Samuels v. Granite Savings Bank & Trust Co.

1931 OK 395, 1 P.2d 145, 150 Okla. 174, 1931 Okla. LEXIS 325
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJune 30, 1931
Docket19959
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 1931 OK 395 (Samuels v. Granite Savings Bank & Trust Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Samuels v. Granite Savings Bank & Trust Co., 1931 OK 395, 1 P.2d 145, 150 Okla. 174, 1931 Okla. LEXIS 325 (Okla. 1931).

Opinion

ANDREWS, J.

The defendant in error, Granite Savings Bank & Trust Company, as plaintiff, instituted a suit in the district court of Wagoner county against the defendants in error B. H. Wertz and Ray Wertz, as defendants, for the recovery of a money judgment on a promissory note and for foreclosure of a real estate mortgage securing the same. The plaintiff in error intervened therein, alleging ownership in an undivided one-tenth interest in the land, and praying for judgment for possession and the quieting of her title thereto against the claims of the plaintiff and defendants therein. The parties will be hereinafter referred to as they appeared in the trial court.

The trial court rendered a judgment in favor of the plaintiff and against the defendants on the notes, and for foreclosure of the real estate mortgage and against the intervener for foreclosure of the real estate mortgage, and against the intervener in favor of both plaintiff and defendants on the claim of ownership of intervener.

The trial court found and adjudged that the right of the intervener to recover was barred by a final judgment of the district court of Wagoner county in an action in which Fayette Wertz was plaintiff. From the judgment the intervener appealed.

The intervener presents ten assignments of error which are briefed under one proposition, to wit, that the judgment of the district .court of Wagoner county was not and is not a bar to her rights. In support of that proposition, (lie intervener makes two ' WcnF ns; First. Tint the district court of Wagoner county had no jurisdiction to render the decree relied on as a bar. for the reason that there was no proper service had in the cause; and, second, that there was no showing* of any right of either of the defendants or the plaintiff by vi tne of the decree in favor of Fayette Wertz.

The petition filed in that cause was entitled Fayette Wertz, Plaintiff, v. The Heirs, Executors, Administrators, Devisees, Trustees, and Assigns, Immediate and Remote, of Betsy Primous, Deceased, a Greek Freedman, Roll No. 4076, Census Card No. 1070, of the Final Rolls of the Citizens and Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes of the Indian Territory, Defendants. —No. 3915.”

The plaintiff therein a leged (liat he was the owner in fee simple of the land in controversy here; that he was in possession of same; that he derived title thereto by certain conveyances made to him by certain persons said to be the sole and only heirs, immediate and remote, of Betsy Primous, deceased ; that the land had been allotted to her; that she died intestate, the owner in fee thereof, more than ten years prior to the time of filing the petition; that she left surviving her as her only heirs at law and next of kin, the grantors of that plaintiff; that there had been no administration upon her estate and no judicial determination of p >rsons entitled to par.icipate in the distribution thereof; that certain persons, to the plaintiff unknown, as heirs, executors, administrators, devisees, trustees, and assigns, immediate and remote, of Betsy Pri-mous, deceased, claim some right, title or interest in and to the real estate adverse to the plaintiff, the exact nature of which was to the plaintiff unknown, which claims are without right and which are a cloud upon the title of the plaintiff. The prayer was for judgment against all persons claiming as heirs, executors, administrators, devisees, trustees, and assigns, immediate and remote, of Betsy Primous, deceased, and to quiet the title of the plaintiff.

Upon the filing of the petition, notice was given by publication and proof of publication was made and filed. At the hearing of the cause, the court, among other things, found that:

“* * * Pi'oí f of service by publication upon the defendants herein is tendered to the court for inspection, and the court having examined the same, finds that each and all of the defendants have been lawfully served by publication, and notified to appear and answer in said cause, * * ~ but that each and all of the heirs, executors, administrators, devisees, trustees, and assigns, immediate and remote, of Betsy Primous, deceased, a Creek freedman. Roli No. 4076, Census Card No. 1070, of theFinal Rolls of Citizens and Freedmen. c.f the Five Civilized Tribes of the Indian Territory, have wholly made default, and failed to plead or answer the said cause.”

The decree of the court made the further finding:

“* * * And thereupon, the plaintiff herein proffers his testimony to the court, showing that he is the owner of all the right, title, and interest of all known heirs of the said Petsv t>-vtio”*:!. dcceas'Hl, and thereupon, the court being fully advised in the premises, finds for the plaintiff, that he is the owner in fee and in possession. * * *”

In answer to the first contention made by the intervener, the plaintiff contends that *176 the attempt of the intervener to avoid the effect of the decree is a collateral attack upon the final judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction, and as such cannot be sustained. The intervener neither in the pleadings nor in the assignments of error points out wherein the service therein was insufficient, but in the brief urges that there was no showing of the filing of an affidavit to secure service by publication, and contends that, inasmuch as there was no showing of the filing of such an affidavit, the service was insufficient for want of authority to make service by 'publication.

The journal entry of judgment in that cause recites a finding of the court of lawful service, and there is nothing in the judgment roll showing that the service was not lawful. There being nothing in the record to show the want of service, the rule announced in Pettis v. Johnston, 78 Okla. 277, 190 Pac. 681, applies.

.Therein this court said:

“Relief based on evidence dehors the record may be had against a judgment rendered without service of process, under the third subdivision o” section 5267, Rev. Laws 1910, empowering the court to vacate or modify its own judgments or orders at or after the term at which such judgment or order was made, on account of ‘irregularity in obtaining a judgment or order.’ Such motion under section 5274, Rev. Laws 1910, must be presented within three years after the rendition of the judgment or order.
“* * * If it be necessary to resort to extrinsic evidence to show the invalidity of a judgment, the motion to vacate must be presented within the three years following the rendition of the judgment or order, otherwise every judgment, valid upon the face of the record, will depend for its perpetuity upon the frail memory of man. We refuse to follow those cases apparently holding that a judgment rendered without service of process, though valid on its face, may be vacated at any time upon motion. Those cases fail to distinguish between judgments valid on their face and those void on their face. See Edwards v. Smith. 42 Okla. 544, 142 Pac. 302. correctly lioYiing that a judgment is not void in the legal ^ense for want of jurisdiction unless its invalidity and want of jurisdiction appear on the record: it is voidable merely.’ ”

In Crowther v. Schoonover, 130 Okla. 249, 266 Pac. 777, this court held:

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Bluebook (online)
1931 OK 395, 1 P.2d 145, 150 Okla. 174, 1931 Okla. LEXIS 325, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/samuels-v-granite-savings-bank-trust-co-okla-1931.