Spokane Security Finance Corp. v. Titus

16 P.2d 1053, 170 Wash. 508, 1932 Wash. LEXIS 1003
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 19, 1932
DocketNo. 24085. Department Two.
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 16 P.2d 1053 (Spokane Security Finance Corp. v. Titus) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Washington Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Spokane Security Finance Corp. v. Titus, 16 P.2d 1053, 170 Wash. 508, 1932 Wash. LEXIS 1003 (Wash. 1932).

Opinion

*509 Beals, J.

— During the autumn of 1925, defendant, Jessie E. Titus (then Jessie E. McKenzie), was the owner of the furniture situated in an apartment hotel in the city of Spokane known as “Granby Court.” October 1,1925, defendant contracted to sell the furniture in this hotel to Inez Reeder for $15,000, receipt of $4,500 being acknowledged as a down payment, the balance payable in monthly installments of $150 each. On the next day, Boyles Brothers Co., Inc., the owner of the G-ranby Court property, leased the same to defendant for the term of six years from October 1,1925, for a total rental of $32,400, payable $450 a month in advance. The lease provided that the lessor should have a lien upon all the personal property belonging to the lessee located in the apartment house, as security for the payment of the rental.

The lease was acknowledged both by lessor and lessee October 5,1925, and, at the same time, defendant and Inez Reeder made oath that the mortgage contained in the lease was made in good faith, being the oath required by law in connection with a chattel mortgage. On the date last mentioned, defendant, by endorsement on the lease, assigned all her right, title and interest therein'to Inez Reeder, who assumed all the terms thereof, the lessor in writing consenting to the assignment, the consent containing a provision to the effect that the original lessee (defendant herein) and the assignee agreed to pay the rent reserved in the lease. The lease was regularly filed as a chattel mortgage in the office of the auditor of Spokane county.

April 17, 1929, defendant assigned the contract of conditional sale between herself and Inez Reeder to Frankie E. Sparrell, the assignment authorizing the assignee to institute and maintain any action to enforce collection of any sums due on the contract of conditional sale, such actions to be waged at the expense *510 of the assignee. At the time of this assignment, there was an unpaid balance due upon the contract of conditional sale in the sum of $5,663.19, with interest from April 6, 1929.

On the following day, Frankie E. Sparrell, by written assignment, transferred all of her interest in the contract of conditional sale to plaintiff, Spokane Security Finance Corporation. No bill of sale of the furniture was given to or by Mrs. Sparrell in connection with the transaction above referred to. It appears that all rentals due under the lease of Granby Court up to and including the month of April, 1929, together with all sums due defendant from Inez Reeder, had been paid at the time of the assignment to plaintiff of the contract of conditional sale. Defendant, as consideration for the assignment of this contract, received title to certain furniture in another hotel property, which furniture was subject to a landlord’s lien con-* tained in a lease similar to that covering the Granby Court property.

During the month of August, 1931, Boyles Brothers Co., Inc., instituted an action for the recovery of $2,800, as rent due under the Granby Court lease, the complaint naming Inez Reeder as the debtor and defendant, and Jessie E. Titus and “Frank M. Moore” (evidently intended for Frank M. Mohr, an officer of plaintiff) as additional defendants claiming some interest in the personal property against which it was sought to establish the lien. The complaint in this action sought recovery of judgment only against Inez Reeder, and alleged that she owed the money sought to be recovered therein.

September 10,1931, Frankie E. Sparrell executed in favor of plaintiff an assignment of all rights which she had received from defendant under the assignment of the contract of conditional sale, and authorized plain *511 tiff to appear for her and in her place and stead and enforce any rights that she might have under the assignment. November 20, 1931, a stipulation was entered into between Boyles Brothers Co., Inc., as plaintiff in the foreclosure action, and Frank M. Moore, one of the defendants therein, whereby it was agreed that the action should be dismissed with prejudice, and, pursuant to this stipulation, an order of dismissal was entered.

December 3, 1931, plaintiff brought this suit against defendant, stating in its complaint two causes of action : First, for breach of an implied warranty of title to the property described in the contract of conditional sale, which defendant had assigned to Mrs. Sparrell, and Mrs. Sparrell in turn to plaintiff; plaintiff alleging the existence of the chattel lien contained in the lease as a breach of warranty, and suing as assignee of Mrs. Sparrell to recover $2,700, alleging that the plaintiff was obliged to and had conveyed to Boyles Brothers Co., Inc., all its interest in the hotel furniture described in the contract of conditional sale in satisfaction of the unpaid lien for. rent due under the lease of Granby Court during the latter portion of the occupancy of the premises by Inez Reeder.

In its second cause of action, plaintiff sought to recover the same amount upon the theory that defendant had executed a chattel mortgage in favor of Boyles Brothers Co., Inc., covering the hotel furniture, as security for rent to become due under the lease, and that defendant had received $2,700 by way of rent for the use and occupancy of the premises, which sum plaintiff was compelled to pay in the suit of Boyles Brothers Co., Inc., v. Reeder et al., in satisfaction of the claim against the furniture.

A trial to the court resulted in findings of fact and conclusions of law in plaintiff’s favor, to the effect that *512 plaintiff was entitled to judgment against defendant for the sum of $2,800. From the judgment, entered against her in this amount, defendant appeals.

On the trial, appellant sought to prove knowledge on the part of respondent, prior to the assignment from Mrs. Sparrell to respondent, of the fact that the lease of Granby Court provided that the lessor therein should have a lien upon the hotel furniture to secure sums due it under the lease. Concerning this matter, counsel for respondent, during the course of the trial, stated:

“Now, of course — I am merely stating this so your Honor will understand my argument — of course, we knew there was a mortgage of record because the mortgage was there, so her telling us it was there didn’t give us any information — we knew it from the record. ’ ’

From the record before us, it must be assumed that respondent, prior to taking the assignment from Mrs. Sparrell, was advised that the landlord had, under its lease, a lien upon the furniture in the hotel for sums to become due it by way of rental.

Appellant’s assignments of error go to the sufficiency of the evidence to support the judgment rendered, and only a general discussion thereof is necessary.

The assignment from appellant to Mrs. Sparrell contains no warranty of title to the property. The amount of the balance due on the contract is set forth therein, together with the times at which this balance was payable.

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Bluebook (online)
16 P.2d 1053, 170 Wash. 508, 1932 Wash. LEXIS 1003, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/spokane-security-finance-corp-v-titus-wash-1932.