Lloyd v. Bunce

41 Iowa 660
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedDecember 10, 1875
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 41 Iowa 660 (Lloyd v. Bunce) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lloyd v. Bunce, 41 Iowa 660 (iowa 1875).

Opinion

Day, J. —

i. conveytmi' andS' quent creditors- ’ I. On the 15th day of April, 1857, John B. Long and Anna, his wife, conveyed lot 4, block 17, Paul Felt’s of Mason City, the lot in controversy, with l°ts 4 and 5 and lot 1 in block 22, and lot 1 in block 21 to George Brentner, and on. the 17th of April, 1857, George Brentner conveyed all of said property to Anna Long. Both conveyances were recorded on the 17th of April, 1857. They were voluntary, but the expressed consideration was $3,000.

It is claimed that this conveyance was fraudulent in fact, and that the property still remained liable for the subsequent debts of John B. Long.

It is proved that John B. Long, at the time of making the conveyance said that he would put that property into the hands of his wife, so that she would have something provided anything turned up. It does not appear but, at that time,. Long had other property enough to pay his debts. Brentner testifies that he owed himself, and owed McCartney, $1400, and that he could not tell how much he owed at Cedar Falls and Dubuque. But, it is not at all probable that Brentner, to whom Long was indebted, would have become an instrument of placing his property in the hands of his wife for the purpose of defrauding creditors. The only reasonable sup[667]*667position is that Brentner knew, of at least believed, that Long, had enough property besides to pay his debts.

The defendants introduced records of certain judgments against John B. Long, in the District Court of Cerro Gordo county. Ten of these judgments, amounting to $468.87, are upon debts existing at the time of the conveyance to Anna Long. These are satisfied upon execution, except as to the sum of $147.00.

The remainder of the judgments, amounting to $4106.92, are upon debts contracted subsequently to the conveyance to Anna Long. Of this amount there, has been satisfied, upon execution and foreclosure of mortgage, $2,724.33. Part of this sum was satisfied by a conveyance of, a portion of the property transferred to Anna Long, but, after making due allowance for this, it seems that debts were .contracted and paid, after the conveyance to Anna, vezy lai’gely in excess of all that John B. is shown to have been owing at that time.

For aught that appeal’s, John B. Long, at the time of the conveyance to his wife, had property remaining abundantly sufficient to pay all his debts, and the evidence tends veiy strongly to make that fact affirmatively appear.

The defendant has not shown such a state of facts as would justify the setting aside of the conveyance as fraudulent as to an existing, much less a subsequent, creditor.

2. deed: imoripttoa.des II. On June 21, 1857, the ¡ilaintiff, Julia R. Lloyd, then Julia R. Ruggles, loaned to John B. Long $1170, and took a mortgage to secure the same. Upon the fore^ closure of the mortgage Amia Long conveyed to Julia R. Ruggles, in satisfaction of the judgment, the lot in controversy.

This deed is a quit-claim, is dated December 30, 1861, and was filed for record April 7, 1865. It describes the lot and. block but omits to state the town, county or state. The evidence shows clearly that the intention was to convey the lot in controversy, and through the contract and conveyance Julia R. Ruggles acquired the equitable title thereto. On the 18th of July, 1874, and during the pendency of this action, Anna Long executed to Julia R. Lloyd another quit-claim deed,, [668]*668containing a correct description, for the purpose of correcting the mistake.

III. On the 11th of November, 1857, Henry Anderson. obtained a judgment against W. W. Stackhouse before a justice of the peace for $107.07, and John B. Long became surety on stay of execution.

On the 11th of February, 1858, judgment was rendered by the justice against Long on the stay bond, and afterward a transcript was filed in the office of the clerk of the District Court of Cerro Gordo county, and on the 13th of April, 1859, execution issued, and on the 31st of May, 1859, the property in controversy was sold thereunder to one Jarvis S. Church. In the return upon the execution, the notice of sale, and the sheriff’s deed, by mistake the property was described as lot 8, instead of lot 4. Church assigned the certificate of purchase to Caroline E. Bumgardner, and on the 23rd of May, 1860, she procured a sheriff’s deed.

