United States Fidelity & Guaranty Co. v. Adams

547 P.2d 712, 219 Kan. 109, 1976 Kan. LEXIS 341
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedMarch 6, 1976
DocketNo. 47,854
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 547 P.2d 712 (United States Fidelity & Guaranty Co. v. Adams) 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
United States Fidelity & Guaranty Co. v. Adams, 547 P.2d 712, 219 Kan. 109, 1976 Kan. LEXIS 341 (kan 1976).

Opinion

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Prager, J.:

This is an appeal from a judgment denying the plaintiff-appellant, United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company, a [110]*110writ of assistance to place it in possession of premises acquired by sheriffs deed in a mortgage foreclosure proceeding. The defendants-appellees are David H. Adams and Mary M. Adams. The facts in this case have been stipulated by the parties and are as follows:

(1) USF&G, as surety, provided performance bonds for Thompson Development Co., Inc., which was engaged in the construction business. Prior to executing such bonds, USF&G received an indemnity agreement, indemnifying it for loss it might incur as a result of executing surety bonds, which was signed by Ralph R. Thompson and Jacqueline L. Thompson, his wife, and others.

(2) USF&G was required to pay creditors of Thompson Development Co., Inc., more than $45,000.00. On May 20, 1966, Ralph R. Thompson and Jacqueline L. Thompson, in order to secure the payment of the indebtedness due USF&G on the aforesaid indemnity agreement, executed a real estate mortgage upon three residential properties commonly known as 2210 South Pershing, 4430 Janesville, and 7720 Cottontail, all in Wichita, Kansas. The latter property was the subject of USF&G’s motion for writ of assistance, and is legally described as:

“Lot Nine (9) Block Five (5), Country Acres, Sedgwick County, Kansas.”

(3) On March 19, 1971, USF&G instituted this action (C-21610) to recover judgment on the indemnity agreement and to foreclose the above-described mortgage on the properties encumbered thereby, but did not join as defendants the respective holders of first mortgages of record encumbering each of the properties.

(4) Subsequently judgment was entered herein on August 20, 1971, against Ralph R. Thompson, Jacqueline L. Thompson, and Thompson Development Co., Inc., in the amount of $55,506.81, with interest, and foreclosing a mortgage of the Rank of Whitewater as a first lien upon 4430 Janesville and 7720 Cottontail, and foreclosing USF&G’s mortgage as a first lien upon 2210 South Pershing and as a second lien upon the other two properties. All of such liens, however, were subject to the first mortgages of record.

(5) A sheriff’s sale was held on November 3, 1971, at which the three properties were sold, subject to the rights and liens of the respective first mortgage holders. Connecticut General Life Insurance Company held a first mortgage on only the premises known as 7720 Cottontail. USF&G purchased the three parcels with the following bids:

[111]*1112210 South Pershing .............. . . . $4,000.00
4430 Janesville ............................ 8,600.00
7720 Cottontail ................................ 9,600.00
$22,200.00

USF&G paid the amount of the Bank of Whitewater’s judgment in the sum of $10,433.40 and court costs of $137.44. The remainder of its bid in the amount of $11,766.60 was credited to USF&G’s judgment against the defendants, Ralph R. Thompson and Jacqueline L. Thompson.

(6) On November 12, 1971, said sale was confirmed, subject to redemption period of 18 months, and subsequently a certificate of purchase to the above-described real estate was issued to USF&G.

(7) Thereafter, default was made under the terms of the first mortgage encumbering 7720 Cottontail and on May 1, 1972, Connecticut General Life Insurance Company instituted foreclosure proceedings by Case No. C-25091 in the District Court of Sedgwick County, Kansas. Numerous parties were joined as defendants, including creditors who had been named as defendants in the prior foreclosure, Case No. C-21610. In its petition Connecticut General Life Insurance Company alleged that USF&G claimed an interest in the real estate by reason of the mortgage which “. . . has been foreclosed and reduced to judgment in District Court Case No. C-21610, . . .”

(8) USF&G’s answer in Case No. C-25091 alleged that it had acquired an interest in the property as the purchaser at the prior sheriff’s sale in Case No. C-21610, and that its interest in the property involved was junior only to the rights of the first mortgage holder. No lien was alleged in the body of the answer, but the prayer asked that the property “. . . be foreclosed and an order entered finding that USF&G has a lien subject only to the rights of the first mortgage and for such further relief as the court deem proper.”

(9) At the time of the second foreclosure (C-25091) USF&G held an unsatisfied judgment rendered in the first foreclosure (C-21610) of approximately $30,000.00, and was also the holder of a certificate of purchase to the premises at 7720 Cottontail, as the purchaser at the sheriffs sale in the first proceeding.

(10) Ralph R. Thompson and Jacqueline L. Thompson were the record owners of the premises during each of the foreclosure actions. In the first action (C-21610) they were represented by counsel. In the second proceeding (C-25091) they were served by [112]*112restricted mail in Boulder, Colorado, but did not enter an appearance in person or by counsel.

(11) On June 30, 1972, judgment of foreclosure was entered in Case No. C-25091, which included the following findings:

“The Court finds that the claim of the Defendant, United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company, is a second claim against said real property; * * *
“The Court finds that in the event of foreclosure sale pursuant to this order, that the defendants, Ralph R. Thompson and Jacqueline L. Thompson, should be allowed the right to redeem the property as owners of said real property provided that they do so by the 8th day of April, 1973, which is the date that their redemption rights expire under the mortgage foreclosure sale and judgment in favor of United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company in Case Number C-21610 in the District Court of Sedgwick County, Kansas, and that the remainder of the redemption rights as owner should be granted to and vested in United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company, its successors and assigns and that the total redemption rights should be exercised within eighteen months after the date of the foreclosure sale herein, and that upon such foreclosure s.ale, all defendants should be barred from claiming any interest in said real property except the redemption rights of Ralph R. Thompson and Jacqueline L. Thompson and United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company as owners and except the rights of junior lienholders and junior judgment creditors as set forth above pursuant to the applicable statutes of the State of Kansas.
“The Court finds that judgment should be rendered against all defendants, and each, and every one of them, and all persons and parties claiming by, through or under them should hereafter be forever barred, restrained, enjoined, and foreclosed from asserting any right, title, interest or estate in and to the real property legally described as:
“Lot Nine (9) Block Five (5), Country Acres, Sedgwick County, Kansas, save and except the rights of redemption as aforesaid.; and included the following Orders:

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Related

In Re McKinney
84 B.R. 748 (D. Kansas, 1987)
State v. Strauch
718 P.2d 613 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1986)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
547 P.2d 712, 219 Kan. 109, 1976 Kan. LEXIS 341, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-fidelity-guaranty-co-v-adams-kan-1976.