Toman v. Tufts

56 N.E.2d 135, 323 Ill. App. 516, 1944 Ill. App. LEXIS 931
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedJune 30, 1944
DocketGen. No. 42,362
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 56 N.E.2d 135 (Toman v. Tufts) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Toman v. Tufts, 56 N.E.2d 135, 323 Ill. App. 516, 1944 Ill. App. LEXIS 931 (Ill. Ct. App. 1944).

Opinion

On Rehearing.

Mr. Justice Lupe

delivered the opinion of the court.

This appeal was taken from an order of the circuit court denying leave to appellants to intervene.

On June 29, 1934, the county treasurer of Coolc county instituted these proceedings wherein he sought to be appointed receiver under the Skarda Act for the purpose of collecting rent and- applying same toward the payment of delinquent taxes due on the property.

On July 9, 1934, he was appointed tax receiver, and was in possession of the property in the month of February 1942.

On June 30, 1937 a bill to foreclose was filed in the superior court of Cook county (No. 37 S 8498) involving the same property. Thereafter, in 1941, a second bill to foreclose was filed in the same court (No. 41 S 6450) by Leo Brezinske and Amanda Brezinske, appellants, as holders "of some of the bonds secured by the mortgage, seeking foreclosure and additional relief. By order of the superior court the causes were consolidated, and George F. Scheck was appointed receiver of the premises in question.

On February 2, 1942, Scheck as receiver, in pursuance to an order entered in the consolidated causes, sought leave to intervene in the tax foreclosure proceedings, which was allowed and set for hearing on February 3, 1942. He sought to obtain possession of the premises from the tax receiver. In his petition he alleged the tax receiver had permitted a lessee to accumulate a debt for rent in excess of $2,100; that a writ of assistance was ordered against the tenant but that the tenant had not been ousted; that, if the property became vacant, for the best interest of the bondholders and the State it would be necessary to remodel and rebuild it (the property being a warehouse) and thereby increase the income and improve its rent-ability; it would be necessary that receiver’s certificates be issued therefor and, unless the relief be granted, the bondholders and the State would suffer loss; that in a tax foreclosure proceeding the court lacked jurisdiction to grant relief pertaining to the necessary work to be done and the issuance of receiver’s certificates, that such relief could only be obtained in the superior court.

On February 3, 1942, appellants, as plaintiffs in the consolidated cause in the superior court, also sought leave to intervene in the present proceeding, and adopted by reference the intervening petition of Receiver Scheck. Appellants requested relief as prayed for by Receiver Scheck and, in addition thereto, that the tax receiver be ordered to account and to be surcharged with unpaid rent due because of his carelessness and mismanagement of the property.

On the same day the court struck Receiver Scheck’s petition and denied appellants leave to intervene, from which order this appeal is taken. Receiver Scheck did not join in this appeal, and we, therefore, are not called upon to determine if error had been committed in denying the relief sought by him.

Notice of appeal was filed on February 5, 1942, and thereafter served on the county treasurer and the state’s attorney. It is conceded Mary Tufts, the owner of the property, was not served with notice of appeal. The notice was filed to the Supreme Court, and that court transferred the cause to the Appellate Court on appellee’s motion. In appellee’s motion to transfer the cause it was urged that there was no question for direct review and that it was solely a question whether the appellants had a right to intervene. The Supreme Court having allowed the motion, there remain only the following questions to be decided: (1) Should the appeal be dismissed for failure to give notice to Mary Tufts; and (2) Did the chancellor err in denying leave to appellants to intervene, and in striking the receiver’s petition.

Appellee filed his motion to dismiss the appeal in this court for failure to serve Mary Tufts. Counter-suggestions were filed thereto, and we have taken the motion with the case.

Mary Tufts being the • owner of the property, appellee contends she was entitled to service of notice of appeal in accordance with rule 34 of the Supreme Court, and not having been served, the appeal should be dismissed.

Appellants argue that Mary Tufts was in default; it therefore became unnecessary to serve her. However, from an examination of the record we find that' leave was given and she filed her appearance and answer in the proceeding on February 17, 1942. No order of default was entered against her at any time. It necessarily follows that she was not in default. (Crabtree v. Green, 36 Ill. 278.)

It is contended by appellees that notice not having-been served on Mary Tufts her rights would be adversely affected by a reversal or modification of the order appealed from, on the theory that the property may become further encumbered by the issuance of receiver’s certificates. The question of issuance of receiver’s certificates was not before the circuit court to pass upon. There is grave question if the superior court would have authorized the issuance of receiver’s certificates. If application were made for the issuance of receiver’s certificates Mary Tufts would have received notice thereof and would have been given an opportunity to be heard.

Rule 34 of the Supreme Court is as follows: “A copy of the notice by which the appeal! is perfected shall be served upon each party, whether appellee or co-party, who would be adversely affected by any reversal or modification of the order, judgment, or decree, and upon any person or officer entitled by law to a notice of appeal, within ten days after said notice of appeal is filed in the lower court . . . .”

In view- of the allegations of the petitions of Receiver Scheck, and the appellants, seeking to compel the tax receiver to relinquish the property, to account, and that he be surcharged with items of loss of rent, could Mary Tufts’ rights he adversely affected by the order denying them the right to intervene ? Assuming that appellants were successful in their contention, would it not redound to the benefit of Mary Tufts ? We are of the opinion that she would so benefit. That being true, no notice was necessary to Mary Tufts as owner of the property, as her rights could not be adversely affected by the reversal or modification of the order herein appealed from.

Whether one will be permitted to intervene in a proceeding is a matter largely in the discretion of the court, and the holding of a trial court in reference thereto will not be disturbed unless a clear abuse is shown. The petitions of the receiver and appellants contained allegations of fact relative to the negligence of the tax receiver in the management of the property and his failure to collect rent, bringing about the loss of some $2,100, and requested that the tax receiver be required to account therefor. Leave should have been given appellants to file their petition and, as the petition of Deceiver Scheck had been adopted by them and made a part of their petition, that petition should not have been stricken. The tax receiver should have been required to answer and a hearing had, and a determination of the issues presented.

Appellants contend that the petition filed by the county collector did not allege sufficient facts to confer jurisdiction on the court. With this contention we cannot agree.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

People Ex Rel. Hartigan v. All American Aluminum & Construction Co.
524 N.E.2d 1067 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1988)
Anundson v. City of Chicago
240 N.E.2d 407 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1968)
Hofing v. Willis
201 N.E.2d 852 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1964)
Strader v. BOARD OF ED. OF COLES COUNTY
115 N.E.2d 539 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1953)
Strader v. Board of Education
115 N.E.2d 539 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1953)
Jackson v. Pioletti
105 N.E.2d 779 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1952)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
56 N.E.2d 135, 323 Ill. App. 516, 1944 Ill. App. LEXIS 931, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/toman-v-tufts-illappct-1944.