Rosenthyne v. Matthews-McCulloch Co.

168 P. 957, 51 Utah 38, 1917 Utah LEXIS 5
CourtUtah Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 9, 1917
DocketNo. 3046
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 168 P. 957 (Rosenthyne v. Matthews-McCulloch Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Utah Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rosenthyne v. Matthews-McCulloch Co., 168 P. 957, 51 Utah 38, 1917 Utah LEXIS 5 (Utah 1917).

Opinions

Frick, C. J.

[40]*40The plaintiff brought this action to cancel a deed of conveyance which she alleged was made without authority by her husband, who, in making the same, acted as her attorney in fact under a certain power of attorney. §he prayed for relief as follows:

“That the deed hereinbefore described, and the record thereof, be declared fraudulent and void by this court, and that said deed be required to be delivered up for cancellation.”

The plaintiff obtained judgment canceling the deed, but the district court also entered judgment against her and in favor of the Matthews-MeCulloeh Company, hereinafter called company. That company was given judgment against the plaintiff and granted a lien on the premises in question for moneys alleged to have been expended by the company for the alleged use and benefit of the plaintiff. Plaintiff’s appeal is upon the judgment roll, and is only from that part of the judgment against her.

Plaintiff’s counsel insists that the findings of the court in favor of said company and the conclusions of law and judgment based on said findings are erroneous, for the reason that they are not supported by the pleadings. The court’s findings that are complained of here are as follows:

“That in pursuance of said exchange of property the said Matthews-MeCulloeh Company paid out for the use and benefit of the plaintiff the following sums:
On February 16, 1916, as interest on the herein-before mentioned $2,500 mortgage on said premises. $ 20.85
On March 17,1916, as interest on the hereinbefore mentioned mortgage on the said premises. '50.00
At the time of said exchange, as interest on the hereinbefore mentioned mortgage on said premises . 127.75
At the time of said exchange, as taxes on aforesaid premises of said plaintiff. 50.16
On September 18, 1915, for fixing headgate in irrigation system on aforesaid premises of plaintiff . 10.00
Total $258.76”

[41]*41As conclusions of law the court found as follows:

“That the defendant Matthews-McCulloeh Company is entitled to have judgment against the plaintiff, Lovina W. Rosenthyne, for the aforesaid sum of $258.76, advanced by the said Matthews-McCulloeh Company for the use and benefit of said Lovina W. Rosenthyne as hereinbefore set forth; that said Matthews-McCulloeh Company are entitled to a lien upon the hereinbefore described premises of the said Lovina W. Rosenthyne, and the said hereinbefore described premises of the said Lovina W. Rosenthyne be, and they are hereby, impressed with a lien in favor of the Matthews-McCulloeh Company, for the aforesaid sum of $258.76, paid out and expended by the said Matthews-McCulloeh Company on the said premises for the use and benefit of the aforesaid Lovina W. Rosenthyne, as hereinbefore set forth.”

The court, in addition to entering judgment canceling the deed as before stated, also entered judgment establishing a lien on the premises in question in favor of said company for the reasons stated in the findings and conclusions of law. The only allegations in the answer of the company upon which the findings, conclusions of law, and judgment complained of could be based are the following:

“That by the terms of said trade the said eodefendants Frank D. Smith and his wife, Rose Smith, actually assumed the mortgage incumbrance of $2,500' aforesaid, and in addition paid $405.40 in cash to discharge the taxes, which were over one year past due, and also discharge the interest, which was in default for two quarters, and other obligations and debts outstanding against said property.”

In addition to what has been said it is only necessary to state the relationship of the parties and how that relationship' arose, as those matters are disclosed by the pleadings. It is there made to appear that the plaintiff was the owner of certain real estate in Ogden City, and that she executed a power of attorney to her husband with respect thereto. Her husband, through the defendant company, entered into an agreement with the defendants Frank D. Smith and Rose Smith, his wife, whereby said company, with the consent of the plaintiff’s hus[42]*42band, exchanged her real estate for real estate owned by said Frank D. Smith. There was a mortgage for $2,500 on plaintiff’s real estate which said Smith assumed and agreed to pay as part of the consideration and as part of the difference in value between plaintiff’s premises and the premises of said Smith. There was some interest due on the said mortgage, and the taxes were unpaid on plaintiff’s premises, as appears from that portion of title company’s answer we have quoted.

The court construed the power of attorney, and found that the husband of the plaintiff had exceeded his authority in exchanging the premises owned by the plaintiff for those owned by said Smith, and hence the deed of conveyance made by the husband by virtue of said power of attorney 1, 2 was, as against the plaintiff, held void. As we have seen, the court, however, also found that in making the exchange of premises the said company had advanced certain money for the use and benefit of the plaintiff which she should be required to repay the said company as a condition precedent to canceling the deed aforesaid. Plaintiff’s counsel however, insists that the court’s findings, conclusions' of law, and judgment in that regard are, to say the least, erroneous, for the reason that there is nothing in the pleadings to support said findings, conclusions of law, and judgment. We have carefully read the pleadings, and it must be conceded that there is nothing contained therein upon which such findings, conclusions of law, and judgment could legally be based. We have set forth all of the allegations respecting the expenditure of the money for the use of the plaintiff, and there is nothing in those allegations authorizing any such findings, conclusions of law, or judgment in favor of the company. That the company had no such right must also have been the theory of the pleader who drew the answer of the company, since in the prayer no affirmative relief is asked for. The prayer is as follows:

"Wherefore these defendants, having answered plaintiff’s complaint, ask that plaintiff take nothing by this complaint, and that these defendants have their costs.”

[43]*43If the company therefore had paid out any money for the use of the plaintiff, she in equity and good conscience, should repay as a condition precedent to having the deed set aside and canceled; and if the company was entitled to a lien on plaintiff’s premises for the amount so paid out for her use and benefit, the facts in that regard should have been alleged, and the company should have prayed for such relief. Under our jurisprudence no court has the power to transcend the pleadings in granting relief, although the evidence may be abundant to sustain the findings and judgment; yet if the pleadings do not support them, the judgment cannot prevail. The law in that regard is correctly and tersely stated in 23 Cyc. 816, in the following words :

“A judgment must accord with and be warranted by the pleadings of the party in whose favor it is rendered; if it is not supported by the pleadings, it is fatally defective.”

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
168 P. 957, 51 Utah 38, 1917 Utah LEXIS 5, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rosenthyne-v-matthews-mcculloch-co-utah-1917.