W. H. Gallaspy's Sons Co. v. Massey

54 So. 805, 99 Miss. 208
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 15, 1911
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 54 So. 805 (W. H. Gallaspy's Sons Co. v. Massey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
W. H. Gallaspy's Sons Co. v. Massey, 54 So. 805, 99 Miss. 208 (Mich. 1911).

Opinion

Mayes, C. J.,

delivered the opinion of the court.

The appellee, Mrs. T. A. Massey, for some years prior to the 23d of February, 1906, was the wife of J. M. Massey, and they lived together as such. About the 23d of February Mrs. Massey was driven from her home by the cruelty of her husband, and never returned to live with him any more. It seems that he had been cruel and unkind to her for a long time prior to the above date, and that these continued cruelties culminated in a final separation on the 23d of February. On the 5th day of March, 1906, Mrs. Massey filed a bill in the chancery court of Newton county, seeking a divorce from her husband, and also praying for alimony.' On the day she filed this suit she also sought to establish a lien on her husband’s estate for the payment of the alimony sought to be recovered, and in order to accomplish this she described the land in controversy in her bill, and asked that this land be subjected to any decree for alimony which she might recover, and at the same time she had a notice put on the lis pendens docket of the county to the effect that she had instituted a suit for alimony involving this land. On June 5, 1906, the court allowed Mrs. Massey alimony pendente lite, and on December 6, 1906, a final decree was rendered allowing Mrs. Massey six hundred dollars alimony and fifty dollars attorney’s fees, and the decree recited that a lien was thereby established on the property described in the bill and previously placed on the lis pendens docket. The decree further provided that execution might issue for the payment of six hundred and fifty dollars if not paid within the sixty days. The land in controversy involves two tracts, one containing eighty-two acres of land and the other one hundred and sixty acres, making two hundred and forty-two acres altogether.

[213]*213Previous to the institution of this suit for divorce, and on the 22d day of December, 1900, Mrs. Massey joined her husband in the execution of a trust deed on eighty-two acres of the land to secure an indebtedness of one hundred and fifty dollars owing to J. J. Gaines and due December 1, 1901, with interest at ten per cent. It also appears that on December 4, 1903, she joined her husband in the execution of a trust deed on one hundred and sixty acres of the land to secure an indebtedness of four hundred dollars owing to F. W. Gaines and bearing ten per cent interest, due November 1, 1904. These trust deeds were subsequently bought by Gallaspy Sons Company and duly transferred to them by the holders. At the date of the final separation of Mr. and Mrs. Massey, the above trust deeds were enforceable demands against the .lands, and so continued to be up to the time of and after the decree of divorce and for alimony was rendered. It appears that, at the time of the separation of Mrs. Massey and her husband, Mr. Massey was indebted to Mrs. G. E. Gallaspy, administratrix of her husband, in open account, a sum amounting to nine hundred thirty-eight dollars and twelve cents. After the separation, and several weeks after the suit for divorce and alimony was begun, that is to say, on the 20th day of April, 1906, J. M. Massey executed to Mrs. G. E. Gallaspy, administratrix, a third trust deed on all the land included in the two above-named trust deeds, and additionally on twelve acres of land not before included in either of the first trust deeds; this last trust deed being executed for the purpose of securing the amount of this open account then due to Mrs. Gallaspy. Mrs. Massey did not join in this last trust deed, and it may be here stated that, in so far as this record discloses, all of the above securities were given in good faith and only for the purpose of securing bona fide debts. At the date this controversy arose W. H. Gallaspy Sons Company owned the first two trust deeds by assignment, and Mrs. Gallaspy, a°dminis[214]*214tratrix, was the owner of the third trust, deed, and by substitution the same person was made trustee in all the trust deeds. All of the above amounts being due and unpaid on the 5th day of March, 1907, the trustee advertised all of the lands in all three trust deeds for sale; the advertisements, in all respects complying with the law, or at least this is not a controverted point. The foreclosure sale was advertised for March 29, 1907, and on that date all of the property was sold, Gallaspy Sons Company becoming the purchasers for the sum of fourteen hundred and eighty-five dollars, and a deed was duly made by the trustee.

In the meantime, a decree. having been rendered in Mrs. Massey’s favor for six hundred and fifty dollars on December 6, 1906, an execution was issued under this judgment on March 11, 1907, whereunder the property was levied on and advertised to be sold on May 6th. On that date the same property was sold by the sheriff under execution, and Mrs. Massey became the purchaser, bidding the sum of six hundred dollars. Subsequently a -deed was made by the sheriff under this sale to Mrs. Massey. So that on the 29th of March, 1907, Gallaspy Sons Company obtained a deed by virtue of the trustee’s sale and claim to be the owners thereof, and on May 6, 1907, Mrs. Massey obtained a deed to the same property under the sale made by the sheriff. Mrs. Massey does not dispute the validity or priority of the first two trust deeds executed by herself and husband, but denies the priority of the last trust deed over her claim for alimony, and at the same time the trustee undertook to sell the'property Mrs. Massey-offered to pay all due under the first two trust deeds. This offer was rejected, unless she paid all due under all three of the trust deeds, and over her protest the property was sold by the trustee in order to collect all due under the three trust deeds. The purchaser, Gallaspy Sons Company, was fully adviséd and bought- with full knowledge of- all the facts, [215]*215hut claims to have credited so much of the fourteen hundred and eighty-five dollars as was due under the first, trust deeds to their own claim, and to have paid the excess to Mrs. G. E. Gallaspy on died account.

After all of the above transpired, suit was filed by Gallaspy Sons Company, claiming to be the true owners, of the property, and seeking a cancellation of Mrs. Massey’s deed. Mrs. Massey answered, maldng her answer-a cross-bill, praying for the cancellation of the deed made by the trustee to Gallaspy Sons Company on payment to. them by her of the amount found to be due under the first two trust deeds executed by her husband and herself, and, after this was done, praying for the granting and confirming of her title to the property. The additional twelve acres of land, not included in lis pendens notice, is not in controversy. On final hearing the court adjudged Mrs. Massey to be the owner of all the land described in her bill, subject to the lien of the first two trusts deeds, and canceled the trustee’s deed made toGallaspy Sons Company, ordering an account to be stated as to the amount due under the first two trust deeds, and making any amount found to be due a lien on the-land. From this decree an appeal was prosecuted.

The sole question to be determined in this case is whether the wife’s right to alimony is of such character-as that she may protect and enforce it, as against the estate of her husband, through the medium of lis pendens provided for by chapter 89 of the Code of 1906. "We have no hesitancy in asserting the affirmative of the-proposition.

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Bluebook (online)
54 So. 805, 99 Miss. 208, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/w-h-gallaspys-sons-co-v-massey-miss-1911.