Woonsocket Inst. for Savings v. Goulden

28 F. 900
CourtU.S. Circuit Court for the Southern District of Iowa
DecidedSeptember 15, 1886
StatusPublished

This text of 28 F. 900 (Woonsocket Inst. for Savings v. Goulden) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering U.S. Circuit Court for the Southern District of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Woonsocket Inst. for Savings v. Goulden, 28 F. 900 (circtsdia 1886).

Opinion

Shiras, J.

On the sixth day of November, 1883, Jamos P. Goulden and wife executed two mortgages upon certain real estate in the city of Council Bluffs, Iowa, and on the seventeenth of January, 1885, this suit was commenced for the purpose of foreclosing the mortgages, the same having become the property of complainant. Thomas Officer, trustee, who holds a junior mortgage upon the property, and 0. 1). Dillon, who is the owner of judgments against the mortgagor, Goulden, wore made parties defendant with the mortgagors in the suit. On the eighth day of May, 1885, a decree of foreclosure was entered, and M. Hunter was appointed a special master to make the sale of the premisos; and on the twentieth of June, 1885, he sold the mortgaged property, under the decree, to the complainant for the sum of §2,470.10, and executed a certificate of purchase in the usual form. March 20, 1880, Dillon redeemed the property, paying to the clerk the sum of §2,081.90. On the twenty-seventh of March, Officer, claiming the right to redeem from Dillon, paid into the clerk’s hands the sum of §2,680.76.

April 1, 1886, the complainant sent the certificate of purchase executed by the master to the clerk, with an assignment thereof in the following words: “To the party entitled thereto.” The special master, being in doubt as to the rights of the parties, has, by his report, submitted the question to the court as to which of the parties is entitled to the certificate, and to the deed to he made in pursuance thereof.

The defendant Dillon, on the eighth day of July, 1886, filed a petition in the case, setting forth the fact that ho held judgment liens upon the property for $296.46, and interest, the lien dating from May 12, 1884, and that he had legally redeemed the property from the foreclosure sale, by paying to the clerk, as already stated, the sum of $2,681.90; that Officer, who holds a mortgage junior to those owned by complainant, but prior to the lien of the judgments owned by the petitioner, Dillon, tile amount due on the junior mortgage being $8,792.80, had paid to the clerk of the court, on the twenty-seventh of ’March, 1886, the sum of §2,686.76, being the amount and interest paid by Dillon to redeem from the foreclosure sale, not including the amount of the judgments held by Dillon; and claimed, by reason of such payment, to have redeemed said premises, and to be entitled to the deed; which claim the petitioner, Dillon, denies, and prays an order directing the master to execute the deed to him.

To this petition Officer filed an answer, claiming that he has perfected the redemption of the premisos, and is entitled to the deed; and further praying that if it be held that he should, in redeeming, have paid the amount of the judgment liens held by Dillon, that he may be permitted to pay the same, and thereby complete the redemption attempted by him.

[902]*902On behalf of Dillon, it is claimed that Officer had no right to redeem the premises, and that his attempt to do so is nugatory; and, further, that, if the right to redeem existed, he was required to pay the amount of Dillon’s judgments in addition to the same due complainant; and that, having failed to pay the full amount required, no redemption was in fact made; and that the court cannot extend the time for redemption, by permitting him to hereafter make payment of the requisite amount.

Under this state of facts, had Officer, on the twenty-seventh day of March, 1886, the right to redeem the premises from Dillon ? It will be noticed that Dillon had not, within ten days after the expiration of nine months from the day of sale, or at any time, entered upon the sale-book the utmost amount he was willing to credit on his claim, as provided for by section 3115 of the Code. On behalf of Dillon, it is argued that as section 3112 declares that, “after the expiration of nine months from the day of sale, the creditors can no longer redeem from each other, except as hereinafter provided,” the right of redemption on behalf of other creditors terminated at the end of the nine months, unless it be held that the fact that Dillon redeemed from the sale to complainant within the nihe months reopened the right of redemption between creditors after the expiration of the nine months.

In George v. Hart, 56 Iowa, 706, S. C. 10 N. W. Rep. 265, the supreme court of Iowa held that, if no creditor redeemed during the nine months, the right to redeem after the nine months was barred as to all creditors, and that the exception provided for in section 3112 is limited to the eases pointed out in sections 3113 to 3117, inclusive. To the same effect is the ruling in Newell v. Pennick, 62 Iowa, 123; S. C. 17 N. W. Rep. 432. Under the rulings made in these cases, the law is settled to be that all lien creditors may redeem from the sale, and from each other, during the period beginning with six and ending nine months after the day of the sale; that if no creditor redeems during this period ending with the nine months, then all right of redemption on part of creditors is at an end; that if a creditor redeems from the sale during the nine months, then, after the expiration of the nine months, the right of redemption by creditors is governed by sections 3113 to 3117, inclusive.

Under what circumstances, then, can creditors redeem from each other, under the provisions of these sections ? The debtor’s right of redemption, whether from the sale or a redeeming creditor, continues for a year from date of sale. The right of creditors to redeem from the sale terminates absolutely in nine months. If no creditor redeems from the sale within nine months, then the purchaser at the sale, as against the creditors, is entitled to hold the property, and no creditor can force a redemption therefrom, and the only parties having any interest in the property are the debtor and purchaser at the sale. If the former does not redeem within the year, then the purchaser [903]*903will hold the property absolutely. If, however, a creditor redeems from the sale before the expiration of the nine months, then the interest of the purchaser at the sale is ended; and the parties in interest are the debtor, the redeeming creditor, who now takes tho place of tho purchaser, and the other lien creditors. The latter have just the same right, primarily, against the redeeming creditor, who has now become the purchaser, as they had against the original purchaser at the sale, to-wit, the right to redeem within nine mouths from the date of salo. During the nine months, the creditors have the right to redeem from each other, ami the creditor who makes the last, redemption prior to the expiration of the nine months takes the place and right of the purchaser at the sale, and is entitled to hold the property absolutely, as against other creditors, hut subject to the right of the debtor to redeem within one year.

So far as the absolute right of redemption on part of the creditors is concerned, that is terminated by the expiration of the nine months, and it is for the creditor last redeeming within the nine months to determine whether tho right of redemption shall again be opened to the other creditors. If he is willing to have his lien and claim wholly extinguished, he is entitled to hold tho property at that price, and no further redemption can be made by the crodifors. If he is not willing to take the property in full satisfaction, then he must, within 10 days, enter on the sale-book tho utmost amount ho is willing to credit on his claim, and by so doing confers upon the other lion creditors the right to redeem under the provisions of section 311(5.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Goode v. Cummings
35 Iowa 67 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1872)
George v. Hart
10 N.W. 265 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1881)
Newell v. Pennick
17 N.W. 432 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1883)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
28 F. 900, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/woonsocket-inst-for-savings-v-goulden-circtsdia-1886.