Reilly v. Barr

11 S.E. 750, 34 W. Va. 95, 1890 W. Va. LEXIS 56
CourtWest Virginia Supreme Court
DecidedJune 25, 1890
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 11 S.E. 750 (Reilly v. Barr) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering West Virginia Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Reilly v. Barr, 11 S.E. 750, 34 W. Va. 95, 1890 W. Va. LEXIS 56 (W. Va. 1890).

Opinion

EN&lish, Judge:

This was a suit in equity, brought by M. Reilly, Josephus Clark, and George A. Smith, doing business under the firm name of John Ij. Smith & Co., against David Barr and others, in the Circuit Court of Wetzel county, for the purpose of having certain conveyances made by the defendant, David Barr, to his son-in-law and co-defendant, Alexander Furbee, on the 15th and 16th days of February, 1884, [97]*97declared null and void so far as they affect the rights and interests of complainants, and praying for a sale of the property therein described, claiming that said deeds of conveyance are fraudulent and void as to the plaintiffs and several of the defendants who were creditors of said David Barr at the time of, and anterior to, the date of said conveyances.

It is alleged in plaintiffs’ bill that the defendant David Barr owns and holds in fee-simple, in his own name, two tracts or parcels of land in said county, — one containing four acres, conveyed to him by one Peter Coen, and the other containing twelve acres, conveyed to him by Isaac Coen; also, that after the debts and liabilities mentioned in the bill accrued,, on which judgments were subsequently obtained, but before ■ the rendition of any said judgments, to-wit, on the 15th day of February, 1884, the defendant Barr, being .indebted as aforesaid to plaintiffs and to. others, conveyed to his son-in-law, Alexander Furbee, a sixteen and one-half acre tract of land lying in said county, for the consideration expressed in said deed of five 'hundred dollars the payment of which was therein acknowledged in full, and that on the 16th day of February, 1884, the said Barr also conveyed to said Furbee a certain lot in the town of "Wileysville, in said county, on which there was then and yet are erected a dwelling-house and store room or house, and that the consideration expressed in the conveyance is also five hundred dollars, the. payment.of which is. also acknowledged in full; that the said tracts of land were all the real estate owned by said Barr in said county or else-were at the time of said conveyances, and that said Barr was wholly insolvent at the time of said conveyances to said Furbee as aforesaid; that both of said .conveyances were made while Barr was indebted to plaintiffs in the sums for which judgments were subsequently obtained against him; and that said conveyances were made for the express purpose of avoiding the effect and lien of said judgments, which said Barr well knew would shortly be rendered against him, and for the purpose of hindering, delaying, and defrauding his creditors generally, and complainants in particular.

[98]*98Plaintiffs further allege that up to the 15th of February, 1884, the defendant Alexander Furbee was well known in the neighborhood in which he lived for years as a man who was utterly impecunious, and that he was never known or supposed to be possessed of the sum of one thousand dollars, or of any other sum of money beyond what was necessary to keep himself and family, and that said Fur.bee never paid to said Barr any consideration price whatever for the realty conveyed to him by said Barr by said deeds, and that said conveyances are fraudulent so far as they affect the interests of complainants, and should be so considered. Plaintiff, after exhibiting copies of certain judgments owned by some of the defendants, allege that on the 8th day of April, 1884, the defendant David Barr and wife, by deed of that date, conveyed to defendant R. Mc-Eldowney, as trustee, the said four and twelve acre tracts of land to secure the defendants Vance, Hughes & Co. in the sum of four hundred and forty-three dollars and twenty eight cents, which amount they allege is yet unpaid; that said tracts of four and twelve acres are of small value, and would not sell for anything like a sufficient amount to discharge the plaintiff’s liens.

On the 10th day of June a decree was entered in said cause directing a commissioner to ascertain and report (1) the amount and value, and annual rental value, of any and all realty owned by the defendant David Barr lying in Wetzel county, W. Va.(2) any and all judgment liens existing against said David Barr, with their respective dates, priorities, and amounts, including interest and costs; (3) the time or date of the contraction by the defendant David Barr of the debts or liabilities for and on account of which the judgments set up in the bill and exhibits were obtained; (4) the date of the conveyances made by said David Barr to the defendant Alexander Furbee, and what actual consideration was paid by said Alexander Furbee to said Barr for the realty conveyed by said conveyances, and from whence the money was derived by said Furbee.

On the 31st of May, 1888, the defendant Alexander Fur-bee filed his separate answer to said bill, denying any knowledge of the judgments mentioned in plaintiffs’ bill as [99]*99rendered against tbe defendant David Barr, and disclaiming any knowledge as to when tbe debts were contracted by tbe defendant David Barr upon wbicb tbe judgments named in tbe bill were rendered, and claimed -that at the time be purchased said forty six and one half acres of land, and tbe property in 'Wileysville, be did not know that the defendant David Barr was indebted to any person, or that be was insolvent; and be denied that said conveyances were made to him by tbe defendant David Barr for tbe express purpose of avoiding tbe effect and lien of said judgments, and be further claimed that tbe purchase of tbe property by him from tbe defendant Barr was a fair and bona fide transaction, and that be has paid all of tbe purchase-money for said property. He also denied tbe allegation in tbe bill as to bis impecuniosity, or that be was never supposed to have so much as one thousand dollars, or any other sum beyond what was necessary to keep himself and family, but claimed that be at all times bad all tbe money he needed. He further denied that said conveyances to him from tbe defendant Barr were purely gratuitous and fraudulent, or that said Barr bad retained tbe possession of all of said real estate from tbe time of said conveyances up to tbe institution of this suit, or that be has never exercised any rights of ownership over tbe same, but claimed that be bad at all times since said purchase exercised acts and rights of ownership over tbe same. lie admitted that said David Barr bad remained in possession of a portion of said property, but under contract of rent with respondent, and be denied all fraud in tbe purchase by him from said Barr of the real estate in the bill mentioned.

Tbe commissioner, to whom was referred said matters of account by said decree reported that tbe defendant Barr was tbe owner of two tracts of land in Wetzel county — one containing twelve acres, and tbe other four acres, of tbe aggregate value of three hundred and ten dollars, and that on tbe 8th day of April, 1884, said Barr executed a deed of trust on said tracts of land to secure to Yance, Hughes & Co. tbe amount of two notes aggregating tbe sum of five hundred and forty seven dollars. He also ascertained the date and amount of tbe judgments obtained by tbe plain[100]*100tiffs and others against the said David Barr, and when the debts were contracted by said Barr upon which said judgments Were predicated, ascertaining that said debts were contracted in the months of September and October, 1883, although judgments were not obtained upon the same until May, 1884, August, 1884, February, 1885, etc.;

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Bluebook (online)
11 S.E. 750, 34 W. Va. 95, 1890 W. Va. LEXIS 56, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/reilly-v-barr-wva-1890.