White v. White
White v. White
Opinion of the Court
This appeal is from an order made upon the petition of the respondent, Frankie White, granting her a writ of assistance to obtain possession of certain real estate then in the possession of appellant, Rohrbough, who claims under a lease from the plaintiff, George E. White. The following statement of facts is condensed from said petition: In December, 1885, George E. White commenced a suit against his wife, Frankie White, to obtain a divorce. She answered, and also filed a cross-complaint, with the usual prayer for counsel fees, expenses and permanent support. On May 15, 1889, an interlocutory decree was entered upon said cross-complaint granting her prayer for divorce, and enjoining the plaintiff, George E. White, from in any manner disposing of or affecting the community property or his separate property, except that the plaintiff should “be permitted to pursue and carry on his ordinary business”; this injunction to continue until the further supplemental and final decree should be entered and carried into effect. This interlocutory decree was recorded in May, 1889, in the counties of Mendocino, Trinity and Humboldt, and copies thereof served upon the plaintiff and upon Rohrbough, the applicant herein. On February 9, 1894, a motion was made by Mrs. White for the appointment of a receiver to “take charge, supervision, and possession” of all the property, real and personal, of the plaintiff, of which motion said Rohrbough and White had notice; and on June 18, 1894, such receiver was appointed. On June 9, 1894, the plaintiff, George E. White, executed two certain leases of large quantities of land ,to said
It is contended by appellant that this is not a case in which a writ of assistance is authorized; that the judgment to satisfy which the lands in question were sold was an ordinary money judgment, which had not by its terms been made a charge upon the lands of the plaintiff against whom the judgment was rendered, and was therefore enforceable by execution, and was not, under the law and the established procedure, a case in which an order of sale could be issued. Said judgment has never been set aside, modified or reversed. It was entered February 9, 1895, and by it the receiver theretofore appointed was continued. On April 12, 1895, an order was made directing the receiver to sell the property described in appellant’s lease, or so much thereof as might be necessary to satisfy said judgment. This was an appealable order, but was not appealed from; nor was the subsequent order of the court confirming the sale questioned by motion, appeal or otherwise, so far as the record discloses. It is not questioned by appellant that the court had jurisdiction of the cause for divorce, and of the adjustment of the property rights of the parties, the future support of the wife, and other incidents to sutii action; but it is contended, ‘if I correctly understand counsel, that the court had no authority or jurisdiction to make the order directing the receiver to sell, and that the order and the sale were for that reason void. This contention is based upon the theory that, as the decree or judgment did not expressly make the judgment a charge or lien upon said lands, an order of sale could not issue, and that the judgment should have been enforced by execution. Windsor v. McVeigh, 93 U. S. 282, 23 L. Ed. 914, and other cases, are cited in support of said contention. It is quite true that
One other question remains. On the day said petition came on for hearing, appellant asíced leave to file an amendment to his answer setting out a declaration of homestead filed by Mrs. White in 1884 upon a certain quarter section of land embraced in appellant’s lease, said homestead being upon the separate property of the husband, and made for the joint benefit of the spouses. The petitioner waived notice of the motion for leave, but objected that the amendment did not state any defense to her petition, and that it came too late. This motion was made on October 28, 1897, after appellant’s lease had expired. It was not alleged in the proposed amendment that appellant had acquired any right to the.possession of said homestead after the expiration of the lease, or had any interest in rt. The court denied the motion, and appellant excepted. I think the court did' not err in denying the motion, not only because appellant had no such relation to the property as would authorize him to litigate the question of the petitioner’s title, but because this proceeding is not
We concur: Gray, C.; Chipman, C.
For the reasons given in the foregoing opinion the order appealed from is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- WHITE v. WHITE
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- Alimony—Enforcement—Sale of Leased Premises—Writ of Assistance.—In a suit for divorce an interlocutory • decree was entered, granting respondent a divorce from her husband, and enjoining the latter from disposing of his property before final decree. Thereafter a receiver was appointed to take charge of all of his property. In the final decree it was provided that the wife, “do have and recover the sum of one hundired thousand dollars,” and that the receiver be continued and directed to take all necessary steps to collect the said sum. An order was made directing him to sell certain property, which the husband had leased after the injunction, but before the receiver’s appointment, and in accordance therewith the property was sold to respondent. Held, on petition for writ of assistance to gain possession, that, though the judgment was mot expressly made a charge on the husband’s land, the court had jurisdiction to direct the sale, since the property was under its control by virtue of the receivership. Alimony—Enforcement by Sale of Leased Land—Appeal.— Respondent was granted a divorce from her husband, and awarded $100,000 alimony. Certain land which the husband had leased to his nephew was sold to her in part satisfaction of the said sum. Before the expiration of the lease she petitioned for a writ of assistance to gain possession, but the order granting the writ was not made until after the lease had expired. Held, on the nephew’s appeal from the order, that it would not be disturbed by a court of equity, since he had no further right of possession, and therefore could not have suffered injury. Alimony—Enforcement by Sale of Leased Land—Writ of Assistance.—Respondent was granted a divorce from her husband., and awarded $100,000 alimony. Certain land, which the husband had leased to his nephew, was sold to her in part satisfaction of the said sum. She petitioned for a writ of assistance to gain possession, and after expiration of the lease the nephew asked leave to file an amendment to his answer, setting out a declaration of homestead filed by respondent, for the benefit of herself and husband, upon land covered by the lease. He did not allege that he had acquired any interest in the homestead after the expiration of the lease. Held, that leave should be denied, since the nephew’s relation to the property would not authorize him to litigate the question of respondent’s title. Writ of Assistance—Tenant in Possession.—On Petition for a Writ of assistance to gain possession of land, the tenant in possession cannot question the petitioner’s title.