Livesay v. Feamster

21 W. Va. 83, 1882 W. Va. LEXIS 78
CourtWest Virginia Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 2, 1882
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 21 W. Va. 83 (Livesay v. Feamster) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering West Virginia Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Livesay v. Feamster, 21 W. Va. 83, 1882 W. Va. LEXIS 78 (W. Va. 1882).

Opinion

Green, Judge,

announced the opinion of the Court:

These two causes are so far distinct, as to make it suitable to consider them at first, separately-and then conjointly, so far as the decree of November 16, 1878, which was rendered on them jointly is concerned. And we will first consider the cause first instituted; the cause which J. J. Livesay was plaintiff. It was simply a bill brought by J. J. Livesay, to enforce the lien of a judgment of the circuit court of Greenbrier in his favor, against Joseph A. Teamster. The bill was filed at August rules, 1878. It made as it should have done, the trustees and cestuis que trust in the several deeds of trust, which had been executed by Joseph A. Teamster on his largest tract of land, parties defendants. And it stated, that one of these deeds of trust, in which the Iiandleys were the cestuis que trust, had been fully satisfied. And it further charged, “that there were other liens on the lands aforesaid, besides those hereinbefore mentioned, but does not state their amounts and priorities, nor to whom all are due.”

The summons was served on all the defendants named in the bill, except the Messrs. Handley; and it was served on the trustee in the deed of trust from Jos. A. Teamster for their benefit. A motion was made by the plaintiff, after Joseph A. Teamster and the other defendants had been served with notice, that the judge would make an order of reference in vacation; and on this motion on October 19, 1878, the judge did refer the cause to the commissioner of the court to report first, the value of the defendant Joseph A. Teamster’s lands; second, “the amounts, dignity and priority of all liens upon said real estate and to whom [98]*98due;” tliird, all other pertinent matters. The commissioner forthwith gave notice to all the parties to the suit, including the Messrs. Handley, excepting only one of the trustees in one of the deeds of trust; but the cestui qiie. trust in this deed of trust was one of the parties notified, and excepting the cestui que trust in one of the deeds of trust, in which the trustee was one of the parties notified. Only three days notice, including Sunday, was given of the purpose of the commissioner to execute this order of reference. And he executed it in a single day. He was not required by the decree to advertise for judgment lienors or others to present their claims, but was only required to give the parties to the suit or their attorneys notice.

On November 16, 1878, there having been no exceptions filed to the commissioner’s report, it was confirmed. Two judgments were reported as liens on this land, binds the plaintiffs. One in favor of ¥m. W. Moore, and the oilier in favor of R. P. Lake, neither of whom were parties to the suit. And the commissioner also reported, that the deed of trust in favor of the Messrs. Handleys was satisfied, and that on the last two judgments, executions had been issued and levied on sufficient properly to satisfy them. This decree took the bill as confessed against the Messrs. Handleys, though they had never been summoned. Their trustee had before the commissioner as appears by his report admitted, that the deed of trust in their favor had been fully paid. This decree adjudged, that the amounts stated to be due in this report to the defendants in the bill, whose debts were secured by deeds of trusts, should be paid, but not the debt due the plaintiff by his judgment, nor the other debts due persons not parties to the suit, but who had judgment liens. And it then ordered, that unless Joseph A. Teamster, or some one for him, paid within ten days all the debts named in the commissoner’s report, as well as the costs of the suit, that the commissioners named should sell his lands for so much cash as would pay the costs of the suit and expenses of sale, and the balance on a credit of six, twelve and eighteen months, with interest from the day of sale taking, from the purchaser bonds with approved security; but not directing the taking of any liens on the lands [99]*99to secure the deferred payments. Proper advertisement of the lands were prescribed by this decree, as well as a proper bond to be given by the commissioner of sales.

These were all the proceedings in this cause. Is there error in this decree? Though the record in this case proper, shows no controversy of any sort, and it was so plain and simple a ease, yet there are numerous errors and irregularities in it. The bill on its face shows, that there were judgments on the lands of the debtor other than the plaintiff's, and it was decided in Neely et al. v. Jones et al. 16 W. Va. p. 625, syllabus 5, that the plaintiff ought to have made formally defendants in the suit all creditors, who had obtained judgments against the debtor in the circuit court of Green-brier, where the lands sought to be subjected lie, as well as any other docketed judgments on the judgment-lien docket of that county. The bill however does not clearly show, whether these leinors not made parties belonged to this class; though the subsequent proceedings do show, that these were lienors of this class and that Wm. W. Moore and R. P. Lake, ought to have been properly made formal parties and served with process. Still if no objection had been made in the court below to so proceeding, this error might have been caused lw the court in its order of reference, directing the commissioner to call all judgment-lienors before him and audit their claims. See Neely et al. v. Jones et al. 16 W. Va. p. 626, syllabus 10, and Norris Caldwell & Co. v. Bean et al. 17 W. Va. 655, syllabus 2, sub-division IV and syllabus 3.

The rules laid down in these causes with certain charges and modifications, have been adopted now as a part of bur statute-law. See Acts of 1882, p. 359, 360, ch. 126 § 7. This statute-law should of course, be now strictly pursued in proceedings in suits of this character, whether the suits were instituted before or since this law went into effect; and should of course be pursued in this case, when it is again remanded to the circuit court of Greenbrier for further proceedings, as it must be.

The judge in his order in vacation made on October 19, 1878, failed to do anything towards the correction of this error in the bill in failing to make the proper parties, for he did not in this order of reference direct the commissioner to [100]*100call before Mm the judgment-lien creditors by publication, and to. audit their claims. ITad he done so and thus made these judgment-lien creditors informally parties to the suit, if no objection had been made upon the authority of these "West Virginia cases above cited, this Court would not have reversed his decree of November 16, 1878, ordering a sale of the debtors lands, for this error, if no objection had been made, in the court below, as none was made.

The commissioner by this order of October 19, 1878, was directed to give the parties or their attorneys notice of the time and place for the taking of the accoxmts ordered. This he failed to do. His failure to notify one of the trustees in one of the deeds of trust, though he was a party to the suit, would have been excusable as he really had no interest in the accounts to be taken ; but his failure to notify one of the cestui que trust who had such interest, was inexcusable, even though he did notify his trustee, who merely held the legal title of land conveyed in trust for the security of Ms debt.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
21 W. Va. 83, 1882 W. Va. LEXIS 78, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/livesay-v-feamster-wva-1882.