Leland v. Isenbeck

1 Idaho 469
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 15, 1873
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 1 Idaho 469 (Leland v. Isenbeck) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Leland v. Isenbeck, 1 Idaho 469 (Idaho 1873).

Opinion

Hollister, J.,

delivered the opinion.,

Whitson, J., concurred. Noggle, O. J., dissented.

This is an appeal from a judgment recovered by the de[470]*470fendants against the appellant, in the district court of the county of Idalio, in which the appellant brought his suit for the recovery of the possession of certain premises described in his complaint, and which, he alleged, was unlawfully withheld from him by the defendants. On the trial the plaintiff showed title to the premises in controversy, and the defense relied upon was, that his title had been divested by a sale by the sheriff of said county of the property, to Alexander & Co., on an execution issued upon a judgment against the appellant, in their favor, and from whom the defendants derived their title. The defendant, Gamble, also pleaded an estoppel, which will be hereafter noticed.

For the sake of perspicuity we will proceed to consider the case, as to the defendants separately, for their defense in some respects rests on different grounds. Isenbeck’s defense is made to depend entirely upon the question whether the title derived by Alexander & Co. under the sale on execution is good or not, and whether, if not good, he purchased in good faith, and without notice.

His answer denies the ownership of the premises by the plaintiff; denies that he (the defendant) holds possession-unlawfully and willfully; denies that the issues and profits are as stated in the complaint; denies the plaintiff’s damages, and that he is injured as he alleges.

The evidence shows a sale of the property of E. B. Johnson et al. to Alexander & Go., who were the plaintiffs in the execution, and the conveyance to them of the property by the sheriff by deed, and a conveyance from them by quitclaim to this defendant, but it fails to show any judgment to support the sale to Alexander & Co. It is unquestionable that such evidence does not show even a prima facie title in Alexander & Co. In order to uphold and give validity to a sheriff’s deed, it must appear that a valid judgment was obtained against the party whose property is sought to be conveyed by it, and that the property was sold upon an execution issued upon such judgment. These prerequisite proofs must be produced before a prima facie title can be established under the deed.

[471]*471It is urged, however, that be was a purchaser in good faith, and even if Alexander k Co.’s title was not good, he could be protected notwithstanding. In answer to this, it is claimed that the judgment of Alexander k Co. against the plaintiff was ipso facto void, and that neither they nor their grantees could take any title under it as against the defendant in execution.

That the judgment was void had been decided by this court at the January term, 1872. This was the judgment of this court as to the validity of that judgment, the effect of which was not that it was void only from the time the decision was made, but that it was void ab initio. As such it could have been attacked in any collateral proceeding without appealing the question to this court. We ¿re not disposed to discuss the question as to the effect of a sale under a void judgment, upon the title of one who purchases in good faith from a party who takes his title directly from the sheriff. That point was not considered in the argument, nor is it necessary to the decision of. the case. The defendant purchased with notice of the defects of Alexander k Co’s, title, because he took his title by quitclaim deed. In such eases the law presumes that the purchaser had notice of the defects of his grantor’s title, and that he purchased at his own risk. There was no error, however, in admitting the deeds in evidence, because no objection was made by the plaintiff to their introduction. But it is objected that the court erred in giving certain instructions at the request of the defendants. These instructions are as follows:

2. “The sheriff’s deed to Alexander k Co. gave color of title, and the deed to Alexander k Co. conveying to Isen-beck gave color of title in Isenbeck; and if the jury believe from the evidence that Isenbeck went into possession of the property in good faith, believing such title to be good, and that he, or he and the defendant Gamble, expended large sums of money in developing the mines or in making valuable improvements thereon, with the knowledge of plaintiff, under such circumstances that plaintiff might have necessarily notified them of his claim to the property, and that [472]*472plaintiff did not give snob notice, then it makes no difference whether the sheriff’s deed was good or bad, the plaintiff is estopped from setting up or claiming any right or title whatever to the property.”

“If the jury believe, from the evidence, that the plaintiff was here in Washington when the said Isenbeck and Alexander were, and that said Alexander & Co. were urging the payment of the purchase money from Isenbeck of said property, and that he represented that he did not intend to claim said property or litigate the title to the same, and that those representations came to the knowledge of Isen-beck, and that he, the said Isenbeck, confiding in such representations, paid such purchase money, then the plaintiff is estopped from setting up any title to, or claiming said property.”

If plaintiff was here in Washington, when the said Alexander & Go. and Isenbeck both were, and knew that the said purchase money for said property or one thousand six hundred dollars thereof was not paid, and that Alexander & Co. were urging payment of the same, it was his duty to have notified Isenbeck of his, plaintiff’s, claim to the property, and that if he did not do so, and if said Isenbeck was induced to pay said money by the plaintiff, and in ignorance of plaintiff’s claim, then the plaintiff is estopped from claiming the property.

The second instruction was clearly erroneous, so far as.-Isenbeck.was concerned, in this: The sheriff’s deed to Alexander & Co., being unsupported by a valid judgment, was not even prima facie evidence of title in them; and further, it did not purport to convey the property of the plaintiff. It was only a-conveyance of the property of E. B. Johnson and others. The deed from Alexander & Co. to Isenbeck, being only a quitclaim, conveyed no better nor higher title than was vested in them by the sheriff’s deed. Isenbeck, deriving his title by such a conveyance from Alexander & Co., was not a bona fide purchaser without notice. The court should have so instructed the jury, instead of leaving the question of good faith to be determined by them from the proofs in the case. Isenbeck not having pleaded any [473]*473such matter as therein stated, nor indeed any other matters of estoppel, could not avail himself of any such defense. To have entitled him to the benefit of an estoppel, he would have pleaded it, for it being a defense personal to himself, if he did not set it up, he must be considered to have waived it.

The fourth and fifth instructions, as they related solely to the estoppel, are objectionable on the same grounds, and for the further reason that had he pleaded it, the matter therein stated would not have amounted to an estoppel. Isenbeck had purchased the property before it was pretended that the plaintiff made the representations alleged, and was, therefore, under legal obligations to complete the payment to Alexander & Go.

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Bluebook (online)
1 Idaho 469, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/leland-v-isenbeck-idaho-1873.