White v. Suggs

104 N.E. 55, 56 Ind. App. 572, 1914 Ind. App. LEXIS 66
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 4, 1914
DocketNo. 8,192
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 104 N.E. 55 (White v. Suggs) 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
White v. Suggs, 104 N.E. 55, 56 Ind. App. 572, 1914 Ind. App. LEXIS 66 (Ind. Ct. App. 1914).

Opinion

Hottel, J.

This is an action brought by appellants [574]*574against appellees for the possession of certain real estate. Appellees other than George "W. Bollenhacher filed a demurrer to the complaint which was sustained by the court. The appellants refused to plead further and judgment was rendered against them that they take nothing on account of their complaint, and that appellees other than George W. Bollenhacher recover of them their costs. From this judgment appellants appeal and assign as error the ruling of the court in sustaining the demurrer.

The complaint is length y and we indicate only the substance of enough of the facts averred therein to intelligently present the questions raised by the objections urged against it. These facts are as follows: George Bollenhacher died testate in Monroe County, Indiana, September 17, 1885, seized with the fee simple title to the real estate in controversy. The testator gave to his wife Margaret all his property real and personal for her use as long as she remained his widow or during her natural life, except the interest of the testator in the firm property, both real and personal, of Bollenhacher & Sons, which property he devised to his sons Martin 0., William P., Samuel M., and Jacob I. Bollenbacher. At the death or remarriage of the widow all the property of the testator then remaining was to be divided equally among the testator’s children, naming them. The testator’s wife, Margaret, was named as executrix of the will, but never qualified as such, never remarried and died November 1, 1898. Some of the children of the testator mentioned in the will died leaving children. The appellants are either children of the testator or children of such deceased children and they, together with the appellee, George W. Bollenhacher, constitute the only legatees and heirs of the testator, and the complaint avers facts showing that under the will of such testator, they are the owners in fee simple and tenants in common of and entitled to the immediate possession of the real estate described in the com[575]*575plaint; that they have been kept out of such possession for eighteen years, that the mesne profits of the real estate during the period are $- and that by being kept out of possession they have been damaged in that sum. It will appear from what we have indicated that the complaint avers facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action and, that it should have been held sufficient by the trial court as against the demurrer thereto, unless the additional facts contained therein disclose a defense to such cause of action.

The substance of these additional averments is in brief as follows: No administration was ever had on. the estate of the testator until October 31, 1894, “when a pretended administration was had without authority of law and in express violation of the decedent’s act of the State of Indiana.” The title and possession of appellees other than George W. Bollenbaeher in and to the real estate “rests upon certain judicial proceedings which are void in this, to wit:” On April 6, 1888, the “First National Bank of Blooming-ton” began an action against the heirs and devisees of the testator, naming them, to recover judgment on a $2,500 note executed by the firm of Bollenbaeher & Sons, composed of the testator and George W., Martin C., and William P. Bollenbaeher and to recover judgment against George W. Bollenbaeher on two notes for the sum of $2,500 and $5,000, respectively, and executed by George W. and his father, the testator, such last two notes being secured by a mortgage executed by the testator and his wife, Margaret, on the real estate in question together with other lands of such testator, such mortgage containing an express agreement to pay the debts secured thereby. The plaintiff bank, in said proceeding, sought to foreclose the mortgage, and in its complaint alleged that “no administration had been had on the estate of decedent”, testator; that the executrix named in the testator’s will had never qualified and no letters executory or of administration with the will annexed had ever been issued on said estate. The several defendants to such [576]*576foreclosure proceeding appeared by counsel and filed separate demurrers and separate answers to the complaint. The demurrers were for want of sufficient facts. Some of these separate answers were general denials of the complaint, and others set up affirmative defenses, viz., that the notes were given without consideration; that they were paid; that the notes sued on were for partnership debts and that such partnership owned property of the value of $13,000, which should be first resorted to after exhausting such mortgaged property. Cross-complaints were also filed in the action by defendants therein other than George W". Bollenbacher, charging that the notes in such foreclosure suit represented money borrowed by said firm, and that such firm had property, ample to pay all claims against it and asking that, in the event the mortgaged property was insufficient to pay the notes sued on, the residue of such' debts should be paid out of the partnership’s property. George "W. Bollenbacher also filed separate answers to the complaint in said proceeding, the first of which was a general denial and the second, a plea of payment. George W. Bollenbacher also filed a cross-complaint, in the first paragraph of which he alleged that he executed the notes as surety only and received no part of the consideration and asked “that execution be first levied on the property of the testator” and, in the second paragraph he charged that said notes were given by said firm, for the indebtedness of the firm; that the firm was dissolved by the death of the testator; that such indebtedness should be paid out of the firm property; that a sale of such property should be made for such purpose, and that a receiver should be appointed for such firm. On September 19, 1888, said bank recovered a judgment in said cause against George W., Martin C., and "William P. Bollenbacher for $3,616.06 and, also recovered judgment against George W. Bollenbacher for the sum of $10,848.28 and an order, judgment and decree foreclosing the mortgage on said real estate, and ordering the same sold, to pay and satisfy said [577]*577judgments, and at the same time the Monroe Circuit Court appointed Charles H. MePheeters as receiver of the firm of Bollenhacher & Sons, and authorized him to take charge and control of all the partnership property, real and personal, convert the same into cash and apply the proceeds first to the payment of the judgment of the hank against William P., Martin C., and George W. Bollenhacher, and then to the payment of the judgment against George W. Bollenhacher; that pursuant to his pretended appointment, such receiver, on May 16, 1901, sold the real estate above described to Sarah E. Suggs for the sum of $705 and executed to her a pretended deed of conveyance therefor; that by virtue of the purchase and conveyance and without any other authority whatever, Sarah E. Suggs went into possession of the real estate; that her only claim of title to the real estate and her only right to possession thereof rests upon said judicial proceedings and sale as above set forth; that Sarah E. Suggs died since the sale and prior to the bringing of this suit, leaving as her only heirs at law the appellees herein, other than George W.

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Bluebook (online)
104 N.E. 55, 56 Ind. App. 572, 1914 Ind. App. LEXIS 66, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/white-v-suggs-indctapp-1914.