Joiner v. Pound

31 N.W.2d 100, 149 Neb. 321, 1948 Neb. LEXIS 29
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 25, 1948
DocketNo. 32281
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 31 N.W.2d 100 (Joiner v. Pound) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Joiner v. Pound, 31 N.W.2d 100, 149 Neb. 321, 1948 Neb. LEXIS 29 (Neb. 1948).

Opinion

Simmons, C. J.

This is an action by a purchaser against a vendor for damages to real estate resulting from the removal of fixtures. Issues were made and trial had resulting in a verdict for the plaintiff. A motion for a new trial was made and overruled, and judgment entered on the verdict. Defendant appeals. We affirm the judgment of the trial court.

Plaintiff in his petition alleged that he had purchased certain real estate from the defendant and had paid the purchase price; that during the negotiations with defendant and defendant’s agent, he was assured by the defendant and the defendant’s agent that certain carpeting and padding located in the premises and attached to the real estate were to pass to the purchaser with the real estate, and that the representations, statements, and assurances were an inducement to the purchase; that when he took possession of the premises certain bathroom fixtures, light fixtures, curtain rods, light switch shields, closet hooks and rods, and the carpeting and padding (all of which had been attached to the premises) had been removed by the defendant; that the premises with the articles attached thereto [323]*323were worth $7,500, and with the articles removed were worth $6,832.50; that because of removing the light switch shields, the walls showed clean around the switches and were noticeably dirty elsewhere, and that plaintiff was required to wash the walls and to expend $15 per room therefor, in all to his damage in the sum of $742.50, for which he prayed judgment.

Defendant demurred to this petition in this wise. He demurred separately to all the allegations with reference to carpeting and padding for the reason that the petition failed to state a cause of action with reference to the same; to the allegations with reference to the several articles named for the same reason; and to the allegation with reference to washing the walls for the same reason. The trial court overruled the demurrer. Defendant answered. Plaintiff replied. Trial was had resulting in a judgment for the plaintiff based on the jury’s verdict for $627.50.

Defendant assigns error, first contending that the trial court erred in overruling his demurrer.

Defendant’s contention appears to be that the petition failed to contain allegations that the agent was authorized to make the statements. Defendant overlooks the fact that plaintiff alleged the assurances were made “by the defendant and by the defendant’s agent.”

The rule is that ordinarily the owner of the fee, by his annexation of personal property, renders it an accession to the land. 36 C. J. S., Fixtures, § 26, p. 964. We said in Frost v. Schinkel, 121 Neb. 784, 238 N. W. 659, 77 A. L. R. 1381, that where the owner puts in improvements, the law at once raises a presumption of intention to make them a part of the land. Rules for determining what is a fixture are construed strongly against the vendor and in favor of the purchaser. 36 C. J. S., Fixtures, § 43, p. 985; 22 Am. Jur., Fixtures, § 36, p. 744.

Where articles attached to the freehold are of such a class that a prospective purchaser has a right to as[324]*324sume they are a part of the freehold and are not such as to put a prospective purchaser upon inquiry in reference thereto, and the freehold is sold, and no reservation of the articles is made in the instrument of conveyance, and the articles are removed by the vendor, and the purchaser sues for damáges to the freehold, the burden rests upon the vendor to plead a right to remove, if that be the vendor’s defense. Arlington Mill & Elevator Co. v. Yates, 57 Neb. 286, 77 N. W. 677; Roden v. Williams, 100 Neb. 46, 158 N. W. 360; Swift Lumber & Fuel Co. v. Elwanger, 127 Neb. 740, 256 N. W. 875; Runner v. Pierson, 144 Neb. 847, 14 N. W. 2d 847.

We add that we see no reason for applying the rule differently between carpets and the other items alleged to be fixtures in the petition. We are cognizant that in Oliver v. Lansing, 59 Neb. 219, 80 N. W. 829, we said: “But we can conceive of no rule of the common law which would justify a court in holding that a piano, a desk and its chair, carpets, curtains, a baggage-truck, a step-ladder, a centre-table or a settee, under the evidence, were real property, although they may have been bought by the parties with -the intention that they should remain permanently in this building, and be used in connection with it, until worn out and unfitted for service.” The case was reversed and remanded with directions to the trial court “* * * to determine from the evidence already of record and such as may hereafter be adduced, if any, what articles in controversy are fixtures and what are personal property, according to the principles laid down by this court in said case of Freeman v. Lynch, supra, and to adjust the rights of the parties according to their interest.” Freeman v. Lynch, 8 Neb. 192, is the basic case relied upon in Swift Lumber & Fuel Co. v. Elwanger, supra. In the latter case we held that whether an article annexed to the. real estate has become a part thereof is a mixed question of law and fact. In the Oliver case, supra, the [325]*325court was directed to determine the fact as to whether the carpet and other articles mentioned were fixtures.

The rule is: “ ‘If from the facts stated in the petition it appears that the plaintiff is entitled to any relief, a general demurrer will not lie.’ ” Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District v. Walston, 140 Neb. 190, 299 N. W. 609. A single paragraph of a statement of a cause of action is not subject to demurrer on the ground that it does not state a cause of action if the pleading as a whole states a cause of action. 41 Am. Jur., Pleading, § 231, p. 454; 49 C. J., Pleading, § 538, p. 426; § 25-806, R. S. 1943. We think it clear that the demurrer was properly overruled.

The evidence is that the premises involved was a residence property, owned jointly (without further definition) by the defendant and his wife. They had purchased it some three or four years before the events in question. At the time of their purchase there was a runner carpet in the front hall, from the entrance door to a door into the kitchen, also on and up the stairway and the full length of an upstairs hallway. This carpet was attached to the floor and steps by tacks. Under it was a padding. The carpet and padding are part of the articles involved in this action. Apparently after the defendant and his wife purchased the property, they installed in the dining room an elaborate crystal teardrop chandelier. This was screwed into a plate attached to the ceiling and electric connections made. The kitchen light fixture was screwed into an outlet socket; the bathroom and closet fixtures, and curtain rods were attached to the building either by screws or nails. There is no dispute but that defendant removed the principal articles involved, although there is dispute as to the number and quality of some of the articles removed.

The defendant assigns as error the overruling of objections to the admission of testimony offered by plaintiff and in refusing to admit testimony offered by defendant. Defendant argues the two assignments together.

[326]

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
31 N.W.2d 100, 149 Neb. 321, 1948 Neb. LEXIS 29, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/joiner-v-pound-neb-1948.