of trial, in his answer pleaded, among other defenses, the three-year statute of limitation (Vernon’s Ann. Oiv. St. 1925, art. 5507).

The trial court found that the appellant grocery company had no lien upon the land in controversy, because its judgment, which was abstracted, was not a final judgment, in that it failed to dispose of one of the parties thereto, and upon that ground recovery was denied said company. "We shall not dispose of the questions raised by said appellant as to the correctness of the holding of the court in this regard, for the reason that, in our opinion, as before stated, the case is controlled by appellant Ball’s plea of limitation, and appellant grocery company is as effectually barred thereby as is the appellee, Shaw.'

The land in controversy in the hands of Norton was highly incumbered by various vendor’s lien notes. Appellant Ball was the holder and owner of certain of the notes. A deed of trust, bearing date November 1, 1923, but in fact executed and acknowledged on January 14, 1924, and filed for record January 15,1924, was executed and delivered by Norton and wife to Walter Carter, trustee, covering all of said land, to better secure the notes held by appellant Ball. Immediately upon the execution and filing of said deed of trust, the trustee proceeded to take steps to advertise the property for sale, and the property was, in fact, sold by him, as trustee, to appellant Ball on. the first Tuesday in February, 1924, it being the 5th day of that month. On the same day Norton and wife executed to Ball a deed of conveyance, conveying all of said land to him. The cpurt finds that:

“Defendant Ball took possession of the lands in suit, and has held same under sufficient possession ever since to maintain three years’ limitation, if his title would support such limitation.”

The only question presented, therefore, on the issue of limitation, is the sufficiency of appellant Ball’s title.to support his claim.

The only link in Ball’s chain of title connecting him with the sovereignty of the soil, which is attacked in appellee’s brief, is that link resting upon the trustee’s deed of February 5, 1924, and the deed of Norton and wife, executed on the same day, above referred to. The claim of a judgment creditor of a lien upon real estate by virtue of the rec- *421 ordation of an abstract of judgment is sucb an adverse claim to lands as will be barred under a valid claim of limitation under the three and five year statute (Vernon's Ann. Oiv. St. 1925, arts. 5507, 5509). A purchaser of land from a judgment debtor, who enters into possession thereof under title, or color of title, from and under the state of Texas, and maintains such possession peaceably, continuously, and adversely for more than three years before the commencement of a suit to foreclose the judgment lien, thereby acquires an adverse title, separate, distinct, and independent from the title formerly held by the judgment debtor, and with which such purchaser,under his newly acquired title, is no longer in privity, and thereby frees and discharges the. land of the lien of a judgment creditor created by the filing and recording of an abstract of judgment against the judgment debtor prior to the sale of the land by the judgment debtor. White et al. v. Pingenot, 49 Tex. Civ. App. 641, 90 S. W. 672 (error refused).

The facts in this case disclose that the abstracts of judgment against Norton were filed prior to the sale to Ball by the trustee, and that Ball’s possession, after the sale and before the filing of this suit, was peaceable, continuous, and adverse for more than three years. The only real attack made by appellee upon Ball’s limitation title is that the trustee’s deed, dated February 5, 1924, from the trustee, Garter, to Ball, was void because notices of sale were not posted in the manner and for the length of time required by law. The trial court found that the notices of sale were insufficiently posted and published, and upon this finding decreed that the sale under the deed of trust was void; that the deed from Norton and wife to Ball, of even date with the trustee’s deed, being a part of the same transaction, could not form a link in the chain of title; and judgment was accordingly rendered against Ball’s plea of limitation and for a foreclosure of appellee’s judgment lien.

We cannot agree that the sale by the trustee under the deed of trust to appellant Ball was void. The notices required by law in the sale of real estate under a deed of trust are for the protection of the mortgagor. As to him the remedy is a harsh one, and as to him a sale without the required notices would be invalid. But no such interest is possessed by the public, or by a subsequent lienholder, in such sale, as to render it void, when the mortgagor himself is satisfied. Walker v. Taylor (Tex. Civ. App.) 142 S. W. 31 (error denied). As stated by the court in the above case:

“We do not see what right a second mortgagee has to attack the validity of the sale under the circumstances of this case. * * * The mortgagor, mortgagee, and trustee were satisfied, and no one else had the right to complain.”

In the instant case we are not left to speculate whether Norton, the mortgagor, and Garter, the trustee, were satisfied, for, the very day the property was sold by the trustee, Norton and wife, as a further protection to Ball against any deficiencies that might be found to exist in the proceedings under the deed of trust sale, executed and delivered to Ball their deed of conveyance, prepared by the trustee, conveying to him the same property covered by the trustee’s deed, thereby evidencing beyond question that they were satisfied with the proceedings and with the acquisition of title to the property by Ball. It is our opinion that the trustee’s deed is not void, but constitutes a sufficient link in Ball’s chain of title to support his plea 'of limitation under the three-year statute.

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Bluebook (online)
9 S.W.2d 419, 1928 Tex. App. LEXIS 814, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/j-m-radford-grocery-co-v-shaw-texapp-1928.