Tyrrell v. Ward

102 Ill. 29, 1882 Ill. LEXIS 3
CourtIllinois Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 10, 1881
StatusPublished
Cited by26 cases

This text of 102 Ill. 29 (Tyrrell v. Ward) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Illinois Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tyrrell v. Ward, 102 Ill. 29, 1882 Ill. LEXIS 3 (Ill. 1881).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Walker

delivered the opinion of the Court:

On the 1st day of December, 1875, Samuel S. Hayes was the owner of twenty-one improved lots in the city of Chicago. For the purpose of effecting a loan of $50,500 he executed three deeds of trust on these lots to George W. Smith, who had previously consented to act as- trustee.' The deeds "were to secure a number of promissory notes aggregating that sum, and were payable to his own order. One deed included six of these lots, and purported to secure six notes, aggregating $15,000. The second deed of trust was given for seven of the lots, and to secure seven notes, aggregating $15,600. The third deed was for eight lots, and to secure eight notes, aggregating $20,000. The notes were payable at five years from date, with eight per cent interest, payable semi-annually, for which coupons were attached. They bear even date with the deeds, and the deeds stated that Hayes had become indebted to the holders of the notes.

Robert Bayard, of New York, had previously employed Smith in the transaction of business for him in the city of Chicago, and in March, 1876, he wrote Smith, informing him that he had agreed to loan Hayes $50,500 upon these houses and lots as security, and requesting Smith to act for him in consummating the loan. Hayes delivered the abstracts of title to Smith for examination. The abstracts disclosed liens on the property named in the first trust deed, by a prior trust-deed to one Hosmer, dated January 20, 1873, securing an indebtedness of $4000. The lots named in the second trust deed were subject to a lien by trust deed to C. R. Field, for an indebtedness of $8000. The lots described in the third trust deed were subject to a lien of a trust deed to secure upwards of $15,000. The property was likewise subject to the lien of various judgments, to the amount of $9244.89, with interest and costs. Smith received all but three of the notes from Hayes, and received the other three from Hammond, to whom Hayes had pledged them to secure a judgment he held against Hayes, which was a lien on this property,, and was paid by Smith when the notes were delivered to him. Afterwards Smith drew on Bayard for $39,600, and received the money, and on its receipt he paid off and discharged all of these liens, and the releases therefor were delivered to him. To discharge them, and to pay delinquent taxes against the property, and a note Hayes had given for $700, as a premium for insurance on the property, which Smith paid to prevent a forfeiture of the policies, amounted to near $40,000. Hayes received in money from Smith on the loan but $1988.55.

Default in the payment of interest having occurred, Smith took possession of the property under the deeds of trust, and the default continuing, in April, 1879, after giving the required notice, he sold the property under the power in the deeds of trust. Elizabeth Bayard, the widow and legatee of Robert Bayard, who had died, being the holder of the notes, became the purchaser. Before that time, a petition to enforce a mechanic’s lien against the property had been filed, and a decree rendered against the property, subject to the trust deeds, George Scoville being the attorney for the petitioner. At the sale the property was bid off by George Chandler, for Mrs. Bayard, and it was conveyed to her by the trustee. In May following she conveyed it to Goudy & Chandler, and received other property in payment, and Goudy & Chandler afterward sold and conveyed it to appellee.

After Hayes had executed the trust deeds to Smith, and they were recorded and delivered, on the 12th day of February, 1876, and before Bayard had received the notes or advanced the money, James M. Worthington recovered a' judgment against Hayes, in the Superior Court of Cook county, for $260, and costs. On the 18th of that month an execution was issued, but was afterwards returned'unsatisfied. In the month of May following another execution was issued, and was levied on a part of the lots. Scoville purchased the judgment, and at the sheriff’s sale he bid off the lots and received a certificate of purchase, and assigned it for the consideration of $150 to appellant, Tyrrell. The property was not redeemed from the sale, and he received a sheriff’s deed.

Neither Gmidy, Chandler, Ward nor Smith ever had any actual notice of this judgment, sale or deed, but it is claimed they were put upon inquiry by the records, and by what Scoville said at Smith’s sale of the property. Scoville testified he gave notice at that sale to "all persons present, that there were judgment liens against the property prior to the trust deeds. It appears that "Chandler replied: “You refer to the mechanic’s-lien,” and Scoville says he replied: “Yes, and other judgments.” McG-raw, Smith and Chandler say they did not so understand him. Loomis testifies he forbade the sale on the ground of prior liens which he held against the property. Be this as it may, there is no pretense that Scoville named the Worthington judgment.

Tyrrell filed a bill to remove and set aside Ward’s title as a cloud on his own. He does not ask for a conveyance of that title to him, nor does he offer to pay anything for the removal of the incumbrances by Smith with Bayard’s money, but proceeds upon the theory that he acquired both the legal and equitable title by the purchase under Worthington’s judgment. On a hearing, the Superior Court, on these facts, dismissed the bill, and Tyrrell appeals to this court and asks a reversal.

It is insisted, that "notwithstanding the deeds of trust were executed and recorded before the recovery of the Worthington judgment, no money had then been paid on the loan by Bayard, and he did not, nor could he, have "any lien; that the execution and recording of such deeds, without any money being paid, were fraudulent as against all creditors and subsequent purchasers for value; that until the money was paid, Bayard could acquire no lien; that as Worthington’s judgment was recovered before the money was advanced, it became a prior and preferred lien to these trust deeds to Smith; that being such, and as Bayard failed to pay and discharge it, the sale under it cut off the lien of these trust deeds, and appellant, by his purchase and sheriff’s deed, cut off the lien in favor of Bayard, and appellant has the title. There is not the slightest question, under the evidence in the case, that at the time Worthington recovered his judgment the property in controversy was incumbered by legal, valid and just liens, to nearly, if not quite, the sum of $40,000, and it is fully as clear that they were discharged and satisfied by Smith with the money of Bayard advanced for the purpose, and as a part of the loan of $50,500, which Hayes had effected for this very purpose. It is equally certain that it was the intention of Bayard, Smith and Hayes to pay and discharge these liens, to render the trust deeds to Smith effective, and to make them a prior lien to all others in favor of Bayard. This was their clear and unmistakable purpose. All pretense that it was done for any other purpose is excluded by the testimony. Then what effect did such a payment thus made have on .the rights of the parties ? Manifestly it subrogated Bayard to all rights of the prior lien-holders, precisely as they were held by them. When paid by Smith for Bayard, they were transferred to him, and equity must treat the transaction as an assignment to Bayard, as fully so as had a formal assignment been made and endorsed on the papers evidencing these debts and liens. This, every consideration of justice and good conscience demands.

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Bluebook (online)
102 Ill. 29, 1882 Ill. LEXIS 3, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tyrrell-v-ward-ill-1881.