Kane v. Ferguson

1945 OK 104, 157 P.2d 194, 195 Okla. 292, 1945 Okla. LEXIS 710
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedMarch 27, 1945
DocketNo. 31692.
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 1945 OK 104 (Kane v. Ferguson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kane v. Ferguson, 1945 OK 104, 157 P.2d 194, 195 Okla. 292, 1945 Okla. LEXIS 710 (Okla. 1945).

Opinion

RILEY, J.

This is an appeal from an order overruling a motion to vacate a judgment alleged to be void. The judgment sought to be vacated was rendered in the action hereinafter detailed.

On December 28, 1920, Sulpa Kane and Cora Kane, husband and wife, commenced an action in the district court of Seminole county against Walter Ferguson wherein in a first cause of action they sought to recover possession of a tract of land alleged to be the family homestead of plaintiffs. The basis of their claim was that the husband, Sulpa Kane, had executed a warranty deed purporting to convey said land to defendant and that the wife, Cora Kane, had not joined in the execution of said deed and that defendant held possession under said deed.

In the second cause of action the plaintiffs pleaded that in the event the court should determine that the deed given by Sulpa Kane conveyed good title to the land, then there was a balance due and unpaid on the purchase price in the sum of $1,350, which plaintiffs prayed be made a lien on the land. Copy of the deed was attached to the petition. It was signed and acknowledged, September 7, 1920, only by Sulpa Kane.

Defendant answered admitting that on September 7, 1920, plaintiffs were the owners of the land involved, and that the land was the homestead allotment of Sulpa Kane. Defendant pleaded an oral agreement for the purchase of said land, wherein plaintiffs agreed to sell and convey the same to defendant for the sum of $1,500; that there was a prior deed of record from Sulpa Kane to one E. L. Harris, and a valid and subsisting mortgage against the land, all of which was known to plaintiffs; that as a part of the consideration, defendant was to procure a quitclaim deed from Harris and pay off and cause to be released of record the mortgage; that said oral agreement was partly performed in that defendant did procure the quitclaim deed from Harris at a cost of $100, and paid off and caused to be released the mortgage against the land, and that after that was done, there was a balance due plaintiffs of $275; that Sulpa Kane, pursuant to said oral agreement, executed the warranty deed to defendant, with the explanation that his wife, Cora Kane, was sick at the time and would later come in and execute the deed. The answer then pleaded full performance of a contract on the part of the defendant, except for the payment of the alleged balance of $275 on the purchase price, which sum he tendered into court for plaintiffs. By cross-petition defendant sought to have title to the land quieted in him. Reply was by general denial.,

February 9, 1921, an order, reciting that it was upon agreement of the parties, was entered appointing Frank L. Warren referee in the cause, with authority to settle the pleadings and try the issues, make findings of fact and conclusions of law, and report same to the court on or before the next regular term of the court, and that the testimony need not be attached to the report.

On February 28, 1921, there was signed and filed in the case the following stipulation:

“It is hereby stipulated and agreed by and between the parties hereto that J. W. Bolen is disqualified to try the above entitled cause and that we, the undersigned, representing the respective parties, hereby agree that Frank L. Warren shall act as special judge to try said cause.
“Geo. C. Crump
“J. A. Patterson
“C. G. Cutlip.”

*294 • On the same day, Frank L. Warren executed and filed, in said cause- his oath of office.

On the same day, there was filed in the cause a journal entry of judgment which recited that the cause came regularly on to be heard before Frank L. Warren; that the parties were all present in person and by their respective attorneys and waived . a jury and announced ready for trial; and that the court heard the testimony of witnesses and argument of counsel. The .journal entry then showed findings that Sulpa Kane executed the warranty deed conveying the land, describing it, to defendant; that said land had never been impressed with the homestead character, and that Cora Kane had no right, title, or interest in or to the same and was not a necessary party to the signing of said deed. There was. a further finding that there was a balance due on the purchase price of said land from defendant Ferguson to plaintiff Sulpa Kane, including interest, of $422.25, and that' Walter Ferguson was the owner in fee simple of the land, and that upon payment by defendant of said $422.25, plaintiffs- would- have no further claim in and to said land.

The decree quieted title to the land in defendant Walter Ferguson and barred plaintiffs, Sulpa Kane and Cora Kane, from claiming any right, title, or interest in the land. Judgment was entered in favor of plaintiffs against defendant Walter Ferguson in the sum of $422.25 and costs. The journal entry was signed: “Frank L. Warren, Special District Judge.”

After signature of the trial judge, appears the following receipt:

“Received of Walter .Ferguson Four •Hundred Twenty-two Dolors and twenty five cents, in payment of the above judgment, and same is hereby satisfied in full.
“Geo. C. Crump,
“Attorney for Plaintiff.”

On December 3, 1941, 20 years and nine months after said decree and judgment was entered, Cora Kane, widow of Sulpa Kane, filed a motion to set aside said judgment. One of the grounds set out was that the judgment is void on the face of the. proceedings. An order was entered December 29th, dismissing said motion, signed by. Bob Howell, judge of the district court. Motion-to set aside that order was filed December 30, 1941. On the latter date, an amended motion to set aside the judgment was filed. On February 11, 1942, still another amended motion to vacate the judgment (upon which hearing was had) was filed, alleging that the judgment entered February 28, 1921, was void on its face.

The first ground set out in the amended motipn is:

“That said judgment was rendered at a time when this court was not -in session.”

The second to sixth grounds, inclusive, set out, in different ways ánd in different language, that the judgment was not rendered by the district court or by the duly elected and qualified judge thereof, but was rendered by a person, who .was • not a judge of the court and who was not qualified, empowered, or authorized by law to act as a judge of said court. The seventh to ninth grounds, inclusive, assert, in different language, that the judgment was not authorized by the pleadings, was entirely outside the issues made by the pleadings and submitted to the court, and. is contrary to the facts charged and admitted in the .pleadings.

February 18, 1942, Bob Howell,' district judge, Certified in writing his disqualification to hear said motion and set the same for hearing before Honorable Tal Crawford, district judge of Pontotoc county on February 26, 1942. On that day the motion was-heard before Honorable Tal Crawford, district judge, resulting in a general finding and order as follows:

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Bluebook (online)
1945 OK 104, 157 P.2d 194, 195 Okla. 292, 1945 Okla. LEXIS 710, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kane-v-ferguson-okla-1945.