Klein v. Turner

133 P. 625, 66 Or. 369, 1913 Ore. LEXIS 324
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 22, 1913
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 133 P. 625 (Klein v. Turner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Klein v. Turner, 133 P. 625, 66 Or. 369, 1913 Ore. LEXIS 324 (Or. 1913).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Burnett

delivered the opinion of the court.

It appears that one John Suckert was the owner of the land in dispute, and from him both parties claim. The plaintiff’s right to the property rests upon (1) a mortgage executed by Suckert and wife to plaintiff October 27,1904, and recorded in the mortgage records of Douglas County November 25, 1904; and (2) a warranty deed executed by Suckert and wife to plaintiff December 27, 1904, and recorded in the deed records of that county January 3,1905. The defendant George Turner claims through a judgment entered in his favor against Suckert in an action commenced in Douglas County November 19, 1904, upon a promissory note given by Suckert and another to Turner, in which action a writ of attachment was issued and levied upon the land in question. Summons in that action was served by publication. The defendant avers, in substance, that he duly recovered judgment together with an order for sale of the attached realty, and that, having purchased the same at a sheriff’s sale, and the sale having been confirmed, he received a deed in due time from that officer, whereby he succeeded to all the title of Suckert in the premises as the same stood at the date of the attachment, which was six days prior to the filing of the mortgage above mentioned.

The case turns upon the effect to be given to the proceedings in the action of Turner against Suckert, the judgment-roll, and some other papers of which are in evidence. Among others, there appears a certificate of attachment in the case of Turner v. Suckert made [372]*372by the sheriff of Douglas County, containing the title of the cause, the names of the parties to the action, a description of the real property in question, and a statement that the same had been attached at the suit of the plaintiff in the action. Indorsed thereon was the certificate of the county clerk of Douglas County, to the effect that the same was recorded by him in the Douglas County records of attachments November 19, 1904. To the affidavit of L. Wimberly, editor of the “Roseburg Review,” concerning the publication summons, was attached the printed summons published in the action whereby the defendants were required to appear and answer the complaint on or before January 11, 1905. An answer was filed, according to the indorsement of the clerk thereon, January 9, 1905, containing the title of the court and cause in which the defendants pleaded a want of consideration for the note upon which the action was based, and further denied “each and every allegation, averment, statement, and every portion thereof as contained in plaintiff’s complaint save what is hereby admitted, qualified, or explained.” Then follows a demand for judgment, to the effect that plaintiff take nothing by his action, and that defendants recover their costs and disbursements. This is followed immediately by an affidavit as follows:

“State of Minnesota,

County of Beltrami.

“John Suckert, being duly sworn on oath, says that he is one of the defendants above named; that he has read the above and foregoing pleading and knows the contents thereof, and that the same is true of his own knowledge.

“[Signed] John Suckert.

“Subscribed and sworn to before me this 29th day of December, A. D. 1904.

“[Notarial Seal.] Charles W. Scrutchin,

“Notary Public, Beltrami County, Minnesota.”

[373]*373On January 16, 1905, the plaintiff in the action moved the court to “strike defendant’s answer from record for the reason that said answer is not signed by either defendants nor their attorney, and for the further reason that said answer was not filed within the prescribed limit of time required by statute.”

According to the record in that action the court allowed the motion, and, reciting that “the defendants and each of them have made no appearance herein and are in default, ” rendered judgment in favor of the plaintiff, and against the defendants for $108.15, with $20 attorney’s fees and $15 costs and disbursements, and further ordered that “the plaintiff sell the real property belonging to the- defendants heretofore attached in this action in the manner prescribed by law, ’ ’ describing the same. This judgment and the sale in pursuance thereof, followed by the sheriff’s deed, constitute the muniment of title under which the defendants claim.

Numerous objections were urged against the validity of the order directing publication of summons and the record evidencing jurisdiction of the court. Conceding as a postulate, however, without deciding, that the court acquired jurisdiction by the attempt at substituted service which has been pointed out, it becomes necessary to consider the effect of strildng out the answer upon the objections urged against it. The published summons having required the defendant to answer on or before January 11, 1905, such a pleading filed January 9,1905, was in time.

1. The signing of the affidavit of verification by the defendant from whom the title to the realty was derived was a sufficient subscription of the answer in question so far as he was concerned. In the case of Zollicoffer v. Briggs, 3 Rob. (La.) 236, the court held that the signature of a petitioner to an affidavit which [374]*374the law requires to be annexed to the petition is a sufficient signature of the petition itself. A like doctrine is laid down in Johnson v. Johnson, Walk. Ch. (Mich.) 309; Barrett v. Joslynn, 9 Misc. Rep. 407 (29 N. Y. Supp. 1070); Harrison v. Wright, 1 N. Y. St. Rep. 736. Here, then, was an answer signed by the defendant, through whom title is deraigned, and filed within the time required by the published summons. Hence it was not amenable to the objections urged against it by the motion of the plaintiff in the action.

2. Something was said in the argument here about there being no showing that the filing fee required of the defendant had been paid, but that question was not urged by the motion, and will not be here considered. The situation, then, is that although the defendant had been summoned to answer and had tendered an answer, valid as against the objections urged, the court at the instance of his adversary not only refused to hear him, but rendered judgment without such hearing. In Windsor v. McVeigh, 93 U. S. 274 (23 L. Ed. 914), proceedings had been commenced against the plaintiff under the confiscation act of Congress. Process of monition was issued and published, requiring all persons interested in the land, or claiming an interest, to appear and make their allegations in their behalf, and to show cause why condemnation should not be decreed, etc. The owner of the property, in response to the monition and notice, appeared by counsel and filed a claim to the property and an answer to the libel. Later the district attorney moved that the claim, answer and the appearance of the respondent by counsel be stricken from the files on the ground that it “appeared from his answer that he was at the time of filing the same a resident within the city of Richmond, within the Confederate lines, and a rebel.” The motion was sustained. The court immediately entered its sentence [375]*375of condemnation forfeiting the lands to the government as upon default, and the land was sold by virtue of the decree of condemnation.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
133 P. 625, 66 Or. 369, 1913 Ore. LEXIS 324, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/klein-v-turner-or-1913.