Jackson Investment Co. v. Wingo

159 So. 2d 175, 248 Miss. 388, 1964 Miss. LEXIS 267
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 4, 1964
DocketNo. 42653
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 159 So. 2d 175 (Jackson Investment Co. v. Wingo) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jackson Investment Co. v. Wingo, 159 So. 2d 175, 248 Miss. 388, 1964 Miss. LEXIS 267 (Mich. 1964).

Opinion

Kyle, J.

Willie Mae Wingo, complainant below, brought suit in the Chancery Court of the First Judicial District of Hinds County, Mississippi, against Jackson Investment Company and Moore Finance Corporation, both Mississippi corporations, as defendants, praying that her title to the land described in the bill of complaint be confirmed and that a deed of trust executed by her predecessor in title, Willie Dixon, now deceased, to Ross [390]*390R. Barnett, Jr., as Trustee, be cancelled as a clond on her title. There was a decree in favor of the complainant and from that decree the defendants have prosecuted an appeal to this Court.

The bill of complaint charged that Willie Dixon was the owner of the land described in the bill of complaint on December 9, 1961, when he executed a deed of trust to Ross R. Barnett, Jr., as Trustee, for the use and benefit of the defendant Jackson Investment Company, to secure the payment of a purported indebtedness said to be due by him to Jackson Investment Company, a copy of which deed of trust was attached as Exhibit “A” to the bill of complaint; that the defendant Moore Finance Corporation acted as a purported broker in connection with the above mentioned transaction, receiving a brokerage fee or service charge, and purportedly endorsing the installment note which evidenced said purported indebtedness and which was secured by said deed of trust; that in connection with said transaction the said Willie Dixon, at the time of the execution of the note, was required to obtain a policy of credit life insurance, being Policy No. C3119, issued by Carolina Home Life Insurance Company, for which he paid $77.64, and which covenanted, in the event of the death of the said Willie Dixon, to pay off the unpaid balance of said indebtedness then due and owing to defendant Jackson Investment Company, the defendant Moore Finance Company being named as “first beneficiary” in said policy, a copy of which was attached as Exhibit “B” to the bill of complaint.

The bill of complaint further charged that Willie Dixon died on or about July 28, 1962, leaving as his only heirs at law his mother, two sisters, including the complainant, and one brother; and that on August 6, 1962, all of the other heirs executed a warranty deed conveying their interest in the above described property to the complainant; that after the death of Willie Dixon [391]*391the insurance company paid to the defendant Moore Finance Corporation, as first beneficiary in the above mentioned credit life insurance policy, an amount more than sufficient to pay off any balance legally and justly due on said indebtedness, and that it became the duty of the defendant Moore Finance Corporation to apply the proceeds of said credit life insurance policy to the complete payment of said indebtedness, and that said indebtedness had been paid as a matter of law; yet the defendants still claimed a lien on the property described in above mentioned deed of trust and were threatening to foreclose said deed of trust for the payment of an alleged unpaid balance of said indebtedness; that there was no unpaid balance due or owing to the defendants, and that the complainant as the owner of said property was entitled to have said deed of trust cancelled as a cloud on her title.

The bill of complaint further alleged that, as additional security for the above mentioned indebtedness, Willie Dixon, on December 9, 1961, executed a chattel deed of trust on the furnishings and equipment situated in the dwelling house on the above described property, a copy of which said chattel deed of trust was attached as Exhibit “C” to the hill of complaint; and that complainant was entitled to have said chattel deed of trust cancelled of record.

The prayer of the hill of complaint was: (1) That by way of the discovery, defendants be required to file with their answer: (a) a true copy of the loan statement required to be furnished to the said Willie Dixon in connection with the above mentioned loan, and a statement of the disbursements of the proceeds of the loan; (b) a statement of all payments made on the loan by Willie Dixon, or on his behalf; (c) a statement of the amount received by the defendants, or either of them, by way of credit life insurance on the life of Willie Dixon under the terms of the credit life insur[392]*392anee policy; and (2) a statement as to whether the indebtedness described in the land deed of trust, and the indebtedness described in the chattel deed of trust were not one and the same indebtedness. (2) That on the final hearing* a decree be entered adjudging title to the land and personal property described in the bill of complaint to be vested in the complainant free of any lien or claim by reason of the above mentioned deeds of trust, and that the deeds of trust be cancelled of record as clouds on the complainant’s title. The bill also prayed for general relief.

The copy of the land deed of trust attached as Exhibit “A” to the bill of complaint recited that the deed of trust was given to secure an indebtedness of $2558.88 evidenced by promissory note of even date therewith, payable in thirty-six (36) equal payments of $71.08 each, with the first payment due January 23, 1962, and the balance of payments to become due on the 23rd day of each consecutive month thereafter until paid in full. The same recitals were contained in the copy of the chattel deed of trust attached as Exhibit “C”. The copy of the credit life insurance policy, issued by Carolina Home Life Insurance Company, attached as Exhibit “ B ” to the bill of complaint, showed that the policy was issued by the Company to Willie Dixon, therein called “the insured” for an original amount of $2558.88. Moore Finance Corporation was named as “first beneficiary”. The policy provided “decreasing term life insurance”, payable to the first beneficiary “as its interest may appear.” As referred to in the policy, “the interest of the first beneficiary shall be the amount of indebtedness, if any, owing by the insured to the first beneficiary at the time of death.”

In their answer to the complainant’s bill the defendants admitted the execution of the above mentioned deeds of trust to secure the above mentioned indebtedness; and the defendants admitted that Willie Dixon [393]*393was required to obtain a policy of credit life insurance, being Policy No. C 3119, issued by tbe Caroline Home Life Insurance Company, for which he paid a premium of $77.64. But the defendants denied that the insurance company under the terms of the credit life insurance policy covenanted, in the event of the death of Willie Dixon, to pay off the balance of the above mentioned indebtedness then remaining unpaid. The defendants admitted that, on the death of Willie Dixon, the defendants or some of them, filed a claim on the insurance policy, and that same was duly paid by the insurance company. The defendants denied that the insurance company paid to the defendant Moore Finance Corporation, as first beneficiary in said policy, an amount more than was sufficient to pay any balance legally and justly due on the above mentioned indebtedness. The defendants averred in their answer that they had applied the money received from the insurance company on account of the death of Willie Dixon to the payment of the indebtedness then owing by Willie Dixon to the defendants, but the amount received was not sufficient to pay the entire balance then owing by the said Willie Dixon to the defendants, and there was still owing to the defendants the sum of $210.40.

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Related

Jackson Investment Co. v. Bates
366 So. 2d 225 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1978)
Oxford Finance Companies, Inc. v. Gray
317 So. 2d 910 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1975)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
159 So. 2d 175, 248 Miss. 388, 1964 Miss. LEXIS 267, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jackson-investment-co-v-wingo-miss-1964.