Stahl v. Allchin

52 N.W.2d 251, 155 Neb. 412, 1952 Neb. LEXIS 84
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 29, 1952
Docket33127
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 52 N.W.2d 251 (Stahl v. Allchin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Stahl v. Allchin, 52 N.W.2d 251, 155 Neb. 412, 1952 Neb. LEXIS 84 (Neb. 1952).

Opinion

Chappell, J.

On July 12, 1951, plaintiff filed this action in the district court. His petition purportedly contained two *413 causes of action.. The first sought , to enjoin defendant from trespassing upon certain described farm lands, except 60 acres thereof then in wheat to be harvested by defendant during the summer of 1951, and thereafter to. perpetually enjoin defendant from also trespassing thereon. It also sought to temporarily enjoin defendant from in any manner molesting plaintiff in his peaceful possession of the premises pending the trial of both causes of action.

The second cause of action,, relying substantially upon the same allegations, as alleged in .the first, sought to have immediately declared and established plaintiff’s exclusive right to possession of the . premises and to plant and harvest certain crops thereon during the fall of 1951, alleging that unless such determination is so made he will suffer irreparable injury by the continuing trespasses of defendant and that he has no adequate remedy at law since he, the plaintiff, was rightfully in possession of the premises.

In both causes of action plaintiff also prayed for general equitable relief.

His right to the foregoing relief was predicated primarily upon the. provisions of a written recorded lease allegedly executed by the owner Alice S. Palmer as lessor, with plaintiff as lessee, on November 27, 1950, for a term from March 1, 1951, to September 1, 1953, of which defendant had notice and knowledge, but. for reasons hereinafter discussed refused to recognize, as valid and effective.

After a hearing the trial court denied plaintiff’s application for a temporary injunction. Defendant demurred to both causes of action for defect of parties plaintiff or defendant, misjoinder of causes of action, and generally for failure to state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action. His demurrer was subsequently overruled and defendant answered, denying generally plaintiff’s right to any relief upon either cause of action and affirmatively alleging that defendant had at .all times *414 involved since August 1950 been in open, peaceful, and lawful- possession of the premises upon which plaintiff was and had been a trespasser.

Defendant’s alleged possession and right thereto was predicated upon the provisions of a written recorded lease executed on behalf of the owner Alice S. Palmer as lessor, with one Wayne A. Enyeart as lessee, on December 15, 1948, for a term from March 1, 1949, to March 1, 1952. On August 29, 1950, Wayne A. Enyeart allegedly, for valuable consideration recited therein, assigned such lease and certain crops on the premises in writing to defendant, subject to the landlord’s approval allegedly obtained, and that defendant then went into possession thereunder prior to the execution of plaintiff’s lease on November 27,1950.

After a hearing upon the merits the trial court rendered a decree finding generally for defendant and against plaintiff on the first cause of action, dismissing the same, and finding generally for plaintiff and against defendant on the second cause of action. In other words, the decree found in effect that defendant was rightfully in possession under a proper assignment approved by the lessor and that under the circumstances plaintiff could not by injunction obtain possession, thereby putting defendant out of possession as prayed in plaintiff’s first cause of action. However, the decree undertook to settle the controversy by concluding that plaintiff under provisions of the leases and circumstances involved was entitled to possession of all the land on March 1, 1952, and also had a right to enter and sow fall crops in the summer-fallowed ground in the fall of 1951 to mature after March 1, 1952, all purportedly as prayed in plaintiff’s second cause of action.

Defendant’s motion for new trial was overruled and he appealed, assigning substantially, insofar as important here, that the judgment on the second cause of action was contrary to law. We sustain the assignment. On the other hand, plaintiff did not file a motion for *415 new trial but cross-appealed, assigning substantially, insofar as important here, the trial court erred in dismissing plaintiff’s first cause of action. We conclude that the assignment has no merit.

The record discloses without dispute that at the commencement of this action and at all times prior thereto, beginning in March 1951, both parties claimed the right to possession of the premises involved. Plaintiff, claiming the right to possession under the written lease executed on November 27, 1950, for a term from March 1, 1951, to September 1, 1953, undertook during the temporary absence of defendant to cultivate portions of the land and plant spring barley on the premises in March 1951. However, defendant, then claiming to have been in peaceful possession under and since his August 29, 1950, assignment of the written lease executed on December 15, 1948, for a term from March 1, 1949, to March 1, 1952, almost immediately notified plaintiff of his possession and rights thereunder, undertook to prevent plaintiff from planting such crops, and went forward with his own cultivation and planting thereon. As a matter of course, in the light, thereof plaintiff never was in peaceful possession as alleged in his petition, but under his first cause of action was simply attempting to obtain by injunction such possession and put defendant out of his claimed possession.

It is well established that under such circumstances injunction could not be so invoked by plaintiff. It has long been the rule that: “A litigant cannot successfully invoke the extraordinary remedy of injunction, the effect of which would be to obtain possession of real estate, unless the facts and circumstances in the case are such that his ordinary legal remedies are inadequate.” Hollinrake v. Neeland, 94 Neb. 530, 143 N. W. 809; Reed v. Wellman, 104 Neb. 292, 177 N. W. 170; Vance v. Sumner, 119 Neb. 630, 230 N. W. 490. See, also, Mohat v. Hutt, 75 Neb. 732, 106 N. W. 659, and Vance v. Henderson, 141 Neb. 766, 4 N. W. 2d 833, so *416 holding under circumstances singularly comparable with those at bar.

We therefore conclude as a matter of law that the trial court properly denied plaintiff injunctive relief and correctly dismissed plaintiff’s first cause of action. Fenster v. Isley, 143 Neb. 888, 11 N. W. 2d 822, relied upon by plaintiff is clearly distinguishable upon the facts. Therein defendant was truly a trespasser because he “was neither in possession nor did he have a right to possession.”

With regard to the second cause of action, plaintiff argued that he sought thereby to have judicially declared his right to possession of the premises and certain crops planted thereon in 1951; had a right to have the controversy between plaintiff • and defendant over the question of possession under their respective leases settled; and their rights, status, and duties judicially declared, as provided in the declaratory judgments act. Viewed in such light, we conclude as a matter of law, without deciding questions of fact, that plaintiff was not entitled to the relief demanded and that the granting thereof by the trial court was erroneous for the reason that necessary parties were not impleaded in the action.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
52 N.W.2d 251, 155 Neb. 412, 1952 Neb. LEXIS 84, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stahl-v-allchin-neb-1952.