Willis v. Aetna Life Ins. Co.

1939 OK 418, 95 P.2d 608, 185 Okla. 647, 1939 Okla. LEXIS 469
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedOctober 17, 1939
DocketNo. 28503.
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 1939 OK 418 (Willis v. Aetna Life Ins. Co.) 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
Willis v. Aetna Life Ins. Co., 1939 OK 418, 95 P.2d 608, 185 Okla. 647, 1939 Okla. LEXIS 469 (Okla. 1939).

Opinion

DANNER, J.

On November 3, 1933, the Aelna Life Insurance Company brought suit against Helen Lee AVillis and A. R. Willis to recover on a promissory note and to foreclose a mortgage on real property. Summons was served on the defendants on November 7, 1933, and the answer day therein was December 4, 1933. The defendants filed their motion to quash service of summons, which was overruled, and on January 19, 1934, the defendants filed a demurrer to the plaintiff’s petition.

On February 7, 1934, after the answer day in the summons, the plaintiff amended its petition, without notice to the defendants, by making Gum Brothers Company, then in receivership in the federal court, an additional party defendant. On February 23, 1934, Fred S. Gum, receiver, without notice .or service of summons on the defendants, filed in the cause his answer and cross-petition, in which he sought recovery from the defendants on a promissory note executed by them and to foreclose a second mortgage on the real property involved in the action. On February 26, 1934, three days after the filing of the answer and cross-petition by the receiver for Gum Brothers, the defendants filed their answer to the original petition, in which they admit the execution of the note and mortgage sued on by the plaintiff, and, pleading further, allege that the land in foreclosure was sold to another defendant in the case, with agreement of the latter to assume the mortgage; further, the defendants deny generally the allegations of the plaintiff's petition.

On November 6, 1935, on a hearing in which the defendants were represented by counsel, the court sustained plaintiff’s motion for judgment against the defendants on the issues joined by the petition of the plaintiff and the answer of the defendants. On the same hearing the court rendered judgment, fixing the mortgage of the plaintiff as a first lien on the property and the mortgage of cross-petitioner as a second lien. On the following day the defendants filed their motion for new trial, in which it is alleged:

“Comes now the defendants, Helen Lee Willis, nee Morgan, and A. R. Willis, and move the court to vacate and set aside the judgment rendered herein on the 6th day of November, 1935, for the following causes, which affect materially the substantial rights of said defendants.
“(1) Irregularity of the court and abuse of discretion by which the defendants were prevented from having a fair trial.
“(2) The court erred in rendering judgment on the pleadings for the reason that the answer of said defendants raised an issue of fact upon which issue said defendants were entitled to a jury trial, and that said defendants did not waive a jury trial, but objected and served exceptions to the order of the court rendering judgment on the pleadings.
“(3) That the judgment is not sustained by sufficient evidence and is contrary to law.
“(4) Error of law occurring at the trial and excepted to by said defendants.
“(5) Error in the assessment of the amount of recovery upon the note, mortgage and amount allowed for attorney’s fee.”

Following an adverse ruling on the motion, the defendants filed objections to the confirmation of sale on the grounds that the sale was not conducted according to law and that the amount paid for the property was less than the judgment in the case, ■ and that therefore the amount bid was insufficient in law. On the hearing on the motion to confirm the sale, and the defendants’ objections thereto, on which hearing the defendants were represented by counsel, the court ruled adversely to the defendants and confirmed the sale in the plaintiff, the Aetna Life Insurance Company. No appeal from the judgment was taken

On January 23, 1937, the defendants filed *649 in the case their amended motion to vacate the judgment entered November 6, 1935, in favor of the receiver for cross-petitioner on the grounds that such judgment was void on its face; that the allegations in the cross-petition were insufficient to confer jurisdiction on the court to render judgment thereon; that the judgment roll does not show that the receiver had authority from the federal court to sue on the note and mortgage executed by the defendants in favor of Gum Brothers Company; that no revivor of the ease as against Fred S. Gum, receiver, had been made and entered since his death; that the judgment in favor of ,Tohn I. Gilbert, successor in office to Fred S. Gum, was void. From an order denying their motion to vacate the judgment, the defendants appeal.

In the absence of any showing to the contrary, it will be assumed that consent to the filing of suit by a receiver has been obtained or that such authority is contained in the order of appointment. Additionally, the objection may be waived. High on Receivers, section 254-A; 23 R. C. L. 126. Also, leave of court by which an equity receiver has been appointed need not be obtained before starting suit on a claim against a person or corporation of whose property the receiver has been appointed. Chicago Title & Trust Co. v. Fox Theatres Corp. (C. C. A.) 69 Fed.2d 60. 91 A. L. R. 991: A. G. McKnight, Receiver, v. Brozich (Minn.) 204 N. W. 917; 43 A. L. R. 1352. Sec. also, 53 C. J. 317.

On the question of revivor. The answer and cross-petition of the defendant Gum Brothers Company was filed February 23, 1934, by Fred S. Gum, receiver. On July 23, 1935; John I. Gilbert, as receiver, filed in the cause his answer to plaintiff’s petition, in which he adopted and re-alleged all the allegations of the answer and cross-petition previously filed by Fred S. Gum, receiver. Again, no party to the suit objected to the' appearance of the successor receiver or to the pleading filed by him. Judgment in the case was rendered in favor of the successor receiver. It is the general rule that where the court has jurisdiction of the parties and the subject matter, failure to revive after death of a party does not render void a judgment subsequently entered in the case. Pioneer Tel. & Tel. Co. v. Davis, 28 Okla. 783, 116 P. 432; Town of Jefferson v. Hicks, 33 Okla. 407, 126 P. 739, 41 L. R. A. (N. S.) 1053.

The defendants’ objection to the sufficiency of the cross-petition is without merit. An examination of the petition shows that it contains all of the essential requirements to state a cause of action.

The principal ground relied upon by defendants for reversal of the judgment is that the court was without jurisdiction to enter the judgment for the reason that the defendants were not served with summons on the cross-petition and had no notice or knowledge of the pendency of the cross-petition until long after the judgment had been rendered and the land sold under order of sale issued at the request of the plaintiff; also that the cross-petition was filed after the answer date in the summons issued on plaintiff’s petition. On this point the defendants rely principally on the case of Blakeney v. Ashford, 183 Okla. 213, 81 P.2d 309. In that ease, in the syllabus, we held:

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Bluebook (online)
1939 OK 418, 95 P.2d 608, 185 Okla. 647, 1939 Okla. LEXIS 469, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/willis-v-aetna-life-ins-co-okla-1939.