Steinfort v. Langhout

170 Iowa 422
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedMay 17, 1915
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 170 Iowa 422 (Steinfort v. Langhout) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Steinfort v. Langhout, 170 Iowa 422 (iowa 1915).

Opinion

Gaynor, J.

This action is brought in equity to set aside a certain bill of sale executed by the defendant, Samuel Langhout, to Henry Langhout on the 3d day of October, 1912.

1. Fraudulentconveyances: creditor taking conveyanee: good minded. Samuel Langhout is a son of Henry Langhout, and, at the time of the making of the bill of sale, resided on a farm owned by his father, Henry. The property covered by the bill of sale was, at the time of its execution, in the possession of Samuel Langhout, and . consisted of horses, colts, cows, calves, shoats, chickens, farm machinery, buggies and wagons, three sets of harness and about sixty acres of corn in the field. The facts and circumstances attending and leading up to the making of this bill of sale will be hereafter referred to in detail.

The plaintiff’s right to maintain this action is based upon the fact that on the 11th day of November, 1912, he obtained a judgment in the district court of Sioux County, against the defendant, Samuel Langhout, for $1,000.00 with costs; that on that date an execution was issued against Samuel Langhout, and was returned by the sheriff with the words endorsed thereon, “No property found.” Thereafter, and on the 16th day of November, 1912, an order was issued by the judge of the district court, upon proper showing, requiring the defendants, Samuel and Henry Langhout to [424]*424appear for examination in proceedings supplemental to execution.

They appeared before the court and were examined and their answers at that hearing made a part of this record. The trial court found for the plaintiff, finding that the bill of sale was fraudulently made, and for the purpose of hindering and delaying the creditors of Samuel Langhout, and especially this plaintiff, and subjected the property so conveyed in the bill of sale, in the hands of Henry Langhout, to the payment of plaintiff’s judgment. Defendants appeal.

This is a fact case. There can be and is no serious controversy as to the law that governs the rights of the parties in a controversy of this kind.

The action in which the judgment against Samuel Langhout for $1,000.00 was entered was tried at the September term, 1912. On the 13th day of September, the jury returned their verdict. Thirty days were given to the defendant in which to file a motion for a new trial. No motion for a new trial was filed until the 8th day of November, 1912. On the 11th day of November, the motion was stricken from the files and judgment entered against the defendant, Samuel Langhout, for $1,000.00, with six per cent interest from the 13th day of September, 1912, and costs amounting to $120.85.

It was during these thirty days given by the court to the defendant for the filing of a motion for a new trial that the bill of sale was executed. It appears that the bill of sale covered all the property owned by Samuel Langhout, except his household goods and furniture.

At the time of the execution of the bill of sale, the record shows that Samuel was indebted to his father on a note of $700.00, with interest, amounting to $722.00. This note was secured by mortgage. He was also indebted to him in the sum of $800.00 for rent due on the place then occupied by Samuel. This was all that was due Henry from Samuel at the time of the making.of the bill of sale. The consideration in the bill of sale was fixed at $2,940.00. The [425]*425balance was paid in this way — Samuel was indebted as- follows : to his sister, Agnes Langhout, $600.00 on a note dated February 25, 1910, due February 25, 1911, bearing 8% interest; to his brother, David Langhout, $400.00 on a note dated January 28, 1912, and due October 28, 19.12, bearing 8% interest; to Frank Dykstra, his brother-in-law, $250.00 on a note dated May 10, 1912, due May 10, 1913, bearing 8% interest, and to his attorney, Gerrit Klay, in the sum of $50.00.

At the time of the making of the bill of sale, these obligations were disposed of by Henry in this way: Henry receipted to Samuel for the amounts due to himself, took up the obligation due Agnes Langhout by executing to her his personal note, dated October 12, 1912, for $720.67, due October 1, 1913, bearing 8% interest; took .up the note due David Langhout by executing to him a note for $400.00 dated October 3, 1912, with 8% interest from February 28, 1912; took up the note due Frank Dykstra by executing to him a note for $257.78, dated October 1, 1912, and due October 1, 1913. The $800.00 obligation for rent was disposed of by executing the following receipt to Samuel:

$800.00

Orange City, Oct. 3, 1912.

Received of Samuel Langhout $800.00, being rent for 1912 on Northwest Quarter 32-97-45.

Samuel Langhout testified that these notes were fixed up in the attorney’s office. “Mr. Klay and my father and my brother David were present. This was the time we drew the bill of sale.”

David testified that, at the time the bill of sale was drawn up, he 'had with him his note against Samuel 'and also his sister’s note; that the father took up these two notes and delivered to him his personal notes, payable one to himself, and one to Agnes, for the amount of their several notes. “My sister gave me her note for collection. I took father’s note in lieu of her note and delivered father’s note to her [426]*426about a week later at Sioux City, and about two weeks later I bought the note from my sister. My sister was going away and had to have the money. I accepted the new note that my father gave me in lieu of the one I held against Samuel. I also accepted a new note, signed by my father, in lieu of the old note which my sister had against Samuel. I appraised the property before the bill of sale was made. My father asked me to- appraise it. lie phoned me from Orange City. He said he wanted to find out what it was worth. This was some time before the bill of sale was made. "When he phoned me to come and appraise it, I supposed he wanted to buy the stuff. I found that the bill of sale was to be made on the 3d day of October, the day it was given. I just happened to be up there.”

There is some further testimony from David to the effect that he intended to press the collection of the note, had it not been adjusted in this way.

Frank Dykstra testified that he was not at Orange City at the time the bill of sale was made; that he had no talk with Henry Langhout as to how the note should be changed. He told Samuel he wanted it paid when he heard of the verdict. It was after the bill of sale had been made that Henry handed him the new note, and said that he took up the old one. This was about a week or two after the bill-of sale was made.

He further testified that the first thing he knew about Henry’s giving a note to him in lieu of the note he had against Samuel was when Henry phoned him to send the old note. It was then that he found out he had taken it over; that he did not tell him when he phoned what he was going to do. ‘It was a couple of days before the bill of sale was made that he telephoned for the old note; that he had heard something about giving a bill of sale, and that the making of the new note and the taking up of the old note was done without his knowledge; that he had the old note in his possession at the time the bill of sale was given and did not [427]*427know that Ms father had executed a new note in his favor, until he delivered it to him about a week or so after the bill of sale was made.

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Bluebook (online)
170 Iowa 422, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/steinfort-v-langhout-iowa-1915.