Law v. Wilgees

15 F. Cas. 19, 5 Biss. 13
U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Wisconsin·Decided March 15, 1851·Published

Opinion

MILLER, District Judge.

The plaintiff alleges that he obtained judgment against this defendant, Samuel Wilgees, in. the district •court of the United States, and thereupon issued an execution and levied on certain lands in his bill described, which he purchased at the sale of the marshal made by virtue of said writ, for the sum of $4,000, and that the said marshal gave him a certificate of sale according to law; that the said lands are pine-timbered lands, and that much of its value consists in the timber; and that he believes that if the pine and other trees should be felled, or cut down, or taken off of said lands, the said lands would not be worth as much by at least $2,000 as if left thereon, but if allowed to stand and remain on said lands under and pursuant to said certificate- of sale, the same would be worth the said $4,000 and lawful interest from the time of said sale. The bill then charges the defendant with cutting a .large amount of pine timber off these lands and thereby committing waste.

Samuel Wilgees, the principal defendant, in his answer, denies that he is engaged in cutting timber, further than that previous to the day of the sale he had entered into a contract to deliver logs at the saw-mill, and that the timber now being cut is in pursuance of such contract; and he declines to give copies of such contract or explain the consideration thereof; that the lands and premises are worth $10,000 and would be worth that sum if the pine timber were cut off; and that he is using the property in the same manner he did before the sale; and that he is furnishing the logs, etc., for the purpose of raising money to redeem the lands.

The first point to be determined is as to the jurisdiction of the chancery side of this court. There is no doubt of the decisions in the state of New York in favor of the injunction to stay waste at the instance of a purchaser in pursuance of the statute. Boyd v. Hoyt, 5 Paige, 65; Bank of Utica v. Messereau, 7 Paige, 517; Talbot v. Chamberlain, 3 Paige, 219. The statute of that state expressly authorizes an order for that purpose, which may issue in the form of an injunction.

How is it in Wisconsin? By section 100, c. 102, of “Judgments and Executions,” Rev. St. 547, “the right and title of the person against whom the execution was issued, to any real estate which shall be sold thereby, shall not be divested by such sale until the expiration of twenty-seven months from the time of sale; and if such real estate shall not have been redeemed as herein provided, and a deed shall be executed in pursuance of a sale, the grantee in such deed shall be deemed vested with the legal estate from the time of the sale on such execution, for the purpose of maintaining an action for any injury to such real estate.” It is very dear that the defendant is allowed, by this section, to retain the title and the possession of his lands sold upon execution for the term of twenty-seven months, and also, until the expiration of this term, the purchaser obtains neither the title, the possession, nor the right of possession. But if the property should not be redeemed by the payment of the amount bid and interest, then the purchas[20] er may obtain a deed, and consequently the right of possession; and by virtue of said deed he may be deemed vested with the legal estate from the time of the sale on the execution for the purpose of maintaining an action for any injury to such real estate. There is no authority given here to the purchaser to maintain a suit for waste until he acquires title, when he may sue for all damages committed from the day of sale.

NOTE. For the present statute concerning waste, which has taken the place of the one upon which this decision was founded, though following most of its provisions, see 2 Tayl. St. Wis. (1871) 1695, § 9. For the present statute, as to redemption from sales of lands under execution, consult same volume, page 1557 et seq. For a full discussion of the subject of injunctions to stay waste, with numerous citations of authorities, consult High, Inj. c. 9.

Section 8, c. 108, of “Waste,” p. 582, allows an order against a defendant in an execution or attachment levied on land, restraining him from committing waste on lands so levied upon or attached, at the instance of the plaintiff in such process. By section 9: “Whenever any lands shall be sold on an execution, the person to whom a certificate of sale may be. executed by the sheriff, pursuant to such sale, may maintain an action on the case for waste against any person, for any waste committed by such person on the premises after such sale.” Before the sale of the¿e premises this complainant could obtain an order as plaintiff in the judgment and execution, restraining the defendant from committing waste; but after the sale he ceased to be such plaintiff and became the person to whom the certificate of sale is given as the purchaser, in pursuance of section 9. This section does not authorize the order, but merely permits an action on the case. The damages recoverable by virtue of this section are in the nature of a penalty. Why the legislature made the distinction in the two sections X cannot imagine, for the holder of the certificate should be as much entitled to an order to restrain waste as the plaintiff in the judgment or execution, but we must take the law as it is. Without this section 9, the purchaser could not proceed at law for waste or injury to the freehold until he obtained his deed. This section allows him some redress in the meantime. The two laws are not inconsistent, but are cumulative of the remedies such as they are.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Law v. Wilgees, 15 F. Cas. 19, 5 Biss. 13 (circtdwi 1851).

15 F. Cas. 19 (Law v. Wilgees) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Talbot v. Chamberlin
3 Paige Ch. 219 (New York Court of Chancery, 1831)
Boyd & Suydam v. Hoyt & Parsel
5 Paige Ch. 65 (New York Court of Chancery, 1835)
Bank of Utica v. Messereau
7 Paige Ch. 517 (New York Court of Chancery, 1839)
Storm v. Mann
4 Johns. Ch. 21 (New York Court of Chancery, 1819)