Johnston v. Federal Land Bank

284 N.W. 393, 226 Iowa 496
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedMarch 7, 1939
DocketNo. 44688.
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 284 N.W. 393 (Johnston v. Federal Land Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Johnston v. Federal Land Bank, 284 N.W. 393, 226 Iowa 496 (iowa 1939).

Opinion

Hale, J.

On August 29, 1935, the plaintiff filed petition *497 in the district court of Cherokee county, asking specific performance of an alleged contract for a loan on real estate owned by the plaintiff A. C. Johnston, since deceased, claiming that application for loan was made and that on November 7, 1935, the said Johnston’s application was approved and proper notes and mortgages to the Federal Land Bank of Omaha were prepared for $10,500, and a note of $2,500 to the land bank commissioner and secured by a second mortgage was executed. The instruments were delivered to the Cherokee County National Farm Loan Association, duly recorded, and delivered to the defendant Federal Land Bank of Omaha. Plaintiff alleged that the bank thereafter refused to pay plaintiff the $13,000; that he could not have secured the loan from any other agency, nor was there any other person or agency from whom he could have secured such loan on such favorable terms; that he has done all things required of him, and that plaintiff and the Cherokee County National Farm Loan Association have complied with all things precedent in the making of said loan; that he has turned over to the Federal Land Bank all policies of insurance covering the property; and he asked that decree be rendered ordering the bank to comply with the terms of his contract and to pay him the sum of $13,000.

Notice was served on W. H. Bell, secretary-treasurer of the Cherokee County National Farm Loan Association, as agent of the Federal Land Bank of Omaha, and the same person as agent of the land bank commissioner and as agent of the Federal Farm Mortgage Corporation, by the sheriff of Cherokee county, on August 22, 1935. An amendment to the return of the sheriff states in substance that he did not know personally that Bell was the agent of the defendants, but that he served him as such under the direction of the plaintiff.

Special appearance was entered by all defendants, and was overruled on October 21, 1935. Appeal was taken to this court and procedendo issued from the supreme court and the district court was directed to proceed in the same manner as if no appeal had been taken.

On August 18, 1937, Lena Johnston, administratrix of the estate of A. C. Johnston, deceased, was substituted as plaintiff.

Prior to the issuance of the procedendo, on September 4, 1937, a motion to dismiss was filed by the defendants on the ground that the facts were not sufficient to entitle plaintiff to *498 relief, that the decree would be impossible to enforce, and that there was no specific allegation of performance to entitle the plaintiff to relief. Thereafter, on November 5, 1937, the plaintiff filed an amendment to the petition, and motion to transfer to the law docket, striking part of the original pleading and alleging that by reason of the failure of the defendants to furnish the money as agreed, she had been damaged; that she had arranged for settlement of the original mortgage on the premises of $22,000 and interest, for the sum of $12,000, and that if the land bank had advanced the money for the loan the said plaintiff could have settled the matter and title would have remained in her free and clear of all incumbrance except mortgages totaling $13,000; that she could not have settled the claim of the original mortgagee of the land unless she obtained the money from the Federal Land Bank and the commissioner. She alleged efforts on the part of the substituted plaintiff .and inability to secure funds to satisfy the mortgagee from any other source. She further alleged that a decree of foreclosure was obtained by the original mortgagee and that the land has been totally lost and the mortgagee has obtained title; that the land was worth $23,445 and that, by reason of the failure of the defendants to perform she has been damaged in the sum of $10,445.

On January 7, 1938, three of the defendants, the Federal Land Bank, the commissioner, and the Federal Farm Mortgage Corporation, filed special appearance attacking the jurisdiction of the court, alleging that they are nonresidents of the state of Iowa, and also that these defendants had entered their general appearance in the district court of Cherokee county to the original petition filed by A. C. Johnston; that Lena Johnston substituted as party plaintiff for A. C. Johnston, and that after the entry of general appearance by the defendants said substituted plaintiff amended the original petition filed so as to demand a remedy different and distinct from the remedy demanded by A. C. Johnston in the original petition filed in said court, which original petition prayed for specific performance of a contract to loan money, and that the amended petition prayed for damages for breach of a contract to loan money; and that there is no jurisdiction of the district court of Cherokee county over the defendants appearing specially by reason of any process issued out of said court and served on said defendants or any one of them.

*499 On the next day, January 8, 1938, these three defendants filed a petition for removal to the United States district court for the northern district of Iowa, which was granted by the Cherokee district court, and on May 24, 1938, the federal court found that the petition for removal was not filed in the district court of Cherokee county within the time required by the removal act, nor transcript filed in the federal court within thirty days after the filing of the petition for removal, or entry of the order of removal within a reasonable time, thereafter, and sustained the motion to remand upon both grounds stated.

On June 14, 1938, a demurrer was filed by.the defendant Cherokee County National Farm Loan Association, which.was overruled, and the overruling of same has not been appealed from.

On June 15, 1938, the special appearance above referred to was heard in the district court of Cherokee county. On July 28, 1938, the special appearance of the Federal Land Bank, the commissioner, and the Federal Farm Mortgage Corporation, was overruled.

From such order this appeal is taken.

Under the foregoing facts the defendants claim, in substance: First, no action for specific performance will lie, and the amendment to the original petition set tip a new cause of action; second, they urge that they are nonresidents and, notwithstanding their appearance generally to the original petition, they have now a right to file a special appearance and to have it sustained.

As above stated, it is contended by defendants that no action for specific performance would lie under facts such as above set out, and while there is authority both in our own state and in other jurisdictions sustaining this view, it is not necessary that we consider that contention here. Plaintiff seems to have recognized the difficulty of obtaining the relief originally sought, and filed her amendment to the petition, in which she abandoned the attempt to enforce specific performance and sought recovery in damages.

Prior to the filing of this amendment to the petition there was on file a motion of the defendants to dismiss, and thereafter the amendment was filed, with a motion to transfer from equity to law, in which damages were asked as heretofore stated. It is the contention of the defendants that such action changed *500

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Bluebook (online)
284 N.W. 393, 226 Iowa 496, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/johnston-v-federal-land-bank-iowa-1939.