Smith v. Schwartz

60 P. 305, 21 Utah 126, 1899 Utah LEXIS 23
CourtUtah Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 9, 1899
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 60 P. 305 (Smith v. Schwartz) 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
Smith v. Schwartz, 60 P. 305, 21 Utah 126, 1899 Utah LEXIS 23 (Utah 1899).

Opinion

BasKin, J.

It is alleged in the complaint that the plaintiff, who is the appellant, is the owner in fee and in the actual possession of the following real estate situate in the county of Salt Lake, State of Utah, to wit: The S. W. J of the S. W. J of Sec. 29, in Township 2S., ofKange IE., of Salt Lake Meridian, and that defendants claim an estate therein adverse to plaintiff, which is wrongful and without right.

Upon the complaint, the plaintiff prays that her title, by a decree of the court, may be quieted.

The answer denies the alleged title and possession of plaintiff; alleges that the defendant, Leo Alexander, is the owner in fee simple of said real estate, and sets out in full detail how his. said title was derived; also sets out other matters of defense which it is not necessary to specially mention.

The prayer of the answer is ‘ 1 that the plaintiff take [130]*130nothing by her complaint; that her said complaint be dismissed; that the title of the defendant Alexander herein set up be quieted and confirmed as .against any and all claims of the plaintiff.”

There is no dispute between the parties regarding the facts on which the alleged titles of the respective parties are predicated, and as found by the court and disclosed by the evidence they are as follows:

“That at and prior to February 19, 1892, the lands in question were held in fee simple by one Robert Gardiner; that on the 18th day of February, 1892, there was duly rendered a judgment in favor of the said M. Schwartz, respondent, and against the said Robert Gardiner, in the sum of $211.85 in an action pending before H. E. Booth, a United States commissioner and ex-officio justice of the peace in and for the Territory of Utah, that afterward, to wit: on the 19th day of February, 1892, the said defendant Schwartz caused an abstract of said judgment to be filed in the office of the clerk of the district court of the Third Judicial District of Utah, county of Salt Lake, that being the county in which the aforesaid premises are situated; and by virtue thereof it became a lien upon said property, there being at that time no other liens thereon; that on November 29, 1895, the defendant Schwartz caused an execution to be issued on said judgment and to be placed in the hands of. the sheriff of Salt Lake County, Utah, and a levy to be made on said real estate, December 5, 1895, and the same was advei’-tised to be sold under said levy, on the 30th day of December, 1895; that on the 28th day of December, 1895, a restraining order was issued by said distinct court in a suit by appellant against the said Schwartz and the sheriff, enjoining the sale of said real- estate under said levy, which remained in full force until the 8th day of May, [131]*1311897, at which date it was dissolved, and the action was dismissed; that the execution upon which the levy was made was returned by the sheriff on account of said restraining Order unsatisfied.”

That on the 23d day of April, 1897, the judgment in favor of Schwartz against the said Gardiner was renewed by a judgment of -the district court in and for the Third Judicial District, county of Salt Lake, in an action instituted in said court for that purpose, by the said Schwartz against the said Robert Gardiner, but it does not appear that the appellant, Nellie S. B. Smith, was a party to said action; that upon this renewed judgment, and after the dissolution of the restraining order, to wit: on the 1th day of May, 1897, another execution was issued to the sheriff of Salt Lake County, and by him levied upon said real estate, which was by him advertised for sale, and on the 21th day of June, 1897, was sold at public auction to the said Schwartz, he being the highest and best bidder therefor, and a certificate of purchase in due form was issued to him, and a duplicate copy thereof duly filed with the county recorder; that after the time for redemption from said sale had expired, and no redemption having been made, to wit: on the 3d day of January, 1898, the sheriff of said county duly executed and delivered to the said Schwartz, a deed conveying to him said real estate, which deed was duly recorded on said day in the office of the recorder of said county; that on March 3, 1898, the said Schwartz, by a deed of warranty, conveyed said real estate to his co-respondent, the said Leo Alexander, in fee simple.

The respondent, Leo Alexander, claims title under the foregoing facts, and the appellant’s claim of title rests upon the following facts, to wit: More than ten months after the judgment of Schwartz against Gardiner was [132]*132obtained, and an abstract of the same was filed in said district court, the said Gardiner and his wife conveyed said real estate, in fee simple, to Eugene Lewis, trustee, with Cyrus B. Hawley as his successor in trust, to secure the payment of a promissory note executed by the grantors to the appellant, Nellie'S. B. Smith, for $650. The trust deed contained the proviso that in case of default in the payment of said note, said trustee, or his successor in trust, might sell said real estate for the purpose of paying the same, with interest; that said deed was duly recorded in the recorder’s office of Salt Lake County, on December 31, 1892; that appellant paid the taxes on said premises in 1894, 1895, and 1896; that her agent rented the premises in 1897 and 1898 to one Henry Monterr for pasturage; that the premises consisted of a tract of wild land surrounded by a wire fence; that during the lease the lessee was seen by a neighbor putting in and taking therefrom a number of cattle; that default having been made in the payment of said promissory note, and the said trustee, Eugene Lewis, having refused to act as such, his successor, Cyrus B. Hawley, at the request of appellant, proceeded to advertise and sell said real estate, under the authority of said trust deed to the appellant, and upon such sale by deed duly executed, delivered, and conveyed on August 13, 1894, in fee simple, to the appellant, said real estate.

At the trial of this case the court found as a conclusion of law from the foregoing facts, that ‘‘all of the rights of the plaintiff under and by virtue of said trust deed have been foreclosed and lost; that the said defendant, Leo Alexander, is entitled to a decree quieting the title to the above property as against the plaintiff, ’ ’ and rendered a decree in accordance therewith.

The only question which it is necessary to decide, is [133]*133whether the facts justify this conclusion of the trial court, and the decree rendered thereon.

It is provided in Sec. 3605, Compiled Laws 1888, that when an abstract of a judgment of a justice of the peace is filed and docketed in the office of the • clerk of the judicial district in which such judgment is rendered, as required by Sec. 3603, “such judgment is a lien upon the real property of the judgment debtor, not exempt from execution, situated in that judicial district, for the period of five years from the date of the judgment, unless the judgment be previously satisfied. ”

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Bluebook (online)
60 P. 305, 21 Utah 126, 1899 Utah LEXIS 23, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/smith-v-schwartz-utah-1899.