Price v. Williams

13 S.W.2d 822, 179 Ark. 12, 1929 Ark. LEXIS 6
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedFebruary 18, 1929
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 13 S.W.2d 822 (Price v. Williams) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Price v. Williams, 13 S.W.2d 822, 179 Ark. 12, 1929 Ark. LEXIS 6 (Ark. 1929).

Opinion

Mehaffy, J.

On October 25, 1923, A. L. Bland was indebted to W. C. Cross in the sum oí $600, and on that day executed his promissory note for said sum, and gave a deed of trust upon certain lands in White County to secure the payment of said debt. After Bland had paid a portion of the debt, W. C. Cross transferred and assigned the note and deed of trust to John P. Williams, on the 31st day of August, 1925. On January 14, 1926, A. L. Bland was indebted to John P. Williams in the sum of $200, and executed his note for said sum, which became due on July 14,1926. The following is a copy of the note given by Bland to Williams:

“$200 Beebe, Ark., Jan. 14, 1926.
“On or before the 14th day of July, 1926, for value received, I or we agree to pay to J. P. Williams, or order, two hundred dollars, with interest at 10 per cent, per annum from date until paid, negotiable and payable at Beebe, Arkansas, it being for money advanced on land, to-wit: S'%, NE pt. SW-NW 17-5-16 acres, more or less, this amount to be added to the original mortgage to W. Cl Cross transferred to J. P. Williams and this day delivered to the maker of this note, with the understanding and agreement by and between the maker of this note and J. P. Williams that the title of above described property is and shall remain, with full power of disposition without notice, in such manner as he may see fit, in said J. P. Williams, until all indebtedness on above mentioned stock is paid for in full.
His
Lat X Bland
Mark
“Due July 14, 1926.
“Witness: J. E. Turnage.
(Indorsed) “Filed May 29, 1928. Ben D. Smith, clerk.”

Bland having failed to pay Williams the Cross debt and also the $200, suit was brought by Williams to foreclose the deed of trust on the property. The deed of trust ran to W. C. Cross and to his heirs and assigns. After the assignment of the note and deed of trust to Williams, and after Bland had executed the note to Williams above set out, on the 13th day of November, 1926, A. L. Bland conveyed the land described in the deed of trust to G. W. Price.

Bland, in his answer, admitted the execution of the note to Cross, and admitted that there was a balance due, and also admitted that he was indebted to Williams in a small amount unsecured. He further alleged that he had conveyed the property to Price, and that Price had assumed all indebtedness due to Cross from Bland.

Price filed an intervention, admitting- that he bought the lands from Bland, and agreed that he was to pay the balance due to W. C. Cross. He alleged that he had no notice that J. P. Williams was claiming a lien on the land for the amount due him, until the filing o.f the suit. He alleged that he is. ready and willing to pay the Cross note.

Plaintiffs filed a reply to Price’s intervention, denying the allegations in said intervention.

The evidence was undisputed about the original indebtedness from Bland to Cross, and about the note and mortgage, and about the balance due on said mortgage. But Bland testified that he did not agree for Williams to have a lien for the $200 note. He also testified that he only gave a note for $50, that he borrowed $50 from Williams and gave his note. However, the testimony of Williams and Turnage, justice of the peace, who wrote the note and witnessed Bland’s mark, testified that he executed the note for the $200, and the testimony shows that the Cross mortgage should cover this indebtedness as well as the original indebtedness to Cross.

There is some conflict in the testimony, but the chancellor’s finding is sustained by the preponderance of the evidence, and it is unnecessary to set out the testimony in detail.

The deed of trust was written on a blank used by the Union Bank & Trust Company, and, while the mortgage was made by Bland to Cross, the name of Union Bank & Trust 'Company was left in by mistake, so that the mortgage read, as to indebtedness other than the note: “Also as security for the payment of any other liability or liabilities of the grantor already or hereafter contracted to the said Union Bank & Trust Company.” Cross being the mortgagee, of course it was understood that this meant indebtedness to him, and, the printed form being used, the parties overlooked the name of the bank being printed in blank, and neglected to strike it out and insert the name of Cross.

The deed of trust did not properly describe the land, and suit was not only to collect the debt and foreclose the mortgage, but also to reform the mortgage or deed of trust before foreclosure. The ¡chancery court entered a decree reforming the mortgage and ordering the land sold to pay the balance of the original debt due Cross and also the debt due Williams.

The appellant’s first contention is that the description in the deed of trust from Bland to Cross does not contain' a description of the land in controversy, and does not contain such a description as from it the land could be located. In the first place, there was a sufficient description of the land to put any person on notice and enable them to locate the land. Besides that, both Bland and Price knew what land it was, and each of them knew that it was the only land that Bland owned in White County. But, in addition to this, this question was not raised in the lower court, and it cannot be raised here for the first time. The complaint asked for a reformation of the deed, and neither Bland nor Price made any contention or suggestion about the improper description of the land. They admitted the indebtedness, and alleged a willingness to pay the original debt to 'Cross, and Bland also admitted the other indebtedness. Not having raised the question as to the description in the lower court, they cannot raise it here.

Appéllant’s second contention is that Price would only be liable for the amount of $240.03, and states that Price had no notice, either actual or constructive, of any indebtedness due by Bland to Williams, and that for that reason the land could not be sold to pay this debt to Williams. Price, however, did have record notice of the fact that the note and mortgage had been assigned to Williams by 'Cross-, and he admits that- he knew abont it, and that Bland told him -about it. Therefore, when Price bought the property he -bought it with a knowledge that the original mortgage was made to Cross and his assigns, and with the knowledge that the note and mortgage were assigned to Williams.

As a general rule, the assignee of a mortgage or deed o.f trust has all the rights thereunder that an assignor has. And in this case Williams had all the rig*hts that Cross had; but the appellant says that it is their contention that the mortgage does not secure the indebtedness evidenced -by the $200 note given by Bland to Williams, and that Price, being an innocent purchaser for value, took the land free from any liens that Williams might have.

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Bluebook (online)
13 S.W.2d 822, 179 Ark. 12, 1929 Ark. LEXIS 6, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/price-v-williams-ark-1929.