Kellar v. Stanley

5 S.W. 477, 86 Ky. 240, 1887 Ky. LEXIS 119
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedOctober 29, 1887
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 5 S.W. 477 (Kellar v. Stanley) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kellar v. Stanley, 5 S.W. 477, 86 Ky. 240, 1887 Ky. LEXIS 119 (Ky. Ct. App. 1887).

Opinion

JUDGE LEWIS

DELIVERED THE OPINION OF THE COURT.

By will admitted to record in. 1843, in. the State of Mississippi, and subsequently recorded in the Jefferson ■county court clerk’s office, William Cotton devised to Mary Bryant, for life, remainder in fee to her children, the lot of land in controversy situated iu the city of Louisville.

In 1847 Mary Bryant, her husband joining in the deed, conveyed her interest in the lot to Henning, who ■conveyed to I)elph, and in 1856 the latter conveyed the .same interest to Michael Fillion, there being in the deed to him the following recital: “The estate hereby conveyed being an estate for life of Mary Bryant and no more (see will book No. 3, page 357, Cotton to Bryant; deed book 68, Bryant and wife to Henning, and book ■69, Henning to Delph”).

February -, 1863, Pillion filed in the Louisville [242]*242Chancery Court a petition in equity against “the unknown children of Mary Bryant and Charles Bryant, her husband,” asking judgment for an alleged debt-against them, and the enforcement of a pretended lien, on the lot to satisfy it. He stated in the petition the-lot in question had been devised by William Cotton, in the manner mentioned; that he had paid for Mary Bryant and her children, at her request, the sum of' one hundred and twenty-nine dollars and two cents,. State and city taxes thereon, and for curbing and paving in front of it, whereby a lien thereon was created; but concealed from the court the fact he was the owner of the life estate therein, and Ms own consequent liability for the taxes and assessments.

February 27, 1863, the clerk of the court attempted to issue a summons against the defendants, directed to the marshal of the Louisville Chancery Court, and on the same day issued or attempted to issue an order of attachment upon the property of the defendants, directed to the same officer. February 28, 1863, the-officer made return on the order of attachment that, he had executed it by delivering a copy of the same-to the “tenant in possession, and by attaching a lot of ground on north side of Walnut street twenty-six and one-quarter feet front extending back same width to. alley, being same property devised by Cotton to Mary Bryant for life and to her 'children, by will recorded in will book 3, page 357.” March 6, 1863, upon proof' made in open court that “Charles Bryant and Mary Bryant, children and heirs of Mary Bryant, party defendant hereto, are non-residents of this State,” an order of warning, was made, and June 26, 1863, judg[243]*243ment was rendered in that action for a sale of the whole estate in the' lot, as well the interest of the plaintiff himself, though not so specially recited, as of the children of Mary Bryant, in order to satisfy the alleged debt and costs. And the sale having been made, was, October 16, 1863, confirmed, and the deed directed to be made to the plaintiff, who was the purchaser.

But it appears that in 1868, within five years from the rendition of the judgment, there was the following proceeding: “Came the defendants, Charles and Mary Bryant, Mary B., Sarah A. and John W. Bryant, by counsel, and filed their answer herein with notice executed on the plaintiff, and said defendants moved the court to retry the case.” It further' appears that at the same time the defendants executed and filed the bond for costs required in such cases. With their answer they filed written evidence of title, and the several conveyances by which the plaintiff had become and was in 1856, before the taxes and assessments mentioned in the petition accrued, owner of a life estate in the lot. They denied in their answer they were liable as owners of the interest in remainder for such taxes and assessments, or that the plaintiff -was requested by Mary Bryant to pay therefor, and prayed for judgment in their favor and all proper relief. April, 1870, final judgment, was rendered in that action, setting aside the judgment of 1863, and the sale made in pursuance of it, and dismissing the petition of the plaintiff, Pillion.

This action was instituted in 1883 by Mary Stanley and others, children of Mary Bryant and devisees of the will of William Cotton, against J. H. Kellar and [244]*244wife, L. Y. Kellar. In tlieir petition, the plaintiffs, after reciting the history of their title to the lot, and of the action of Michael Pillion against them, allege that the judgment rendered therein in 1863 was fraudulently obtained by him; that July, 1864, he attempted to convey the entire estate in the lot to one Bensinger, and he in September, 1864, attempted to convey the same to L. Y. Kellar, who, with her husband, claims she is the owner of the fee thereof, and holds the lot adversely to the plaintiffs, whereby there exists a cloud upon their title, and the market value of their estate in the lot is impaired. The relief prayed for in the petition is, that the deed from Pillion to Bensinger, and the one* from him to the defendant L. Y. Kellar be set aside and held for naught, so far as either of them pui ports to convey an estate • in the lot greater than for the life of Mary Bryant; that the plaintiffs be adjudged the owners thereof, subject only to such life estate, and that their title be quieted. And the judgment rendered is that they are the owners of the remainder in fee; that the deeds mentioned operated to invest the defendant L. Y. Kellar with only such life estate; and the judgment of 1863 in favor of Pillion, and sale under it, are void, and divested the plaintiffs of no interest. Prom that judgment Kellar and wife have appealed.

1, As appellant claims under the will of William Cotton, it does not seem to us she is in a position to call in question its validity, or deny it has been in due form of law probated and admitted to record in this State.

2. Nor can she defeat the action upon the ground the lot in controversy is not sufficiently identified; for it is described in the deed from Delph to Pillion, in the [245]*245return of the officer upon the order of attachment, and in the judgment for the sale of it.

3. The right of the owner of the fee in remainder to maintain an action during the tenancy for life and against the life tenant to establish his claim to real property, or to quiet his title, was recognized by this court in. Simmons v. McKay, 5 Bush, 25, and is not denied- by counsel for appellant. But’ it is contended that, as it is an action not specially provided for in chapter 71, General Statutes, it can, according to section 9, article 3 of that chapter, only be commenced within ten years next after the cause of it accrued.

It has been repeatedly held that limitation does not, during the existence of the particular estate, run in favor of the tenant for life against the owner of the estate in remainder; and that being so, it would seem that an action to quiet his title might be maintained by the latter at any time before the termination of the life estate. For it is difficult to understand how the right to quiet title, or establish a claim to land, may be barred by limitation, while the right to recover the same land may exist for an indefinite period afterwards.

It is' alleged by the plaintiffs in this action that the judgment of 1863 was fraudulently procured by Fillion; but as more than ten years elapsed from the time it was rendered until the commencement of this action, it is clear that section 6, article 3, chapter 71, General Statutes, applies, and the relief cannot be given upon that ground.

5.

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Bluebook (online)
5 S.W. 477, 86 Ky. 240, 1887 Ky. LEXIS 119, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kellar-v-stanley-kyctapp-1887.