Welden v. Home Owners Loan Corp.

1943 OK 330, 141 P.2d 1010, 193 Okla. 167, 1943 Okla. LEXIS 344
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedOctober 12, 1943
DocketNo. 30920.
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 1943 OK 330 (Welden v. Home Owners Loan Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Welden v. Home Owners Loan Corp., 1943 OK 330, 141 P.2d 1010, 193 Okla. 167, 1943 Okla. LEXIS 344 (Okla. 1943).

Opinion

CORN, C. J.

Plaintiff’s petition filed April 6, 1937, was in the usual form asking for judgment on the note given by defendants and asking for foreclosure of the mortgage on real property, given to secure the payment of the note. After various dilatory pleadings, not challenged by this appeal, the defendants on July 14, 1937, filed an answer which, omitting the caption, is as follows:

“The defendnents deny that they are indebted to the plaintiff in the sum of four thousand five hundred and three dollars and near to that sum. The defendnents admits an indebtiness to some amounth the exact amount is unknown but that it is far short of what the plaintiff claimss.”

As shown by the entries in the appearance docket it appears that the case was set on the docket for trial about ten different times after the answer was filed and before the case was tried on November 15, 1939. On October 20, 1937, the defendants requested that the case be set on jury docket. On December 13, 1937, during the jury term, defendants filed motion for continuance. The record does not disclose the reason for other continuances. On November 15, 1939, the defendants filed an amended answer alleging some payments on costs and attorney fees and some agreement to dis *168 miss the suit. On the same day it appears that the case was tried and evidence was taken and witnesses were examined.

The entries in the app'earance docket so show and the court clerk testified that her minutes show the same facts. The defendant Carl Weldon testified that he on that day produced proof of what he had paid. The appearance docket shows the trial “Continued to Friday.” The next entry in the appearance docket is dated November 27, 1939, and shows another amended answer filed by defendant, which amended answer is set out in full at pages 34, 35, and 36 of the case-made. ‘

On December 1, 1939, plaintiff filed a motion to strike that amended answer because it was filed out of time without the permission of the court, and because the issues had already been tried “and judgment by the court is now pending.”

The appearance docket shows “Feb. 6, 1940, Motion to strike answer filed out of time, sustained.” Also on same date entry “Judgment foreclosing mortgage as per Journal Entry.”

The journal entry of judgment was filed March 4, 1940, and is recorded in the court clerk’s office in Journal 39, at page 159. No exceptions were taken to that judgment by defendants; no motion for a new trial was ever filed as to that judgment'; and no request for a correction or amendment of the journal entry was ever made by defendants.

Thereafter, on August 10, 1940, an order of sale was issued, but as stated in the sheriff’s return that order was not executed by the sheriff, “because of filing of Frazier-Lempke proceedings in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.”

On March 21, 1941, an alias order of sale was issued, and after due advertisement, the property was sold by the sheriff to the plaintiff, Home Owners Loan Corporation, for $2,762.40.

On April 28, 1941, motion to confirm sale was filed and on May 21, 1941, said sale was confirmed and approved by the court, no exceptions having been ’filed and no objection made by defendants.

On May 27, 1941, a writ of assistance was issued and on June 6, 1941, the defendants filed a motion to quash the writ of assistance. That is the first action by defendants, as disclosed by the record, whereby they voice any objections, exceptions, or protest to the judgment of foreclosure or to its enforcement.

The first writ of assistance was stayed on June 7, 1942, until the motion could be heard. On July 2, 1941, defendants’ motion to quash writ of assistance and for order restraining the issuance of any further writ was overruled and the clerk was directed to withhold the issuance of any writ of assistance until 20 days thereafter.

On July 24, 1941, an alias writ of assistance was issued, but for some reason was not executed by the sheriff.

On August 5, 1941, another alias writ of assistance was issued and was executed on August 14, 1941, by the sheriff placing the Home Owners Loan Corporation in possession of the premises.

In the meantime, on August 13, 1941, the defendants filed motion to vacate judgment; had notice issued and served on the attorney for plaintiff; and the district judge having disqualified, applied to the county judge for an injunction, which application for injunction was denied by the county judge. Plaintiff on October 9, 1941, filed its response to motion to vacate, and on October 21, 1941, the matter was tried on said motion to vacate judgment, and evidence was introduced.

On-the same day the court rendered judgment overruling the motion to vacate judgment; the defendants filed their motion for new trial, which was also overruled, and both orders are incorporated in one journal entry.

*169 The record does not contain the evidence taken prior to the original judgment of February 6, 1940, but from the most casual glance at the record of this case, it appears this is one of those cases where the defendants have no defense, and have resorted to every known device to delay and obstruct the proceeding and to retain possession and use of the property as long as they could without compliance, on their part, with their contract.

They make no claim that the note and mortgage are not in default, and no claim that plaintiff was not entitled to a foreclosure judgment. The main contention of the defendants is that the judgment is in excess of the correct amount which they owe. From the record it appears that the amount of credit to which they were entitled was tried out before the court, that they introduced all their evidence, and the court held against them in the judgment evidenced by the journal entry of judgment. If, as they now contend, there was any mistake by the court in fixing the amount of the judgment against them, it would certainly have been a simple matter to get it corrected if they had made a timely application. There was almost four months of the term of court left after the journal entry was filed.

The holding of this court is as follows:

“Where it does not clearly appear that the trial court abused its discretion, its action in overruling a motion to vacate a judgment will not be disturbed on appeal.” Eagle Loan & Inv. Co. v. Turner, 113 Okla. 251, 241 P. 138; Trimmer v. State, 142 Okla. 278, 286 P. 783; Park v. Continental Oil Co. et al., 184 Okla. 314, 87 P. 2d 324, and many other cases.

The defendants also claim: (1) That no judgment was rendered by the court; (2) that the judgment rendered was void; (3) that the judgment was irregularly obtained. On motion to vacate the judgment the burden is on the movants to prove by clear, cogent, and convincing evidence that the original judgment was not renedered as it purports on its face to have been.

An inspection of the judgment shows it to be regular, and that it was duly recorded in Journal 39 at page 159 of the court’s records.'

The first syllabus of the case of Morrison v. Swink et al., 128 Okla.

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Bluebook (online)
1943 OK 330, 141 P.2d 1010, 193 Okla. 167, 1943 Okla. LEXIS 344, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/welden-v-home-owners-loan-corp-okla-1943.