Vonderahe, Extr., Etc. v. Ortman

146 N.E.2d 822, 128 Ind. App. 381, 1958 Ind. App. LEXIS 110
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 13, 1958
Docket18,982
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 146 N.E.2d 822 (Vonderahe, Extr., Etc. v. Ortman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Vonderahe, Extr., Etc. v. Ortman, 146 N.E.2d 822, 128 Ind. App. 381, 1958 Ind. App. LEXIS 110 (Ind. Ct. App. 1958).

Opinions

Kelley, C. J.

The decedent, Ed Ortman, died testate on August 2, 1955, the owner of certain real estate in Howard County, Indiana. The will of said decedent directed the executor thereof to pay his just debts, bequeathed certain personal property, and then directed the executor to sell all the rest and residue of his property, real and personal, and convert the same into cash. The following pertinent specific provisions are contained in the will:

ITEM III.
“ ... . The sale of my personal property and the sale of my real estate shall be upon such terms and conditions as the court having jurisdiction of my estate may order and determine upon petitions duly filed by my Executor for such purpose.
ITEM IV.
“After my Executor has complied with the provisions of Item III. above and all of my estate has been converted into cash, I will and direct that said Executor from the proceeds of such sale and the cash on hand and in bank pay all of my just debts and pay all state, county and township property tax that may be assessed against my property at the time of my death and pay all state gross income tax, state inheritance tax, all federal income tax and any and all federal estate tax, if any, and all other tax that may be assessed [384]*384against the property or my said estate. It is my will that all taxes that accrue or arise by reason of my death a,nd by reason of the provisions of this Will be paid by my Executor and that no such tax shall be assessed against the beneficiaries herein or paid out of their separate bequests.”

Said will of the decedent was duly probated on August 8, 1955 and is certified to have been recorded on the same date in the Will Records of said Howard County.

On August 8, 1955, appellant, Jack Vonderahe, was appointed executor of said will and he duly qualified, and notice of his appointment was properly published, the last date of publication being August 24, 1955. The estate of said decedent was opened August 8, 1955, and is now pending in the Howard Superior Court.

On September 12, 1955, said executor filed his petition in said court to sell the real estate of the decedent, making parties thereto the beneficiaries named in the will and the tenant in possession of the real estate. The petition averred the direction in said Item III. of said will for the sale of the real estate by the executor and that the purpose of the petition was to obtain an order of sale thereof and “to have the court fix the terms of such sale.” All of said beneficiaries either appeared to said petition by counsel or consented thereto and the record discloses no objection to said petition or the prayer thereof by any of them.

An order authorizing the executor to sell the real estate in parcels at public auction for not less than two-thirds of the appraised value thereof was entered by the court on September 16, 1955. Said order further provided that the real estate be sold “free and clear of all liens and encumbrances except the taxes for the year 1955 due and payable in 1958” (italics furnished), and that notice of the sale be published once each week for three consecutive weeks. Notice of the sale was duly published in a public daily news[385]*385paper of Kokomo, Indiana, describing the real estate, giving date of the sale, and that the same would be sold “free and clear of all liens and encumbrances except for the year 1955 due and payable in 1956.” (Italics supplied.)

On October 24, 1955, the executor filed his Report of Sale of the real estate, reporting therein that on October 1, 1955, two parcels of the real estate were sold to appellees Richard K. Ortman and Joseph N. Ortman and his wife, and on the same date the two remaining parcels of the real estate were sold to ap-pellee, R. Franklin Zehring, and his wife; that said real estate was sold “subject to the taxes for the year 1955, due and payable in 1956.” (our italics) ; and reporting other essentials of the sale, not important to the question before us. Request for approval and confirmation of the sale was made.

By its order of October 24, 1955, the court found that the Executor “after giving notice of the time, terms and place of sale as required by the order of this court” (our italics) sold the real estate as reported, and “in all things ratify and confirm the same together with the acts of said executor as by him reported.” (Italics supplied.) The executor was ordered to execute his deeds conveying Parcel 1 to appellee, Richard Kirby Ortman, Parcel 2 to appellee Joseph Ned Ortman and his wife, and Parcels 3 and 4 to appellee R. Franklin Zehring and his wife. Said deeds were reported as signed by the executor and the same were “examined” and “approved” by the court and ordered delivered to the purchasers upon their payment of the residue of the purchase price. The deeds appear in usual form and recite the consideration thereof and contain no reference to the taxes.

On February 10, 1956, appellee, Richard K. Ortman, filed a claim against the estate of said decedent for [386]*386$195.60 and on the same date appellee, Joseph N. Ort-man, filed his claim against said estate for $348.60. On April 27, 1956, appellee, R. Franklin Zehring, filed his claim against said estate for $777.48. Said claims were predicated on a claim for reimbursement by the estate to the claimant for the payment by him of the 1955 taxes, payable in 1956, on the real estate so purchased from the executor. The respective claims were disallowed by the executor and thereafter were transferred to the court’s trial docket as a civil action. By agreement the several causes were consolidated and submitted to the court for trial, without jury.

The court found for the respective claimants in the amounts claimed and entered judgments on the several findings. The court overruled appellant’s motions for a new trial and such ruling is assigned as error. By stipulation of the parties, the consolidated causes are submitted to us as one single appeal.

The initial matter for consideration is whether the alleged claims of appellees were of such character and nature as to constitute valid, allowable claims against the estate of the decedent. The facts as heretofore delineated show that the appellees purchased the real estate under the terms and conditions of sale prescribed by the court and as published in a public daily newspaper for three consecutive weeks, pursuant to the order of the court in that behalf. One of those terms and conditions of sale was that the real estate would be sold free and clear of all liens and encumbrances “except taxes for the year 1955 due and payable in 1956.” The executor’s report of sale reported that the sale had been made to appellees subject to such taxes, and such sale, as so reported, was duly ratified and confirmed by the court and the executor’s deeds to appellees, executed pursuant to the order of the court therefor, were examined and ap[387]*387■proved by the court and ordered delivered to appellees. Under such facts, there appearing nothing in the record negativing the fact of notice, it must be presumed that appellees purchased the real estate and accepted the deeds of conveyance thereof with full ■knowledge of such terms of sale and that the real estate was sold to them subject to the 1955 taxes, payable' in 1956.

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Vonderahe, Extr., Etc. v. Ortman
146 N.E.2d 822 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1958)

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Bluebook (online)
146 N.E.2d 822, 128 Ind. App. 381, 1958 Ind. App. LEXIS 110, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/vonderahe-extr-etc-v-ortman-indctapp-1958.