Miller v. Engler

103 N.E. 358, 54 Ind. App. 689, 1913 Ind. App. LEXIS 148
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 25, 1913
DocketNo. 8,093
StatusPublished

This text of 103 N.E. 358 (Miller v. Engler) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Miller v. Engler, 103 N.E. 358, 54 Ind. App. 689, 1913 Ind. App. LEXIS 148 (Ind. 1913).

Opinion

Shea, J.

This action was commenced by A. B. Meyer & Company for the foreclosure of a mechanic’s lien claimed against certain real estate owned by appellants, appellee Engler and Hiram Brown, all of whom were made defendants. The complaint was afterwards dismissed by agreement, but before dismissal Engler filed a cross-complaint against appellants for judgment on a promissory note and foreclosure of a mortgage against said real estate securing the note. The eross-complaint was in five paragraphs. Appellant Lulu M. Miller filed an answer thereto in general denial and plea of non est factum, also an answer to the first and second paragraphs claiming the indebtedness to be •that of her husband, Reuben N. Miller, and that at the time of the execution of the mortgage the title to the real estate was held by herself and husband as tenants by entireties. Appellant Reuben N. Miller filed an answer in general denial and plea of non est factum to each paragraph of the eross-complaint. The defendant Hiram Brown made no appearance to the action, and the complaint having been dismissed by agreement, the cause was submitted to the court for trial on the issues joined on the cross-complaint between Engler and appellants; a special finding of facts was made, and conclusions of law stated thereon.

The substance of the special findings is that in the winter of 1907, Reuben N. Miller borrowed of Engler $200 and in .January 1908, $800; that the sum of $800 was used by him in the improvement of certain described real estate in Marion County, Indiana, and at the time this loan was made, Miller executed his promissory note for the amount to Engler, payable within sixty days from date, with interest at the rate of eight per cent per annum. At the same time, Miller and his wife, appellant Lulu M. Miller, executed to Engler a mortgage on said real estate. When the above [691]*691loans were made the title to the property rested in Reuben N. Miller, and he has not paid appellee either the $200 or $800 so loaned or any part thereof. On January 6, 1909 appellants conveyed the real estate by deed to William S. Taylor, without consideration, and on February 25, 1909, Taylor conveyed the property back to them jointly without consideration, the deeds being duly recorded March 3, 1909. Appellee had no actual knowledge of the conveyance, and ever since Reuben N. Miller has had no property out of which appellee’s indebtedness could be collected. On March 12, 1909, Reuben N. Miller executed and delivered to appellee his promissory note for $1,000, given in payment and satisfaction of the $200 and $800 indebtedness previously made. The note was delivered to appellee by Stewart T. Tongret, a notary public, under Miller’s direction and authority, and at the time of delivery read as follows:

“Indianapolis, Ind. March 12, 1909. $100.00 Sixtieth days after date I promise to pay to the order of Charles Engler One Thousand ($1000.00) Dollars, at-for value received, without any relief whatever from valuation or appraisement laws with eight per cent interest from date until paid and attorneys fees. R. N. Miller. No. One Due 9/12-09.”

After execution and delivery, the time of maturity of the note was changed from “sixtieth days” to “sixty days” by Tongret, at appellee’s request, with Miller’s knowledge and consent. On or about March 12, 1909, appellants executed to appellee a mortgage on said real estate to secure the payment of the note. At the time of the execution of the mortgage by Lulu M. Miller, the place in which to insert the time of maturity of the note was left blank, and she authorized Tongret, who took the acknowledgment of the mortgage, to fill in the blank with such date as Reuben N. Miller might direct, and the blank was filled in by Tongret under Miller’s direction and authority before delivery of the mortgage to appellee, who had no knowledge that such blank space was not filled in before the mortgage was signed by Lulu [692]*692M. Miller. Under Reuben N. Miller’s authority and direction Tongret delivered the note and mortgage to appellee, who, at the same time, surrendered to Tongret the note and mortgage for $800. The mortgage for $1,000 at that time read as follows:

“This Indenture Witnesseth that R. N. Miller and Lulu M. Miller, husband and wife, of Marion County, in the State of Indiana, Mortgage and Warrant to Charles Engler of Marion County, in the State of Indiana, the following described real estate * * to secure the payment when the same became due, of one promissory note of even date with this mortgage due from said R. N. Miller to said Engler, for the sum of one thousand dollars payable on the 12th day of May 1909. And the mortgagor expressly agrees to pay the sum of money above secured, without relief from valuation or appraisement laws,” etc.

At the time of the execution of the mortgage, by the mutual mistake of the scrivener who wrote same and appellee and appellants, the word “eighty” was omitted in that part of the description of the real estate reading “being parts of lots number eighty-two (82)”, which was written “being parts of lots number two (82) ” and also the figures '“12” were written in that part of the mortgage describing when the note secured thereby became due instead of “11”; that it was intended by the parties that the word “eighty” should be written in the description and the figures “11” instead of “12”, and as written, said mortgage does not express the contract between the parties, but if these corrections were inserted, the mortgage would express their contract. The mortgage was recorded April 12, 1909, was properly acknowledged by appellants before a notary public, and both the note and mortgage are due and unpaid; that there is now due appellee on said note as principal, interest and attorney fees the sum of $1,259.95.

Upon these facts, the court stated conclusions of law as follows: (1) Appellee is entitled to recover judgment from Reuben N. Miller in the sum of $1,259.95; (2) appellee is [693]*693entitled to have the mortgage sued on reformed so as to express the contract of the parties; that said mortgage as reformed, is a lien on the real estate prior to the right, title, claims and lien of each appellant, and appellee is entitled to have the same foreclosed and to have the real estate described as reformed, so as to pay and satisfy the judgment rendered; (3) that the conveyance of said real estate to William S. Taylor and from Taylor to appellants, so far as it affects the mortgage lien of appellee, ought to be and is set aside. Judgment was rendered accordingly in favor of appellee.

Appellants assign that the court erred in its conclusions of law upon the facts found, and in overruling the separate motion of each appellant for a new trial.

1. 2. [694]*6941. [693]*693There is a suggestion in appellee’s brief that the judgment should be affirmed upon the theory that appellee is entitled to be subrogated to the rights held under the original mortgage of $800, which the evidence discloses was a part of the debt covered by the note and mortgage in suit. In support of this theory it is urged that there was a remittitur of $235 of the original judgment of $1,259.95, as disclosed by the record, at page 91 thereof. The fifth paragraph of'the complaint likewise contains a prayer for subrogation, as stated. There is no finding of fact by the court upon which this conclusion can be based.

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Bluebook (online)
103 N.E. 358, 54 Ind. App. 689, 1913 Ind. App. LEXIS 148, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/miller-v-engler-ind-1913.