Simon v. Sabb

33 S.E. 799, 56 S.C. 38, 1899 S.C. LEXIS 161
CourtSupreme Court of South Carolina
DecidedAugust 2, 1899
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 33 S.E. 799 (Simon v. Sabb) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of South Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Simon v. Sabb, 33 S.E. 799, 56 S.C. 38, 1899 S.C. LEXIS 161 (S.C. 1899).

Opinion

The opinion of the Court was delivered by

Mr. Justice Gary.

As some of the exceptions raise the question that his Honor, the Circuit Judge, erred in refusing to sustain the demurrer interposed by all the defendants except Peyton M. Cater, it will be necessary to set out the complaint in the report of the case.

[43]*431 [42]*42The first exception alleges error, as follows: “Because his Honor overruled the demurrer to the complaint for defect of parties, and held that the administrator of Caroline Wil[43]*43liams and of Rebecca Williams, persons mentioned in the complaint, were not necessary parties defendant; whereas he should have held that the administrators of said deceased persons were necessary parties defendant in this action, they being charged with fraud.” We will first consider whether the administrator of Rebecca Williams was a necessary party defendant. Section 143 of the 'Code contains the following provisions: “The Court may determine any controversy between the parties before it, when it can be done without prejudice to the rights of others or by saving their rights; but when a complete determine of the controversy cannot be had without the presence of other parties, the Court must cause them to be brought in.” AVhether it is necessary that an administrator or executor, as the case may be, should be made a party to an action, depends upon the facts of the particular case. Fogle v. Church, 48 S. C., 86. The plaintiff was not a creditor of Rebecca Williams; she was not liable for the mortgage debt, and no judgment could be rendered against her administrator, who, it is not alleged, has any control over the lands or the proceeds thereof. Under these circumstances, the case of Trapier v. Waldo, 16 S. C., at page 288, shows conclusively that the administrator of Rebecca Williams was not a necessary nor even a proper party defendant. The act of 1894, hereinafter considered, has n0‘ application to the question whether the administrator of Rebecca Williams was a necessary party to the action.

2 The next question that will be considered is whether the administrator of Caroline Williams was a necessary party defendant. The act of 1894, 21 Stat., 816, contains the following provisions: “That from and after the passage of this act, no sale under or by virtue of any mortgage or other instrument in writing intended as security for a debt, shall be valid to pass the title of the land mortgaged unless the debt for which the security was given shall be first established by the judgment of some Court of competent jurisdiction, or unless the amount of the debt be consented to in writing by the debtor, &c.” The other provi[44]*44sions have no application to this case, as it is not pretended that there was any such consent. Whatever doubt may have existed prior to1 the act hereinbefore mentioned of the necessity for making the administrator of the mortgagor a party defendant, when the plaintiff only- sought to subject the mortgaged property to the payment of the debt, there was no doubt even prior to said act of the necessity for malting the administrator of the mortgagor a party defendant, if in addition to subjecting the mortgaged property to the payment of the indebtedness, • he also desired a judgment against the mortgagor’s estate, in order to- recover any deficiency that might remain after exhausting the mortgaged property. The act of 1894 deprived the mortgagee of the right to' subject the mortgaged property to the payment of .the debt before establishing the debt secured by the mortgage by the judgment of a Court of competent jurisdiction. In other words, it became necessary to recover judgment for a specific sum against the mortgagor’s estate before the mortgaged property could be sold. In order to recover such judgment the administrator of the mortgagor was a necessary party to the action, and the Circuit Judge erred in not so holding. The act shows upon its face that it has reference to- the foreclosure of mortgages executed prior, as well as those executed subsequent, to the passage of the said act. It only related to the remedy, and the legislature had the right to- make it applicable to the foreclosure of. mortgages, whether executed prior or subsequent to its passage. Stoddard v. Owings, 42 S. C., 88. The effect of sustaining the exceptions raising this question is a dismissal of the complaint, unless this Court should order the complaint to be retained so that it may be amended.

We will therefore consider the other exceptions for the purpose of determining whether there is such merit in the plaintiff’s case as demands that the complaint should be retained and amended. The second exception is as. follows: “II. Because his Honor, Judge Townsend,- overruled the demurrer, as to the second paragraph thereof, and held that [45]*45the complaint stated' facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action; whereas he should have held that the complaint did not state a cause of action, in the following particulars: I. That the complaint stated as the basis of action, a note of a married woman with mortgage to secure advances for agricultural purposes, but does not allege that it was such a contract as a married woman could make, nor that it was for the benefit of her separate estate. 2. The plaintiff asks relief in equity against alleged fraud on a note tainted with usury; whereas it is submitted that he cannot come into* equity claiming relief on a note whose provisions violate the statute law of the State. He must come into equity with clean hands. 3. The plaintiff,' after alleging assignment to himself of bond and mortgage, does not allege that he is the innocent assignee of the same for value without notice; and without such allegation he is not entitled on his complaint to relief in equity. 4. The complaint alleges that Caroline Williams, charged with fraud, died before the commencement of this action; it is sought to recover on a note executed by said Caroline Williams as a security for advances made, and to sell, in order to' pay the note of said Caroline Williams, certain land, the legal title of which is in Julia Jones and the heirs at law of Rebecca Williams, deceased. It is alleged in the complaint that said Caroline Williams died intestate, and yet no allegation is made in the complaint to charge any personal representative either of Caroline Williams or of Rebecca Williams, although both are charged with fraud in the complaint.”

3 We will consider the questions raised by this exception in their regular order. At the time this contract was entered into, the right of a married woman to make such a contract was dependent on the power conferred upon her by the statute, and the burden of proof was on the person dealing with her to show that the contract was made with reference to her separate estate. In this case the complaint shows that Caroline Williams was a married woman when the note and mortgage were executed, and [46]*46there are no allegations showing that the agricultural supplies were for the benefit of her separate estate. The complaint was, therefore, subject to demurrer, and the Circuit Judge erred in overruling it. But even if the allegations of the complaint were sufficient to. constitute a cause of action, 4

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
33 S.E. 799, 56 S.C. 38, 1899 S.C. LEXIS 161, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/simon-v-sabb-sc-1899.