Randall v. White

84 Ind. 509
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 15, 1882
DocketNo. 9317
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 84 Ind. 509 (Randall v. White) 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
Randall v. White, 84 Ind. 509 (Ind. 1882).

Opinion

Woods, C. J.

Complaint to foreclose a mortgage made by Adriel S. Kingsley and wife- to the appellee, bearing date April 12th, 1876, and containing, immediately after the description of the premises, a stipulation of the tenor following, to wit: “It is understood and agreed by the mortgagee that on request of the mortgagor, in case he sells the above property, the mortgagee will release this mortgage, provided the-mortgagor will place it upon other property satisfactorily as secure, or the mortgagee will release this mortgage in favor of another mortgage that may be placed on the property for an amount not to exceed $>1,500, provided the mortgagor execute a second mortgage to him in place of this, to secure the payment, when the same shall become due, of one promissory note of even date herewith,” etc., describing a note for $800, to become due one year after date.

The appellant, Randall, who was made a defendant to the complaint, filed a cross complaint, wherein it is alleged in substance, that-on the 20th day of October, 1876, Kingsley borrowed of him, Randall, the sum of $1,500, giving a promissory note therefor, and, to secure the payment of the same, executed and delivered to him a mortgage, wherein it was stipulated- that the same was to have priority over any other mortgage, and. especially over the mortgage of the appellee, which, together with the aforesaid stipulation therein, was-expressly brought to the attention of the appellant; that, by the inadvertence of the scrivener and of the parties, there was a misdescription of the land intended to be mortgaged; that [511]*511on the same day, October 20th, 1876, said Kingsley and wife executed to the appellee a second mortgage to' secure his said debt, but, by the same mistake, the land was misdescribed as in the mortgage to the appellant; and thereafter, before said mistakes were discovered, Kingsley and wife conveyed the land by a true description to Christian Showver and his wife, Emma, who afterwards, in order that said mistakes might be corrected, reconveyed to Kingsley, who, with his wife, on the 4th day of August, 1877, executed to the appellee another mortgage in lieu of and to correct the error in the first, and for no other purpose or consideration; that the appellee received and has ever since retained the second mortgage, but has not released or cancelled the'first, and in this action is seeking to' enforce and foreclose it as the first lien upon said lands. Wherefore, etc.

Copies of the mortgages referred to in the cross complaint are filed with and alleged to be a part of the pleading. Kingsley and wife and Showver and wife, together with the appellant, were made defendants to the complaint; and the same-parties, with the appellee, were named as defendants in the cross complaint.

To this counter-claim the appellee filed nine paragraphs of answer. The appellant, having saved exceptions to the overruling of his separate demurrers to the second, fourth, fifth and eighth, filed a reply in four paragraphs, to which the court sustained demurrers, and gave judgment for the appellee, foreclosing his first mortgage and declaring it prior to any claim of the appellant. The question of the correctness of each of these rulings is presented- for review.

The second, fifth and eighth paragraphs of answer are to the effect that after the execution of the mortgage to the appellee, to wit, on March 27th, 1877, Kingsley and. wife conveyed the land to their daughter, Emma Showver, who held the title until the demand of the appellee was overdue, and he was about to foreclose, when, at the instance of her father, she reeonveyed to him; that the appellant then held a mort[512]*512gage for the sum of $1,800 on other property of Kingsley, which was a good and sufficient security; that, for the purpose '■of cheating the appellee, Kingsley, Showver and the appellant ■combined and confederated to the end that Kingsley should execute to the appellant a mortgage upon the land mortgaged to the appellee in lieu of the mortgage already held by the •appellant on Kingsley’s other property; and after this was done, and not before, did the said Kingsley tender to the appellee the mortgage mentioned in the cross complaint, which he refused to accept ; and thereafter Kingsley reconveyed the land to Emma Showver, the purpose of the transaction being to give the appellant a fraudulent preference over the appellee, and to render the appelle'e’s security worthless; that there was, in fact, no mistake, as alleged in the first mortgage, made to the appellant, and the pretence that the second mortgage was made to him for the purpose of correcting such mistake was false and fraudulent, made for the purpose of postponing aiid defeating the appellee’s security.

■ The fourth paragraph is, in substance, that after the execution of the mortgage to the appellee, .Kingsley and wife made a mortgage on the same land to Christian J. Showver, to secure the payment of $700, payable one day after date; and that when Kingsley tendered to the appellee the alleged second mortgage, the land was encumbered by the mortgage to Showver, which remained unsatisfied, of record, as well as by the pretended mortgage to the appellant.

The first paragraph of the reply is addressed to all of the answer except the fourth paragraph, and, denying the alleged fraud and all * inconsistent allegations; reiterates the averments of the cross complaint, and, in addition, alleges that the other property described, .(by mistake) Mn the first mortgage to the appellant was already encumbered by other prior liens to its full valué.

The second, third and fourth paragraphs'of' the reply are addressed to the fourth paragraph of answer', and are to the effect following:

[513]*5138'eoond. That after the execution of the mortgage for $700, to Showver, Kingsley and wife sold and conveyed the mortgaged land to Showver and wife by a deed which was duly recorded, before the execution to the appellee of the second mortgage, containing a true description of the land.

Third. The same as the second, with the further averment that Showver and wife reconveyed the premises to Kingsley by deed, with full covenants of warranty, before the making of the second mortgage, with the true description, to the appellee.

Fourth. That before the execution of the second mortgage to the appellant, and before the' making of the second mortgage, containing a true description, to the appellee, Kingsley had paid to Showver the full amount of the indebtedness secured by said mortgage to him, which amount had been received in full satisfaction of the mortgage, and the note ■evidencing the debt had been surrendered.

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Bluebook (online)
84 Ind. 509, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/randall-v-white-ind-1882.