Tallent v. Sherrell

184 S.W.2d 561, 27 Tenn. App. 683, 1944 Tenn. App. LEXIS 54
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedSeptember 23, 1944
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 184 S.W.2d 561 (Tallent v. Sherrell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tallent v. Sherrell, 184 S.W.2d 561, 27 Tenn. App. 683, 1944 Tenn. App. LEXIS 54 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1944).

Opinion

HICKEBSON, J.

The bill in this cause was filed by Will Tallent against H. M. Sherrell individually and as *685 executor of the will of H. E. Sherrill, deceased, and M. T. Holt, Circuit Court Clerk of Giles County, Tennessee, to set aside á judgment of the Circuit Court of Giles County in an unlawful detainer suit, to declare the rights of the parties to the farm involved in the unlawful detainer suit, and to have the farm sold and distribute the proceeds of the sale. The defendant, H. M. Sherrell, individually and as executor of the will, of H. E. Sherrell, deceased, denied the material allegations of the bill and pleaded in bar of complainant’s suit a former suit pending in the Chancery Court of Lincoln County between the same parties covering the same subject matter. From a decree of the Chancellor dismissing the bill, complainant appealed to this Court.

In 1934 H. E. Sherrell purchased a farm in the Tenth Civil District of Giles County, Tennessee, containing 182 acres, more or less, from an insurance company and paid therefor $2100'. He and Will Tallent entered into a partnership agreement for the operation of this farm. By this agreement the parties were to carry on the usual farming operations and divide the profits therefrom equally.

H. E. Sherrell died in 1940, testate, and H. M. Sherrell qualified as Executor of his will. H. M. Sherrell and Will Tallent were unable to reach an agreement in regard to the partnership affairs of H. E. Sherrell and Will Tal-lent, so Will Tallent filed a bill in the Chancery Court of Lincoln County, Tennessee, seeking a complete accounting and settlement of the partnership business. It was his contention in that suit that he and H. E. Sherrell had agreed, when the farm was purchased in Giles County and title taken in the name of H. E. Sherrell, that they would operate the farm as partners and when the farm was sold they would divide the amount of the sale price *686 iii excess of $2100, the original purchase price, equally between them.

While this suit was pending in the Chancery Court of Lincoln County, H. M. Sherrell brought an unlawful de-tainer suit before a justice of the peace in Giles County, Tennessee, to recover possession of the farm in question. The justice of the peace awarded possession to plaintiff in that suit. The case was brought to the Circuit Court by certiorari.

When this unlawful detainer suit came on for trial in the Circuit Court, an effort was made to compromise the case. As a result of these negotiations the parties came into open court, and stated to the Circuit Judge that the case had been compromised and settled. The Judge inquired about the terms of the settlement and the Attorneys explained to him that Tallent would pay $100 rent to Sherrell for the year 1943 and the costs and surrender possession of the farm to Sherrell on January 1, 1941. Thereupon, the Judge made this notation on his docket: “The defendant to pay $400.00 rent and costs and give possession January 1, 1944.” The Attorneys were directed to draw the order and a day or two afterwards Mr. J. L. Jones, attorney for H. M. Sherrell, did draw the order and left it with the Circuit Court Clerk of Giles-County, Tennessee. The order was entered on the minutes and the minutes signed by the Circuit Judge. The judgment provides: “Howard M. Sherrell, individually and as Executor of H. E. Sherrell vs. Will Tallent. No. 2713½.

“This case came on this day to be heard before the Honorable Joe M. Ingram, Circuit Judge upon the settlement of the matters in controversy reached by the parties and stated in open court by their Attornej^s, the terms of which settlement are as follows:

*687 . “The defendant, Will Tallent, agrees to rent the tract of land involved in this case lying in the 10th Civil District of Giles County, Tennessee, bounded generally North by Holly, South by King, East by Holly, and West by Holly, containing 182' acres, conveyed to H. E. Sherrell by deed of record in EOGCT in Deed Book 105, page 186, for the year 1943, for $400.00 and has agreed to and has executed his note therefor with security, and also carrying the usual landlord’s lien for the rent and he further agrees to give to the plaintiff, or his heirs or assigns, possession of the above described premises on January 1, 1944, and to pay all the costs of this case, which agreement the court is pleased to approve and make the judgment of this court. .
“It is therefore ordered, adjudged and decreed that the rental agreement above set out be and the same is hereby approved and that the defendant Will Tallent, and M. H. Smith and M. H. Wolaver, sureties on his bond, pay all of the costs of this case, for which execution will issue if necessary, and that the said defendant surrender possession of said premises .on January 1, 1944, and that the plaintiff be restored to possession of said premises on said date, and if necessary, the writ of possession will issue to put the plaintiff in possession thereof.” ■ ■

The parties agree that this judgment correctly states and shows everything.that was told the Circuit Judge in regard to the compromise.

After the entry of this judgment, Will Tallent filed the bill in this cause seeking to set the judgment aside on the ground that it was procured by fraud, accident, or mistake. It was his contention, and his witnesses testified, that he and Sherrell agreed to compromise the uh-lawful detainer suit by his agreeing to pay Sherrell $400 *688 as rent for the farm for 1943, and surrender possession of the farm on January 1,1944; with the additional agreement or provision that the farm would be sold during the year 1944 and that he and Sherrell would divide the proceeds of the sale which were in excess of $2100, equally, and that Sherrell would agree to place a minimum bid of $5,000 on the farm. The provision in the agreement, however, about the sale of the farm, according to the contention of Tallent, was dependent upon the decree of the Chancery Court of Lincoln County. Whether the parties had agreed to divide the proceeds of the sale of the farm in excess of $2100 equally between them was an issue in the chancery case in Lincoln County.

It was the contention of 'Sherrell, and his witnesses testified, that there was no agreement whatever in the settlement of the unlawful detainer suit relating to the sale of the farm in Giles County; that this question was an issue in the Chancery case in Lincoln County and was left by the parties to be determined in that case; and that the entire ’ agreement between the parties was stated to the Circuit Judge in open court and that the judgment which was entered in the unlawful detainer suit correctly embodied the agreement of the parties.

The Chancellor sustained the plea of former suit pending, and confined the issues in the present suit to the question of the judgment in the Circuit Court of Giles County. We agree with that conclusion.

Mr. Lawson Myers, attorney representing Mr. Tallent, testified that the question of selling the farm and dividing the rents was an issue in the Lincoln County case. The Chancery Court of Giles County and the Chancery Court of Lincoln County have concurrent equity jurisdiction.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
184 S.W.2d 561, 27 Tenn. App. 683, 1944 Tenn. App. LEXIS 54, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tallent-v-sherrell-tennctapp-1944.