Smith v. Kiene

132 S.W. 1052, 231 Mo. 215, 1910 Mo. LEXIS 247
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedNovember 30, 1910
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 132 S.W. 1052 (Smith v. Kiene) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Smith v. Kiene, 132 S.W. 1052, 231 Mo. 215, 1910 Mo. LEXIS 247 (Mo. 1910).

Opinion

WOODSON, J.

This is an action of ejectment to recover the possession of a certain lot situate in Kansas City, and particularly described in the pleadings. There was judgment for plaintiff, and defendants appealed. The facts are few and are practically undisputed; and are substantially, as stated by counsel for appellants, as follows:

“This is an action of ejectment brought by Bryce Smith against Ludwig W. Kiene, his wife and daughter, Willie Kiene, to. recover possession of a lot of .ground in Kansas City, Missouri, having a frontage of twenty-seven feet on Eighteenth street, and extending back from the street to the depth of one hundred feet. 'The property is a part of lots 1 to 4, block 4, Evans’ Addition, and lies between McG-ee and Oak streets, near the Belt line.
“The common source of title of the land, except the east one foot, is Wilhelmina Kiene. She was the first wife of Ludwig W. Kiene, one of the defendants. Wilhelmina Kiene acquired the title to the ground by warranty deed in 1879. She died in 1881 or 1882, and left surviving her, her husband, Ludwig W. Kiene, and Hugo L. Kiene, Dora C. Kiene, Willie Kiene, Bertha Merkel, now wife of Julius Merkel, Emma Dannell, now wife of Richard Dannell, and Edith Feinup, now wife of Fred Feinup, her children. Ludwig W. Kiene [220]*220married again after the death of his first wife, and with his. second wife was living in a cottage on the ground at the time of the commencement of this action.
“On December 12, 1899', the Barber Asphalt Paving Company obtained a judgment in a suit in the Jackson Circuit Court (No. 33184) on a special taxbill for $236.60 against the east twenty-sevén feet of the west fifty-seven feet of lot 1, being that part of the ground in controversy fronting on Eighteenth street and extending back from the street to the depth of twenty-five feet. A special execution was issued on this judgment on October 16, 1901, and on November 30, 1901, the land was sold by the sheriff. The sheriff’s report of sale recites that Bryce Smith was the highest bidder, but the land was sold to B. Howard Smith. A certificate of purchase was given by the sheriff to Bryce Smith. The land not being redeemed from the sale on December 29,1902, a sheriff’s deed was given to Bryce Smith, conveying the east twenty-seven feet of the west fifty-seven feet of lot 1.
“All the property in question was sold for city taxes in 1897. Not being redeemed, a tax deed was given by the city treasurer on November 9, 1899, to L. M. Smith, daughter of B. Howard Smith, conveying the land for the taxes of 1897. She afterwards married George M. Hartmann, and in 1902, she brought a suit in ejectment in the Jackson Circuit Court (No. 7666) as L. M. Hartmann against Ludwig W. Kiene, his wife and Willie Kiene. The first count of the petition was in the usual form for ejectment, and the second count alleged that the title of the plaintiff was derived through a tax deed and that the plaintiff had paid out various sums of money for taxes, aggregating $289'.56, and prayed that in the event that the tax deed was declared void said sum be declared a lien on the land.
“The case came on for trial on December 9’, 1902, and the court held the tax deed void and instructed the jury to find for the defendants on the first count. [221]*221Leave was given plaintiff to file an amended petition making the heirs of Wilhelmina Kiene parties defendant, and the ease was continued. On December 20, 1902, plaintiff filed a second amended petition, making the other children of Wilhelmina Kiene parties defendant. This amended petition in the first count sets out a cause of action in ejectment against Ludwig W. Kiene, his wife and daughter, Willie, and in the second count alleges that there has been a trial on the first count and the plaintiff defeated, for the reason that the tax deed is void on its face, and prays for a lien on the property for the taxes paid, aggregating $340.58.
“On February 21, 1903, an order of publication was obtained for Emma Dannell, Richard Dannell and Minnie Kiene. There was personal service on the other defendants. Proof of publication was filed April 18, 1903, and on March 5, 1904, the case was heard. Plaintiff was permitted to amend her petition by inserting the taxes paid for the year 1903, and a personal judgment was entered against the defendants for $889.99 on both counts of the petition. On March 23, 1904, without notice to the defendants, the court set aside the former judgment of March 5th, and entered a new judgment, nunc pro tunc. By this latter judgment, there was no finding on the first count of the petition. On the second count judgment was rendered in favor of the plaintiff for $889.99, and the same was made a lien on the property. On November 9, 1904, a special execution was issued on this judgment. The property was advertised and sold under this execution on December 23,1905, to Bryce Smith. A deed was given by the sheriff to Bryce Smith on the day of the. sale and on the following day this action of ejectment was begun.”

There are some additional facts which will be noted in the opinion in connection with the discussion of the propositions to which they relate.

[222]*222I. The first insistence of counsel for appellants is that the judgment of nunc pro time of Marola 23, 1905, is void, because it was rendered without notice to them.

This insistence is untenable for two reasons: First, the defendants there, appellants here, were, in contemplation of law, in court on that day by virtue of the original service had upon them and through the pendency of their undisposed motions for a new trial and in arrest of judgment. That being true, notice of the nunc pro time order was unnecessary.

Second, But conceding the defendants in the former suit were entitled to notice of the nunc pro tune proceeding, however they, the appellants here, actually appeared in court there; filed a motion to set aside that judgment; also a motion to quash the execution issued on the same, and when it was overruled they excepted and appealed to this court.

Such appearance by the parties in interest waived all objections for want of notice. [State ex rel. v. Board, 108 Mo. 235; State ex rel. v. Harrison, 226 Mo. l. c. 171.]

II. The validity of the nime pro time judgment of March 23, 1905, is also assailed by counsel, because it “is so vague as to make the judgment void,” for the reason assigned that, “In the judgment of March 23d it is adjudged that said plaintiff have and recover the sum of $889.99, together with interest thereon, etc. No mention is made of the parties from whom the plaintiff recovers. A judgment must show of and for whom it is given.”

In order to properly understand this proposition it will be necessary to set out the judgment in this connection. It reads as follows:

Li. M. Hartman v. Ludwig Kiene, Mrs. Ludwig Kiene, Willie Kiene, Louis Hugo Kiene, Dora C. Kiene, Bertha Merkel, formerly Bertha Kiene, and Julius Merkel, her husband, and Julius Merkel, Emma Dannell, formerly Emma Kiene, and Richard Dannell, her husband, Edith Feinup, formerly Edith Kiene, and [223]*223Fred Feinup, her husband, Minnie Kiene, Sam B. Hough, Emma Daenel, and Richard Daenel, Defendants, 7666.
This cause having heretofore been submitted to the court for trial, the plaintiff appearing by C. E.

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Bluebook (online)
132 S.W. 1052, 231 Mo. 215, 1910 Mo. LEXIS 247, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/smith-v-kiene-mo-1910.