United States v. United States Chain Co.

212 F. Supp. 171, 11 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 979, 1962 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6095
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedDecember 17, 1962
DocketNo. 57 C 2050
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 212 F. Supp. 171 (United States v. United States Chain Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. United States Chain Co., 212 F. Supp. 171, 11 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 979, 1962 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6095 (N.D. Ill. 1962).

Opinion

LA BUY, District Judge.

Seeking to enforce and foreclose various purported asserted federal tax liens1 against the realty and personal property of United States Chain Company, one of the defendants,2 the government filed a civil complaint in this court joining numerous parties as defendants.3

That complaint states a cause of action and from the evidence it is established that Chain owes the government the following amounts;

Lien priorities warrant some detailed discussion in an opinion, but such a presentation of my views is unnecessary for other parts of the case. Therefore, in addition to this opinion I am making some other and separate findings of fact and conclusions of law on points and issues unrelated to the lien problems. To avoid misunderstandings, I also point out that my additional findings of fact do, however, reflect some factual data concerning the assessments underlying the liens involved, and I have simply pursued such a course with the idea of keeping this opinion relatively uncluttered. Of course, the findings of fact, separately stated, referring to the government’s assessments are an integral part of this opinion.

I

By its answer to the complaint, Interstate Bond Company, a defendant, asked that it be adjudged and decreed the owner in fee simple of the real estate described in paragraph VI of the complaint,4 that any and all liens upon said [174]*174real estate be declared null and void, removed and cancelled as a cloud on Bond’s title. Bond also prayed as follows:

“3. This defendant is willing that the court order said real estate sold, provided (a) the court enters judgment as prayed in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this defendant’s prayer for relief, (b) said real estate can be sold for at least $3,200.00, and (c) the court orders the first $3,200.00 out of the proceeds of any such sale to be paid to Interstate Bond Company in full payment for its interest in said real estate.”

Subsequently, Bond moved for an order granting it leave to amend the answer by striking the aforesaid third paragraph. I allowed that motion, leaving Bond pressing its tax deed against all rights and liens claimed by the government and Chain, and Kahn.

It must be borne uppermost in mind that this is unlike those cases where opposing lien holders lay claim against funds in the hands of a stakeholder. A stipulation of facts entered into by and between the government, Chain and Bond brings into focus some salient facts as follows:

“It is hereby stipulated by and between United States of America, plaintiff, and United States Chain Company and Interstate Bond Company, two of the defendants, by their respective counsel, that:
“1. The general taxes for the year 1950 on the real estate described in paragraph VI of the complaint were not paid when due, and on the application of the County Treasurer and ex-officio County Collector of Cook County judgment was entered by the County Court of Cook County in November, 1951, ordering said real estate to be sold to satisfy the amount of taxes due thereon, interest, penalties, and costs.
“2. Interstate Bond Company purchased said real estate on April 21, 1952, at the sale of said real estate duly held and conducted pursuant to said order of the County Court by paying therefor the sum of $1069.11, and a certificate of purchase was duly issued to Interstate Bond Company therefor.
“3. In addition to the amount paid by Interstate Bond Company for said real estate at said tax sale as set forth in paragraph 2 of this stipulation, Interstate Bond Company also paid the general real estate taxes on said real estate for the years 1951, 3952, and 1953, as set forth below:
“4. Said real estate was not redeemed from said tax sale, and upon petition of Interstate Bond Company the County Court of Cook County, on March 25, 1955, entered an order directing the County Clerk of Cook County to issue a tax deed conveying said real estate to Interstate Bond Company, a copy of which order is attached hereto as Exhibit A and made a part hereof.
“5. Pursuant to said order of the County Court Edward J. Barrett, County Clerk of Cook County, duly [175]*175executed a tax deed conveying said real estate unto Interstate Bond Company, which deed was dated May 20, 1955, and was duly recorded in Cook County on May 25, 1955, as document number 16248494. A copy of said tax deed is attached hereto as Exhibit B and made a part hereof.
“6. The notices of federal tax liens set forth in paragraph III (a) of the complaint were filed with the Recorder of Deeds of Cook County, Illinois, upon the dates respectively set forth in said paragraph III (a) under the column heading ‘Dates on which Notices of liens filed’.
“7. The notices of federal tax liens set forth in paragraph IV(a) of the complaint were filed with the Recorder of Deeds of Cook County, Illinois, upon the dates respectively set forth in said paragraph IV(a) under the column heading ‘Dates on Which Notices of Liens were Filed’.
“8. The notices of federal tax liens set forth in paragraph V(a) of the complaint were filed with the Recorder of Deeds of Cook County, Illinois, upon the dates respectively set forth in said paragraph V(a) under the column heading ‘Dates on which Notice of Federal Liens were Filed’.”

By statute in Illinois, real estate taxes became a prior and first lien on the real estate, involved here, from and including “the first day of April in the year in which the taxes were levied.” The general real estate taxes, on the property in question, for the year 1950 were not paid when due (Stipulation, ([ 1). The initial struggle for relative priority between competing liens commences with the lien stemming from the unpaid 1950 Illinois real estate taxes and the government lien authorized 5 by § 3671 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1939 and based upon receipt by the collector of the federal assessment list on December 17, 1951. Bond paid the Illinois real estate taxes for the years 1951, 1952 and 1953. Accordingly, the lien springing from the 1950 local Illinois taxes is significant for Bond’s theory of its case.

Bond relies heavily on United States v. New Britain, 347 U.S. 81, 74 S.Ct. 367, 98 L.Ed. 520 (1954). There, the City of New Britain was asserting its liens for delinquent real estate taxes, for 1947 through 1951, and water rents, against funds realized from a judgment sale following foreclosure of two mortgages on the real property against which both Federal and local tax liens had attached. Or, as Mr. Justice Minton put it, the question presented involved “ * * * the relative priority of statutory federal and municipal liens to the proceeds of a mortgage foreclosure sale of the property to which the liens attached.” (Id. at 82, 74 S.Ct. at 368). But New Britain did not involve the facts or contention here urged by Bond that the judgment sale in the Illinois County Court extinguished all federal liens, leaving Bond tax title holder in fee simple, free and clear of all federal liens. Extinguishment of liens is absent from New Britain and the court treated solely with the problem of lien priorities.6

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Related

City of Chicago v. City Realty Exchange, Inc.
262 N.E.2d 230 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1970)

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Bluebook (online)
212 F. Supp. 171, 11 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 979, 1962 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6095, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-united-states-chain-co-ilnd-1962.