Jennings v. Tankersley Bros. Packing Co.

238 S.W.2d 625, 218 Ark. 776, 1951 Ark. LEXIS 420
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedApril 16, 1951
Docket4-9478
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 238 S.W.2d 625 (Jennings v. Tankersley Bros. Packing Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jennings v. Tankersley Bros. Packing Co., 238 S.W.2d 625, 218 Ark. 776, 1951 Ark. LEXIS 420 (Ark. 1951).

Opinion

Paul Ward, J.

On April 12, 1950, appellee filed a complaint in the Sebastian County Chancery Court for the Fort Smith District against appellants in which it made the following allegations: That the Tankersley Brothers Packing Company, a corporation, (hereinafter 'referred to as the Company) obtained a judgment against O. C. Jennings, one of the appellants, on March 29, 1950, in the amount of $1,553.27 with interest and cost; that it caused to be issued an execution against the property of O. C. Jennings and that it was returned showing that said Jennings had no property; that the said O. C. Jennings, prior to July 11, 1949, was the owner of certain real estate located in Fort Smith District of Sebastian County, describing the property; that said Jennings on July 11, 1949, and Edna Jennings, being husband and wife, conveyed said real estate to J. H. Payne, and on the same date said J. IT. Payne conveyed said property to the defendant Edna Jennings; that said conveyance was made with the intent to defraud the creditors of O. C. Jennings, including this Company, and was made for the purpose of putting the property of O. C. Jennings beyond the reach of his creditors, and asked the court to cancel and set aside the purported conve3rances mentioned above and order the interest and equity of the said O. C. Jennings sold to satisfy the judgment of the Company; and that each of the defendants be required to disclose their true assets. A Us pendens notice was filed by the Company.

On April 13, 1950, the appellants answered denying each and every material allegation of the complaint.

The record does not disclose that any evidence was taken on the above pleadings although the decree states that oral and documentary proof was introduced. The matter was heard on May 24, 1950, and the decree was dated June 6, 1950, which in effect held as follows: That O. C. Jennings prior to July 11, 1949, was the owner of the real estate in question: that he and his wife as tenants by tbe entirety on said date conveyed said property to J. PI. Payne and on the same date the said J. H. Payne conveyed the property to the said Edna Jennings; that said conveyance was made with intent to defraud the creditors of O. C. Jennings, including this plaintiff, and to put the property of O. C. Jennings beyond the reach of his creditors; that said conveyances should be and the same are cancelled, set aside, held for naught and the title in said lands is divested from Edna Jennings and revested in O. C. Jennings and Edna Jennings as tenants by the entirety; that said land or the interest of O. C. Jennings therein be sold to satisfy the Company’s judgment in the sum of $1,553.27, plus interest and cost. The decree then ordered the land to be sold upon a credit of three months and that upon a sale of said lands and property and the confirmation thereof by this court “all of the right, title, claim, interest, equity or estate of said defendant, O. C. Jennings, in and to said property, and every part thereof, shall be and same is hereby decreed to be forever barred.” A Commissioner was appointed to execute the sale.

On July 17, 1950, appellants filed a motion stating that they were owners by the entirety in the real estate involved; that O. C. Jennings “is a resident of Sebastian County, State of Arkansas, married and the head of a family; that he owns no personal property; that if his equity in the aforesaid property be sold that he claims his exemptions as provided for in § 7184- of Pope’s Digest out of the proceeds of said sale”; and that the said judgment was for debt by contract. In said motion it was prayed that before his equity be sold that same be appraised by three disinterested householders to determine the true value of such equity; that out of the proceeds of said sale he claims his exemptions as provided for in Art. IX of the Constitution of this State and for all other relief. On August 4, 1950, the above motion was overruled by the court. Pursuant to the order of the court the land was advertised to be sold on the 15th day of September, 1950, at 11:00 a. m. The interest of O. C. Jennings was described as “being a right of survivor-ship as a tenant by the entirety in a part of (here the land is described) ’ ’. Tbe notice stated that the sale would be made on a credit of thirty days. The Commissioner’s report of sale was filed on September 15, 1950, and- it showed that the notice provided for a credit of three months, and that appellee herein bid and offered the sum of $250 and that this being the last and best bid the land was sold to it for that sum.

On September 18, 1950, appellants filed a “Motion” which appears to also be an exception to the Commissioner’s report of sale, which makes the following allegations: (1) The court erred in the decree on the 6th day of June, 1950, finding that O. C. Jennings owned, on the 11th day of July, 1949, the real estate in question; (2) that the court erred in its order of June 6, 1950, by decreeing a lien on said lands to secure the payment of the debt of O. C. Jennings; (3) that the court erred in appointing a receiver to take charge of said property and collect the rents; (4) that the court erred in overruling plaintiff’s motion presented to said court on August 4, 1950, to modify said decree; (5) that the Commissioner erred in not complying with the court’s order to sell on a credit of three months, when in fact said notice stated that the sale would be on a credit of thirty days; (6) later the motion was amended to include inadequacy of price.

On October 6, 1950, the court heard testimony on appellant’s motion and exceptions and on October 12, 1950, the court rendered a decree and confirmation of sale in which it found: That the exceptions numbered one, two, three and four in defendant’s motion are without equity and should be overruled; that exception number five is well taken, however, the sale, as had, did not prejudice the rights of said defendant, and should be overruled; that the objection numbered six made by O. C. Jennings, that the property sold for an inadequate price, is without merit and should be overruled; that all exceptions to the Commissioner’s report of sale should be overruled and the report of sale as made by the Commissioner and filed herein is in all things approved. To the above ruling the defendants excepted and prayed an appeal to the Supreme Court ydiich was granted.

Mrs. Jennings testified that there was a quonset building on the property in question and that her son ran a grocery store in it; and that the property in question is located at 4243 Newlon Road and that she lived at 1415 N. Greenwood.

E. S. Williams testifying for appellants stated that he was in the real estate business and had been for six or seven years; that he knew the property fairly well and he “guessed” that it would rent for from $35 to $55 a month and that he thought the market value was about $5,000.

We agree with the chancellor that exceptions one, two, three and four made by appellants in their motion filed September 18, 1950, are without merit and should be overruled. In the first exception Jennings contends that the court erred in the decree of June 6,1950, in finding that O. C. Jennings owned the said real estate on July 11, 1949. As mentioned above the decree states that certain testimony and documentary evidence was introduced but none of it is brought forward in the record, and it will be assumed that the court had before it sufficient evidence upon which to base this finding.

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Bluebook (online)
238 S.W.2d 625, 218 Ark. 776, 1951 Ark. LEXIS 420, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jennings-v-tankersley-bros-packing-co-ark-1951.