Stockyards National Bank v. Capitol Steel & Iron Co.

441 P.2d 301, 201 Kan. 429, 1968 Kan. LEXIS 384
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedJune 8, 1968
Docket45,038
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 441 P.2d 301 (Stockyards National Bank v. Capitol Steel & Iron Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Stockyards National Bank v. Capitol Steel & Iron Co., 441 P.2d 301, 201 Kan. 429, 1968 Kan. LEXIS 384 (kan 1968).

Opinion

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Harman, C.:

This is a dispute between first and second mortgagees over part of the sale proceeds of real estate sold under mortgage foreclosure.

The action arose out of indebtedness incurred by the Kansas Steel Corporation and was commenced January 31, 1966, by the filing of a petition against it by the appellant Stockyards National Bank. Others claiming liens against the property of Kansas Steel, including appellee Capitol Steel and Iron Company, were named as defendants.

In its petition appellant stated three separate causes of action. The first cause of action (with which we are not concerned) was to foreclose three chattel mortgages on certain machinery and an automobile. The second cause of action was for judgment on eight promissory notes executed by Kansas Steel and to obtain judicial sale of certain steel covered by a series of warehouse receipts given to secure the eight notes. The notes, in varying amounts totaling $97,687.81, were made during the period from July 26, 1965, to December 3,1965.

*430 The third cause of action was for foreclosure of two mortgages on Sedgwick county real estate. Here appellant alleged (a) that on September 9, 1963, Kansas Steel had executed its promissory note in the principal sum of $32,000 payment of which was secured by its mortgage on real estate known as the North tract, and there was due an unpaid balance of $18,447.93, and further (b) that on December 30, 1964, Kansas Steel had executed its promissory note in the principal sum of $16,000, payment of which was secured by mortgage on real estate known as the South tract (adjacent to the North tract), and there was due an unpaid balance of $12,413.37. Appellant prayed for a total judgment in this cause of action of $30,861.30 plus interest, and for foreclosure of the two mortgages. Roth of these mortgages had been promptly recorded.

In due time appellee Capitol Steel filed its answer and cross-petition, alleging in the latter that Kansas Steel, being indebted to it for merchandise in the sum of $86,137.70, had on January 19, 1966, given its mortgage to appellee to secure said indebtedness, such mortgage also being on the same North and South tracts. It prayed for foreclosure of its lien for the amount of the indebtedness. This mortgage, which recited it was subject to appellant’s prior first mortgage, was duly recorded January 21,1966.

Eventually judgment was entered against Kansas Steel as prayed for in both petitions, the property was sold and priority of the various liens was adjudicated as hereinafter stated.

On its first two causes of action appellant recovered judgment against Kansas Steel for $104,021.07 plus interest. The net proceeds of the sale of the secured personal property after payment of sale expense amounted to $89,114.06, which was ordered paid to appellant to apply on its judgment. This order is not in dispute.

On the third cause of action appellant was awarded judgment against the North tract for $18,586.17 plus interest, and judgment against the South tract for $12,506.56 plus interest, and each mortgage was decreed to be a first and prior lien on each respective tract. Appellee was given judgment for $86,137.70 plus interest, and its lien on both tracts was decreed to be inferior only to appellant’s first mortgage lien (and a mechanic’s lien not here in issue). The trial court also found that the giving of the mortgage by Kansas Steel to appellee was a bona fide transaction, which finding has never been questioned.

At sheriff’s foreclosure sale the North tract sold for $45,000 and *431 the South tract for $20,000. Distribution of the sale proceeds was ordered according to the priorities already stated, that is, after payment of costs and taxes, on the North tract $18,586.17 plus interest to appellant and the balance of the $45,000 (after payment of mechanics lien) to appellee; on the South tract $12,506.56 plus interest to appellant and the balance of the $20,000 to appellee.

Upon appeal, appellant asserts error in the distribution of the mortgage foreclosure proceeds. It contends it should have been allowed the face amount of its original mortgages, that is $32,000 from the sale proceeds of the North tract and $16,000 from the South tract, instead of the amounts allowed.

First of all appellee contends appellant has no pleading on file to support its present contention. It is true appellant recovered judgment exactly as prayed for, that is, for the amount of the unpaid balances of the two notes secured by the real estate mortgages. Appellant’s position at trial is not entirely clear. So far as we are able to determine from the record on appeal, the first mention there for greater security coverage came after judgment, in appellant’s motion for new trial and to alter or amend the judgment, in which it stated:

“. . . by virtue of the notes given in connection with the balance of Plaintiff’s judgment in the total amount of $139,146.61 plus interest and the language of said notes and the contractual nature thereof, the Court should have ruled that the Plaintiff had a first and prior lien in the amount of $32,000.00 plus interest on the ‘North Tract’ and the sum of $16,000.00 plus interest on the ‘South Tract’.”

Appellant’s first item in its statement of points upon appeal is:

“It was error to limit the priority of a first mortgage over a second mortgage to the balance owed under the original note given in connection with the first mortgage when other notes were given which were also secured by the first mortgage and all of which notes were given prior to the date of the second mortgage.”

In appellant’s brief we find only the following statement in support of this theory:

“The mortgages of appellant were not only security in connection with the original notes, but by reason of the language contained in tire subsequent notes on which appellant bases its claim, was also security for the subsequent notes.”

Upon oral argument appellant points out that the language relied on by it to sustain its contention is a phrase contained in each of the eight promissory notes which were secured by warehouse *432 receipts. In an exemplar of those notes we italicize the language relied on:

Wichita, Kansas, August 3, 1965
“February 3, 1966 after date, for value received, the undersigned, jointly and severally, promise to pay to the
“Order of Stockyabds National Bank, Wichita, Kansas (hereinafter called the Bank), at its Banking Office in Wichita, Kansas,
- - - Sixteen Thousand Seven Hundred and No/100 - - - Dollars, with interest from date at the rate of six per cent per annum, and with interest from maturity at the rate of 10 per cent per annum,

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Bluebook (online)
441 P.2d 301, 201 Kan. 429, 1968 Kan. LEXIS 384, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stockyards-national-bank-v-capitol-steel-iron-co-kan-1968.