White v. Hartman

26 Colo. App. 475
CourtColorado Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 15, 1914
DocketNo. 4009
StatusPublished

This text of 26 Colo. App. 475 (White v. Hartman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Colorado Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
White v. Hartman, 26 Colo. App. 475 (Colo. Ct. App. 1914).

Opinion

Bell, J.

On the 1st day of October, 1902, The Ancient Order of Emethachavah, a communistic corporation, through Franklin P. White, 'C’Chief and its sole trustee, purchased from James W. Weir of Denver, Colorado, lots 16 and 17 in block 2 in Weir Addition, State of Colorado, for $1,200 and gave 70 serial notes in payment therefor. The said Weir executed and delivered a warranty deed conveying said lots to Franklin P. White as sole trustee and C’Chief of The Ancient Order of Emethachavah. The deed contained the following notice [476]*476of intention to hold a lien on the property for the purchase money:

“A vendor’s lien, however, is hereby expressly retained by said first party on the above described property, until all of said notes, aggregating twelve hundred dollars, are fully paid, when this deed shall become absolute.”

Three hundred and sixty dollars of the purchase price was afterward paid to Weir, leaving some $840' evidenced by that series of said notes from 27 to 70, both inclusive, unpaid, with interest thereon. On the 10th day of January, 1908, said White as sole trustee of The Ancient Order of Emethachavah, by quit claim deed, for $1.00 and other consideration, conveyed said lots to his principal, The Ancient Order of Emethachavah. On. the 31st day of January, 1910, the said Franklin P. White, sole trustee and C’Chief of The Ancient Order of Emethachavah conveyed said lots.from himself, as trustee, to himself, as an individual, for the consideration of $1.00 and other valuable considerations. Said Franklin P. White as an individual did on the 9th day of February, 1912, long after the commencement of this suit, enter on the margin of the record of his said quit-claim deed, in the recorder’s office, a claim of homestead, and avers, first: That the promissory notes given for the purchase money of said lots were the personal notes of said White, and denies that The Ancient 'Order of Emethachavah ever assumed to- pay or become responsible for the payment thereof; second, that he holds, a homestead on said premises, which is superior in right to the claim of the defendant in error; third, that on the 25th day of November, 1907, he was, by a U. S. bankruptcy court, in Denver, Colorado', discharged and released from all of his debts, and asks that the defendant in error be restrained and enjoined from selling said lots for the payment of the purchase money, for the reasons aforesaid. A reply denied the allegations in the answer of plaintiff in error, and set up much new matter. Judge Whitford of the Denver District Court took the evidence and, upon the final hearing, denied the relief [477]*477prayed for by the plaintiff in error, and entered judgment for the defendant in error, and a decree ordering said lots sold for the purchase money, interest and cost of suit to be paid therefrom, etc. During the distincter days of this ancient order these notes were treated and intended) to be the notes of the Ancient Order of Emethachavah. It was the Ancient Order that purchased the lots. It was its sole trustee, manager and C’Chief that made the purchase and executed and delivered the notes. The deed which the C Chief accepted and under which the Ancient Order claims title states on its face that the purchase money was not paid, and the grantor expressly retained a “vendor’s lien” on said property until all of the said notes were paid, “when this deed shall become absolute.”' It is manifest from the deed given and accepted that it was the intention of the grantor and the grantee that the deed should not become, ever absolute, until all of these notes were paid. On the 16th day of October, 1902, the grantor and grantee, under the title of Franklin P. White, trustee, gave notice and made, ample covenants in writing, which were duly executed, acknowledged, delivered and recorded in said recorder’s office, wherein said conveyance is alleged to have been made without the payment of the purchase money. The said agreement states that the grantee, The Ancient Order of Emethachavah, by its trustee, gave its promissory notes therefor and describes these notes and states in writing that a vendor’s lien was reserved and retained by the grantor until said notes and each of them, together with the interest thereon, is fully paid, and further states that, in case the same or any part thereof shall not be paid within thirty days of the time that they may become due, the grantor reserves the right and privilege of foreclosing such lien by an appropriate suit in court, “and on behalf of the grantee in .said deed, it is hereby agreed, that all the reservations, rights and privileges aforesaid mentioned or claimed by said grantee (evidently meaning grantor), including the said vendor’s lien and the right to foreclose the same are hereby granted and [478]*478conceded to- him pursuant to justice and equity and the law in such .cases provided.” This instrument was signed by Jámes W. Wier, grantor, and by Franklin P. White, trustee.

Taking the original deed of these lots with the above instrument, and the purpose seems self-evident to. create an equitable lien for the purchase money for these lots. All of the defenses, to the enforcement of this equitable mortgage or lien are purely technical, contrary to equity and fair dealing, and untenable in a court of equity.

The evidence discloses that the Denver Fraternity of Emethachavah, a voluntary association, was organized in 1898, and the same was incorporated on the 18th day of March, 1901, under the name of The Ancient Order of Emethachavah. The articles of incorporation provide that The Ancient Order of Emethachavah shall be the chief organization, and all other organizations shall be subordinate to' it and shall be under its jurisdiction and control. The articles provide for a .C’Chief, who. shall hold his office during 'his natural life, or until his successor is. .appointed and qualified, and. shall be manager of the corporation, and all the title to the property of the corporation shall be vested in him as sole trustee. He is given power to. appoint his own successor and advisory director, and is. the sole trustee of the organization. The only other officer provided for by the articles of incorporation is an advisory director, without power other than as advisory. The articles further provide that all members of the corporation talcing the holy covenant degree of the order shall, upon taking such degree, yield up., grant, convey, remise, release, quit-claim, assign and transfer to. the C’Chief all of the property of such member so- taking such degree, of every name or nature, real, personal and mixed, which said property shall thereupon become the property of the C’Chief to be heldl by him in trust for this corporation as aforesaid. The C’Chief is given sole power to. provide by-laws for the corporation. The articles also, provide that no organization bearing the name of Emethachavah or words [479]*479equivalent to it shall be organized or founded except upon the approval and under the direction of the C’Chief of this corporation, and shall be under the jurisdiction and control of such C’Chief. He has sole power to convey its property, etc. After the incorporation of the order, there seems to be no evidence showing an organization of a fraternity as provided for in the articles of incorporation. However, it seems that the C’Chief continued; to use the name of the Denver Fraternity of Emethachavah until the latter part of 1904, when the corporation ceased active operations.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
26 Colo. App. 475, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/white-v-hartman-coloctapp-1914.