King v. Co-Operative Savings & Loan Ass'n

59 P. 557, 6 Idaho 760, 1899 Ida. LEXIS 68
Idaho Supreme Court·Decided December 21, 1899·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

QUARLES, J.

— This suit was commenced by the respondent to obtain a judgment decreeing cancellation of a certain quitclaim deed made by the respondent to the appellant November 16, 1895, conveying lots 17 and 18, block 489, in the city of Pocatello. The complaint is quite lengthy. We summarize the allegations of the complaint necessary to be noticed as follows: That in August, 1892, appellant loaned J. B. Green and wife a certain sum of money, and took a mortgage from them upon said described lots; that Green’s wife did not acknowledge the mortgage, which was therefore void; that February 12, 1894, said lots were sold for delinquent taxes for the preceding year, and purchased at tax sale by the respondent, who, after the time for redemption had expired, received a tax deed to said lots from the assessor and collector; that at said time respondent purchased at delinquent sale lots 11,12,13, and 14, in block 259, said city, the last four lots being sold for the 1893 taxes of W. A. Boyce, the then owner of said lots; that prior to said sale W. A. Boyce and wife had mortgaged said four lots to appellant to secure $1,000, borrowed money; that in January, 1895, appellant represented to respondent that there was only $750 due on its said mortgage, and induced respondent to take a second mortgage on said Boyce lots for the sum of $400, the amount of taxes and penalties due on both the Green and Boyce properties; that at said time there was due on appellant’s mortgage on the Boyce property at least $1,400; that appellant informed respondent that, if he would deed to it the Green property, such respondent would protect him fully against loss, whereupon respondent made a quitclaim deed to appellant conveying to it said Green property; that said deed was without consideration; that on March 25, 1897, the appellant commenced an action to foreclose its said mortgage upon the Boyce lots, obtained judgment, had it sold, and purchased it for $1,688.50; that respondent’s mortgage had been defeated, and that Boyce and wife are insolvent; that appellant failed and still fails and refuses to hold respondent harmless and prevent the loss of his claim; that respondent “discovered a fraud had been practiced on him in January, 1897,” and that he immediately began .an action to foreclose said mortgage against said Boyce and wife [763] and the appellant; and that his lien on said property was defeated at the instance of the appellant. The complaint closed with a prayer asking the cancellation of said quitclaim deed. 'To the complaint the appellant demurred for the reasons: 1. That the complaint did not state a cause of action; 2. That it was uncertain, in that it did not show how or in what manner the appellant defeated respondent’s mortgage. The demurrer was overruled on both grounds, and the appellant answered, denied the material averments of the complaint, and pleaded matters in estoppel by way of former adjudication between the parties about the same cause of action. The cause was tried by the court, which found the material facts alleged in the complaint to be true, making formal special findings of'fact and conclusions of law, and rendered a decree in favor of the respondent, annulling and canceling the quitclaim deed to the Green property made by respondent. The appellant proposed a bill of exceptions, into which is incorporated all of the evidence introduced at the trial, numerous rulings of the court, and specifications as to wherein the evidence does not support the decision of the court, which bill of exceptions was duly settled, filed, and became a part of the judgment-roll. This appeal is upon the judgment-roll..

Numerous errors are assigned by appellant touching the action of the lower court in overruling the demurrer, in admitting evidence, and in making findings of fact and rendering judgment in favor of the respondent. While the complaint is faulty in some respects, we deem it necessary to consider only one question — that relating to the defense of estoppel set up in the answer. To sustain this defense the appellant introduced the judgment-roll in an action commenced by the respondent (plaintiff in this action), as plaintiff, against the said Boyce and wife and the appellant here, as defendants, to foreclose the said $400 mortgage executed by said Boyce and wife to the respondent here, and to-have the lien of said mortgage adjudged superior to that of the said mortgage executed by Boyce and wife to the appellant, which action was based upon the same facts as the one at bar, and in which action judgment was rendered August 16, 1898, in favor of the appellant and against respondent. The [764] complaint in said former action alleged that the appellant agreed to reduce its said mortgage to $750, while in this action the complaint alleges that the appellant represented to the respondent its mortgage amounted to only $750, and that appellant would protect the respondent fully against loss. This and the difference in the relief demanded is practically the only difference between the two complaints.

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King v. Co-Operative Savings & Loan Ass'n, 59 P. 557, 6 Idaho 760, 1899 Ida. LEXIS 68 (Idaho 1899).

59 P. 557 (King v. Co-Operative Savings & Loan Ass'n) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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