State v. Day County

266 N.W. 726, 64 S.D. 370, 1936 S.D. LEXIS 57
CourtSouth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedApril 24, 1936
DocketFile No. 7929.
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 266 N.W. 726 (State v. Day County) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering South Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Day County, 266 N.W. 726, 64 S.D. 370, 1936 S.D. LEXIS 57 (S.D. 1936).

Opinion

PO'LDEY, P. J.

This action was brought to determine the superiority of the liens of the respective parties against a tract of land in Day county.

The facts are so fully set out in the findings made by the court that we do not consider it advisable to- set out the pleadings other than the relief asked for by the respective parties.

In its prayer for relief the plaintiff asks: “That the defendant be required to set forth its purported claim or lien and that the court, by its proper decree, find and adjudge said' claim or lien to be inferior to plaintiff’s title in and to said lands, and that title thereto may be quieted in plaintiff, 'State of South Dakota.”

In its answer defendant asks: “ * * * that the defendant’s lien upon said lands be adjudged1 to be in all things superior to the rights of plaintiff; that the plaintiff- be held and adjudged to hold any title it may claim to said lands subject to the lien of this defendant and that the defendant have such other and further relief as may seem just and equitable.”

No record has been brought up to this court by the appellant other than the pleadings, findings of fact, conclusions of law, and judgment; therefore, the findings of fact as made by the trial court must be accepted by this court as an absolute verity, and no consideration can be given to appellant’s discussion of the exhibits or the sufficiency of the evidence. The trial court made the following findings of fact:

*372 “That on the nth day of May, 1917, a drainage petition was filed in the office of the County Auditor of Day county, South Dakota, praying for the establishment of a drainage ditch in Waubay and Koscuislco townships in said county, and that upon said petition various proceedings were thereafter had by the Board of County Commissioners of said county whereby there was established and caused to be constructed a drainage ditch known and thereafter 'designated as the ‘Block Drainage Ditch.’ That a part of the lands embraced within and to be affected by said drainage project was the said lots three (sometimes described as NEJ4 o-f NWJ4) and four (sometimes described as NW,% of NW%) and south-half of northwest quarter of section four, township' 123, Range 53, then owned b-y one Anton Block, who was one of the signers of the drainage petition.

“That thereafter said Block Drainage Ditch was constructed, proceedings were had to determine the relative benefits, the cost of construction was advanced from the general fund of Day county, South Dakota, and all items of cost of construction were paid, and thereafter and on or about the 12th day of January, 1922, after all the owners of property involved had made an agreement in accordance with the provisions of Revised 'Code Section 8471, and with the provisions of Section 14, Chapter 98, Laws of 1905, as amended, whereby they accepted the assessment as true and correct, agreed to pay the same and waived any defect or objection to the proceedings in- levying said assessment, establishing said ditch, or determining the amount of the benefits, an assessment roll was made up and filed in the office of the County Treasurer of Day county, South Dakota.

“The Court further finds that on December 12, 1921, the Board of County -Commissioners of Day county caused a Notice of Assessment to be given, setting out the contents of a proposed assessment roll, and giving notice that a copy of such assessment would be filed with the County Treasurer on January 12, 1922. This Notice of Assessment was posted in three public places in Day county on December 22, 192.1, which was twenty-one days prior to the filing thereof in the office of the treasurer, and a Resolution approving said assessment roll was passed by the County Commissioners on the 9th of January, 1922, the assessment roll *373 referred to 'having prior to that date been duly accepted in writing by each and every owner of a tract of land affected thereby together with a written engagement by said owners that all defects in the proceedings leading to the spreading of said assessment were severally waived.

“The Court further finds as a matter of fact that all of the various steps required to be taken and notices required to be given from the commencement of the proceedings, down to the filing of the assessment roll were taken timely and did in fact substantially comply with the requirements of law which matters were conceded by both counsel at the time of argument of the case. The Court has noted in Finding No. Ill certain irregularities as to date, time, and notice in connection with the filing of the assessment roll.”

On or about the 1st day of December, 1920, the then owner of the land involved in this action made a Rural Credit loan of $2,700 thereon and gave the state a mortgage to secure the payment thereof. Default was made in the payment of this loan, and during the year 1928 the mortgage "was foreclosed and a sheriff’s deed was issued to the state on the 17th day of June, 1929.

The court further found: “ * * * that the amount of the assessment levied against this land and which the then owner of the land agreed to pay for an assessment ditch already constructed at the time of making the agreement was the sum of $1989.80; that no portion or installment of said assessment has ever been paid, by the owner of the land, or the plaintiff, and the same as a matter of record stands as an unpaid assessment against the real property above described, and the whole of said1 sum was advanced and paid by Day county, South Dakota, from public funds.”

From these facts the court made the following conclusions of law:

“That the proceedings to establish the so-called ‘Block Ditch’ described in the pleadings and evidence in this case were, except as to the filing of the assessment roll, in all respects lawfully and regularly conducted.

“That the proceedings in the filing and spreading of the assessment roll, while irregular did not substantially affect the rights of any parties interested in said drainage proceedings, or entitled *374 to notice thereof, and that said assessment roll, as filed, was filed pursuant to the agreement in writing of every person required to accept the same by law, and the defects and irregularities in the filing of the same, if any, ought to be validated by decree of Court pursuant to provisions of Section 29, Chapter 98, Laws of 1905, now Section 8488 South Dakota Revised 'Code.

“That the plaintiff is the owner of the real property above described.

“That the defendant Day county has a valid lien for drainage assessment upon said land in the sum of $1989.80 and interest after January 12, 1922, and that said lien is wholly unpaid.

“That under the law of this -State the rights of the plaintiff arising from a mortgage given from Rural Credit funds and of the defendant by reason of an assessment, which -can only be collected in the manner provided by law for the collection of taxes, are coordinate, and that the lien held by the defendant is not inferior to the rights and title of the plaintiff in and to said1 lands.”

Judgment dismissing plaintiff’s action was entered accordingly.

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Bluebook (online)
266 N.W. 726, 64 S.D. 370, 1936 S.D. LEXIS 57, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-day-county-sd-1936.