O'Brien v. Harrison

59 Iowa 686
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedOctober 21, 1882
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 59 Iowa 686 (O'Brien v. Harrison) 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
O'Brien v. Harrison, 59 Iowa 686 (iowa 1882).

Opinions

Beck, J.

I. The conflicting titles of the Respective parties to the land in controversy have a common source in John O’Brien. The plaintiff clairhs the land under a deed executed by him. Defendant, T. W. Harrison, claims the land under a sheriff’s deed, made pursuant to a. sale upon a judgment in favor of John O’Brien against plaintiff in this case, in an action upon a contract between the parties, whereby it was claimed plaintiff became bound to support John O’Brien, his father. Upon this judgment a sheriff’s sale and deed were made to James R. White, who conveyed the land to Catherine Murry, and she conveyed it to defendant, T. W. Harrison. We are required to pass upon the validity of the title under [688]*688the sheriff’s deed. We find the following facts upon the evidence presented in the record, which are to be considered in the decision of the case:

1. The judgment upon which the land was sold was rendered May, 1876, and execution issued thereon the July following, and in August it was levied upon the land in controversy.

2. Prior to the sale John O’Brien died, having disposed of his property by will. Catherine Muny is a devisee under the will. She is a daughter of the devisor, John O’Brien.

3. Before the sale of the land upon execution, but after the levy, William O’Brien, the defendant in the judgment and the plaintiff in this ease, perfected an appeal, but did not supersede the judgment.

4. The land was sold to James A. White, without redemption, and a deed immediately executed, for the reason that an appeal had been taken in the ease. White conveyed to Catherine Murry, and she to defendant, T. W. Harrison.

5. By the decree in the action, it was declared that the title of the land in controversy was vested in William O’Brien and judgment was rendered against him for $895.75 and costs. Upon the appeal, this court decided that John O’Brien, was not entitled to recover a money judgment against William, and that William’s title to the land in dispute was valid. See 47, Iowa 392. But in the action, another matter was involved. There was a contract between the parties that John should convey to William certain other lands in consideration of the support of John and his wife. It was held upon the appeal, that, under this contract, neither party was entitled to affirmative relief, further than that the contract, so far as it constituted a cloud upon the title of the land described in it, should be set aside and declared of no effect. A decree, in accord with this opinion was entered in this court. By this decree William recovered the costs'of the appeal, but it was ordered that the court below should make an equitable apportionment of the costs of that court in harmony with our [689]*689decision, and the right.of William, by, motion at the next term of the court below, to demand such apportionment was secured by the decree.

The decision and decree of this court was after the sheriff’s sale and deed, and the deed executed by White, to Catherine Murry. The deed to Harrison by Murry was executed before that decree.

The foregoing are undisputed facts of the case. Other matters, about which there is conflict of evidence, will be hereafter stated.

1. JUDICIAL sale: purchase under subsequently statuteconstrued. II. It appears from the foregoing statement that defendant’s title is based upon a sheriff’s sale and deed, under a judgment which was subsequently reversed and set * ^ aside on apppeal to this court. We must nowdetermlne whether plaintiff’s title is divestéd by the sale an<^ ^ee^- Code, section 3199, provides that “property acquired by a purchaser in good faith, under a judgment subsequently reversed, shall not be affected by such reversal.” The defendant and his grantors under the sheriff’s deed must be shown to be good faith purchasers to authorize a decision supporting the validity of that deed.

A claimant of land, who has not paid in full therefor, cannot be regarded as a good faith purchaser. Kitteridge v. Chapman, 36 Iowa, 348; Syllyman v. King, 36 Iowa, 207.

The evidence clearly shows that White did not pay his bid made at the sheriff’s sale for the land. -He paid the costs, amounting to $146.70, and no more. The land was conveyed by White to Catherine Murry, for the consideration of $1200, but she paid to White only the sum which had been paid by him. Under the rule above stated, these parties are not bona fide purchasers.

With Harrison the ease is no better. He was the attorney of John O’Brien, both in the Supreme Court and the court below, and is chargeable with knowledge of the appeal and all proceedings had in the case. We reach the conclusion that [690]*690White, Murry, and Harrison cannot be regarded as good faith purchasers under the judgment and execution.

2. PRACTICE on appeal: order to lower court to apportion costs: lailurc to move the court. III. Defendants insist that their title is valid, upon the ground that, by the terms of the decree of this court, there remained in the court below a valid judgment for costs, which would support the sale before made. The position is based upon the final decree in this court. After judgment for costs, and an order for execution, the following language is used: “the court below to make such an equitable apportionment of the costs therein as seems proper in view of the findings of this court; and the rights of the defendant, by motion, at the next term of said court, to have such equitable apportionment of costs is hereby reserved.” It will be remembered that, preceding this order, the decree sets aside the judgment against defendant and quiets his title to the land in question.

Defendants now insist that the provision of the decree above quoted, and the defendant’s failure to move for an equitable apportionment of the costs, leave the judgment for costs standing. But it is very plain that this position is in conflict with the language of the decree under consideration. It expressly provides for, and directs the court below to make, an equitable apportionment of the costs.' In this case it clearly implies that the judgment for costs shall not stand, but that a new judgment for costs, after the matter is acted upon, shall be entered. The judgment reversed was an absolute judgment against the defendant for all the costs. Our decree directs that the matter of costs be re-adjudicated by the court below, and of course it implies that, upon such adjudication, a judgment should be entered, to take the place of the one reversed and set aside.

The provision of the decree that the defendant shall be secure in the right to move for an equitable apportionment of costs, does not nullify the preceding provision, nor authorize the conclusion that, if he failed to so move, the judgment shall stand. It simply indicates the method to be pursued by [691]*691the defendant to secure this action by tbe court below. "We conclude that the failure of tbe defendant to move for an equitable apportionment of tbe cost did not give validity to tbe judgment which was set aside, nor in any manner cut off or predjudice bis rights.

3. defective abaMonment judgment toppci." IV. Tbe plaintiff in tbis case, tbe defendant in tbe former case, it is urged by tbe defendants herein, after tbe sheriff’s sale abandoned tbe possession of tbe land in controversy and removed from it certain buildings, We see no reason why tbis act should defeat bis title to tbe land.

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59 Iowa 686, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/obrien-v-harrison-iowa-1882.