Martin v. Morris

22 N.W. 525, 62 Wis. 418, 1885 Wisc. LEXIS 167
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 3, 1885
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 22 N.W. 525 (Martin v. Morris) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wisconsin Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Martin v. Morris, 22 N.W. 525, 62 Wis. 418, 1885 Wisc. LEXIS 167 (Wis. 1885).

Opinion

LyoN, J.

1. The first question presented by the assignment of errors herein, for consideration, is, Did the conveyance of lot 2, block 14, by Phelps and Corwith to John N. Hall vest in the latter the absolute title to and estate in such lot? The argument on behalf of the appellant is to the effect that because the Dousman mortgage was executed prior to any conveyance of the lot by Allen, the mortgagor, the foreclosure of that mortgage cut off all subsequent interests therein, and Phelps and Corwith, the purchasers at the mortgage sale, took the absolute title by the sheriff’s deed, and conveyed the same to Hall. We think this position cannot be maintained. During the foreclosure proceedings Eobert and Legeau were in the actual possession of the lot under the .contract, which they afterwards assigned to Welch, Martin & Co., and Eobert was not made a party to the foreclosure suit. Their possession was notice of their equitable interest in the lot under their contract. Eobert’s interest, which was an undivided half of the whole equitable estate, was not foreclosed by the judgment in that suit and the sale of the lot pursuant thereto, but remained redeemable, and continued so after the same was transferred to Welch, Martin & Co. As against that interest the foreclosure judgment and sale had no effect other than to assign [425]*425the mortgage debt and security to the purchaser at the sale. Hodson v. Treat, 7 Wis. 263; Green v. Dixon, 9 Wis. 532. See, also, cases cited in head-note to Hodson v. Treat.

Another reason why the purchasers at the foreclosure sale did not take the absolute title to the lot, is that they agreed before the sale to recognize the contracts made by Allen and his grantees for the sale of lots, and to protect the holders,— that is to say, to carry out and fulfil said contracts; and, in consideration of such agreement and on the faith of it, the holders of such contracts did not bid upon the mortgaged property, or seek to enhance the price for which it was sold, or take any other steps to protect their interests, but allowed Phelps-and Corwith to purchase it at their own price. This, although a parol agreement, was valid and binding upon Phelps and Corwith, and the title to the lot in question, which they took under the sheriff’s deed, was subject to the equitable interests of Hall and Martin, and became a mere security for the payment of the money due on the contract under which they held the lot. The judgment of this court in Wilcox v. Bates, 26 Wis. 465, fully establishes this last proposition.

Phelps and Corwith carried out this agreement in good faith. On payment to them of -the amount due upon the contract they conveyed the lot to Hall after- Martin’s decease, and to show somewhat the character of the conveyance, they described the grantee therein as surviving partner of the late firm of Welch, Martin & Co.” That the lot became, by virtue of such conveyance, an asset of the late firm of Martin & Hall (which had acquired Welch’s interest) does not admit of controversy. It was undoubtedly paid for out of the assets of that firm. Hall scheduled it as one of the assets of the firm, and accounted for Martin’s interest in it in the settlement of his accounts as administrator of the estate of Martin. •

In view of the foregoing facts, it must be held that Hall [426]*426did not take the absolute title in fee to lot 2, under his conveyance from Phelps and Corwitb, but that he took the legal title in trust for the use and benefit of the late firm of Martin & Hall.

2. The next question is, Did the proceedings in the county court, in the administration of the estate of Martin, vest in Hall the absolute title to the lot? In making the inventory of the estate of Martin, a balance-sheet of the affairs of the firm of Welch, Martin & Co., made out by Hall, was used. In that balance-sheet the lot in question, fixtures, etc., were included as real estate, and were duly appraised as such. In the inventory of Martin’s estate the same property was included as personal property. This inventory was verified by Hall, and bears date January 5, 1865. On December 26, 1865, Hall rendered his final account as administrator, duly verified, to the county court, in which the same property is entered as personal estate. At the same time he rendered to that court a verified report of the sale of the personal property of the estate, in which he states that he had sold the property in controversy to himself at its appraised value.

The contention of the appellant is that the lot is to be regarded as personal property in the hands of ITall; that it was competent for him to become the purchaser thereof at his own sale; and hence that by such purchase he became the absolute owner thereof. The lot was purchased and used for partnership purposes. The store in which the firm of Welch, Martin & Co. carried on business stood upon it. If it is treated as personal property, although we might not be able to hold that Hall could become the purchaser thereof at his own sale, yet it is probably true that the sale and conveyance thereof made by him to the defendant’s testator, Thomas Morris, would have vested a good title thereto in the latter, and that the remedy of the plaintiff would not be against such purchaser, but against Hall, to compel him to account for the proceeds of the sale. Hence the question [427]*427as to whether the lot’in the hands of Hall is to be regarded as personal property or as real estate becomes a vital one in the case. If it is regarded as real estate in the hands of Hall, there is no doubt whatever that his attempted sale thereof to himself is absolutely void. McCrubb v. Bray, 36 Wis. 333; R. S. 1858, ch. 94, sec. 62; R. S. 1878, sec. 3914.

In the administration proceedings, the lot in controversy was appraised at $2,098.50, and the appraisal shows that the net interest of Martin in the partnership assets was of the value of $3,574.20. It thus appears that there was no necessity for selling the lot in order to close the affairs of the late firm. It may reasonably be inferred from the testimony that the business of that firm was fully settled, and its debts paid, years before Hall conveyed the property to Thomas Morris,— probably before he rendered his final account as administrator. Certainly the lot was not sold to pay the copartnership debts. While such debts remained unpaid, Hall held the property as surviving partner, not as administrator. The firm debts having all been paid, the question is whether the interest of the deceased partner in the property descended to his heir as real estate, or did it go to the administrator as personal assets. The rule on that subject, which seems to prevail in this country, is stated by Chancellor Walworth in Buchan v. Sumner, 2 Barb. Ch. 165, as follows: “As between the personal representatives and the heirs at law of a deceased partner, his share of the surplus of the real estate of the copartnership, which remains after paying the debts of the copartnership and adjusting all the equitable claims of the different members of the firm as between themselves, is considered and treated as real estate.” Page 201. This rule was sanctioned and applied by this court in Bird v. Morrison, 12 Wis. 138 (p. 170): and in Pierce v. Covert, 39 Wis. 252. To the same effect is Shearer v. Shearer, 98 Mass. 107. See, also, Parsons on Partn. (3d ed.) 376; Tiedeman on Real Prop. § 246, and cases cited.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
22 N.W. 525, 62 Wis. 418, 1885 Wisc. LEXIS 167, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/martin-v-morris-wis-1885.