On the 26th of January, 1865, Caroline E. Bumgardner and her husband conveyed by warranty deed the lot to Spencer G. Bryant, which deed was recorded on the same day. November 20, 1865, Bryant conveyed one-half the premises to Tyler Blake. April 16, 1866, Bryant conveyed the other half to one Cole. July 19, 1866, Cole conveyed his half to Blake. October-15, 1867, Blake conveyed to the defendant, George L. Bunce. Under this conveyance defendant claims the property. It will be seen that his title is based upon a claimed sheriff’s' sale of the property under a judgment against John B. Long. Before this judgment was recovered the property had been conveyed to Anna Long, and the conveyance, as we have seen, is not shown to be fraudulent. 'The property was not liable to the judgment, and the sheriff’s sale vested no rights in the purchaser. Hence it becomes unnecessary to consider the effect of the mistake in the return, notice and deed, and the subsequent alteration of the deed and record.

IT. Defendant, however, claims that the sheriff’s sale at least gave color of title, and that Caroline E. Bumgardner immediately went into possession of the premises, and that [669]*669she and her grantees have been in continued possession to the present time, and that the action of plaintiff is barred by the statute of limitations.

The action of Jtilia R. Lloyd was commenced on the 28th day of April, 1871.

3. statute of minor. We are satisfied that the decided preponderance of the tes-, timony is that Caroline E. Bumgardner did not take posses-, sion until in the spring or summer of 1862, less than ten years betore the commencement ot the action. The plea of the statute of limitations is not sustained as to the plaintiff, Julia R. Lloyd. And, as will be hereafter seen, the plaintiff, William B. Ruggles, is a minor, and he acquired an interest in the property when it was conveyed to his mother, December 30, 1861, before possession was taken of the property. Therefore the statute of limitations does not bar his action.

V. The deed of Anna Long to Julia R. Lloyd was not recorded until April 7,1865, and when recorded it was so defective in description as not to be notice to. a subsequent T)ona fide purchaser. Bryant purchased from Caroline E. Bumgardner on the 20th of January, 1865. Defendant insists that the title vested in him absolutely, he being an innocent purchaser without notice, and that this title vested in his grantees even if they had notice. This would all be very well if Bryant derived his title under Anna Long. But all his title is derived from John B. Long, under the sheriff’s sale. Long had no title and Bryant acquired none.

VI. Nothing remains to be considered but the tax title. On the 23d of May, 1860, Caroline E. Bumgardner claims to have acquired title to the lot in controversy through the sheriff’s deed. In 1863 this lot was sold for the delinquent taxes of 1856, 1857, 1858, 1859 and 1860.

4. tax sale : dee(f.meu ‘ Martin Bumgardner bought the land at the tax sale, but could not pay for it.

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

Related

Harper v. Pauley
81 S.E.2d 728 (West Virginia Supreme Court, 1953)
Bates v. Pabst
273 N.W. 151 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1937)
Aldrich v. Van Hemert
218 N.W. 311 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1928)
Burns v. Witter
108 P. 129 (Oregon Supreme Court, 1910)
Flegel v. Dowling
102 P. 178 (Oregon Supreme Court, 1909)
Crotty v. Effler
54 S.E. 345 (West Virginia Supreme Court, 1906)
Holley's v. Curry
51 S.E. 135 (West Virginia Supreme Court, 1905)
Busch v. Hall
93 N.W. 356 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1903)
Foley v. Leisy Brewing Co.
89 N.W. 230 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1902)
Everist v. Pierce
77 N.W. 508 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1898)
Witt v. Mewhirter
10 N.W. 890 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1881)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
41 Iowa 660, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lloyd-v-bunce-iowa-1875.