White v. Hammerstrom

227 N.W. 483, 224 Iowa 1041
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedFebruary 8, 1938
DocketNo. 44248.
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 227 N.W. 483 (White v. Hammerstrom) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
White v. Hammerstrom, 227 N.W. 483, 224 Iowa 1041 (iowa 1938).

Opinion

KiNtzinger, J.

Plaintiff claims to be the owner of the real estate in question under a tax deed issued to him under an assignment of a tax sale certificate issued in 1929 for the unpaid taxes of 1928. The land in question is described as follows:

“Except the west Seven Hundred Ninety-six and 7/10 feet (796.7') and except the north Thirty feet (30') for road, the north Thirty (30) acres of the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of Section Twenty-two (22), Township Eighty-nine (89), Range Forty-seven (47), situated in the County of Wood-bury and State of Iowa.”

Plaintiff secured a tax deed in January, 1933, under his tax sale certificate of December, 1929, and immediately went into possession of the property under his tax deed which he duly filed and recorded. Through himself and a tenant, he has remained in possession ever since and paid all subsequent taxes thereon. No question is raised as to the validity of plaintiff’s tax deed because of any failure to give the notice of redemption required by sections 7279 to 7282, inclusive, of the Code of 1931.

The same property had also been sold for the unpaid taxes of 1927 to intervenor’s assignor in December, 1928. On October 24, 1936, intervenor served notice of expiration of the period of *1043 redemption upon plaintiff from intervenor’s tax sale certificate of 1928. At that time the land in question was in the actual possession of E. Gr. White, as lessee and tenant of plaintiff.

When intervenor served notice of redemption from his tax sale certificate, plaintiff had already received a tax deed under his tax sale certificate of December, 1929, and has paid all subsequent taxes upon said land. Upon receiving his notice of expiration of redemption under intervenor’s tax sale certificate, plaintiff commenced this action to restrain the treasurer from issuing another tax deed under intervenor’s certificate of 1928.

Thereupon the intervenor filed a petition in intervention asking the court to dismiss plaintiff’s petition and deny him the injunctive relief sought for therein. Intervenor also asked that the tax deed issued to plaintiff be set aside and that intervenor’s right to a tax deed be established against the adverse claims of plaintiff. The court denied intervenor’s application, and he appeals.

I. Appellant contends that plaintiff’s tax deed is void because the property therein described was sold en masse for a gross sum and is therefore void upon its face. It is the rule that where different tracts of land are sold en masse for taxes, the sale is void. Code, sections 7246 and 7252; Ackley v. Sexton, 24 Iowa 320; Hurlburt v. Dyer, 36 Iowa 474; Hintrager v. McElhinny, 112 Iowa 325, 82 N. W. 1008, 83 N. W. 1063; Penn v. Clemans, 19 Iowa 372; 61 C. J. 1128. Section 7246 provides that:

“Notice of the time and place of such sale shall be given by the treasurer, and shall contain a description of each separate tract to he sold.” (Italics ours.)

Section 7252 provides that:

“The treasurer shall * * * offer for sale, separately, each tract or parcel of real estate advertised for sale on which the taxes and costs shall not have been paid.” (Italics ours.)

The trouble with appellant’s contention is that the land in question does not contain more than one separate tract but consists of only one tract, as hereinabove described. In other words this is one tract, consisting of the north thirty acres of the S. W. quarter of the S. W. quarter of Sec. 22, Twp. 89, Range 47, in Woodbury County, Iowa, except the west seven *1044 hundred ninety-six and 7/10 feet (796.7'), and except the north thirty feet (30') for a road.

The testimony shows without dispute that only one tract of land was sold for general and special taxes levied against it. The general taxes amounted to $103 and were assessed against the entire tract of plaintiff’s property as hereinabove described. The special assessment for the construction of a sewer amounted to $50.71 and this assessment was levied against property which included a narrow ten-foot strip along the north portion of said tract.

Appellant therefore contends that the assessment of general taxes and the special assessment resulted in a division of plaintiff’s property into separate tracts and that the same rule should apply as in cases where separate tracts of land are sold en masse for the amount of the taxes due against each.

Section 7246 and. section 7252, however, were evidently enacted for the purpose of enabling the property owner to redeem from each separate tract separately. In the instant case, however, the entire tract was subject to the general taxes although only a portion thereof may have been subject to the lien of-the special assessment. There was no attempt made in this case by the property owner to redeem from either the sale for the. delinquent general taxes, or the lien of the special assessment. It would be impossible for the property owner to redeem from the sale for the general taxes without paying the entire amount due thereon. Likewise, it would have been of no benefit to the property owner to redeem from the levy of the special assessment without also redeeming from a sale for the delinquent general taxes.

The property in question was listed for taxation as one tract and was, in fact, simply one tract of land. Therefore, the sale, of this property as one tract did not violate the provisions of sections 7246 and 7252.

II. Appellant also contends that appellee’s tax deed does not comply with the statutory form prescribed in section 7285 of the Code. All that is required by this statute is that the deed" issued by the treasurer shall be substantially in the form set out in that section. We have carefully compared the deed executed by the treasurer with the form prescribed by statute and find that it substantially complies with the statutory form.

*1045 III. One of the chief difficulties with appellant’s con-' tention in this case is that his attempt to redeem is prohibited by section 7290 of the Code of 1935. This section provides that:

“No person shall be permitted to question the title acquired by a treasurer’s deed without first showing that he, or the person under whom he claims title, had title to the property at the time of the sale, or that the title was obtained from the United States or this state after the sale, and that all taxes due upon the property have been paid by such person, or the person under whom he claims title.” (Italics ours.)

Under this statute, it has been held that the right to question the title acquired by a treasurer’s deed is limited to a person having title at the time of the tas sale, “or who claims under one who held that title, or who claims under a title obtained from the United States or this state after the sale.” Under this statute, the right to question a treasurer’s deed is not permitted unless it is shown that he has paid all taxes due upon the property. Incorporated Town of Story City v. Hadley, 214 Iowa 132, 241 N. W. 649, 650; Johns v. Griffin, 76 Iowa 419, 41 N. W. 59; Hintrager v. Kiene et al., 62 Iowa 605, 15 N. W. 568, 17 N. W. 910; Varnum v.

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Bluebook (online)
227 N.W. 483, 224 Iowa 1041, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/white-v-hammerstrom-iowa-1938.