Gormley v. Rowan
Gormley v. Rowan
Opinion of the Court
W. L. Bowan and Mrs. Mattie Bowan filed their petition against B. E. Gormley, State superintendent of banks, and others, alleging, in substance, that the superintendent by Sam C. Josey, liquidating agent, is advertising and causing to be advertised for sale certain described real estate; that the defendant is seeking to sell the land by virtue of a security deed made by W. L. Bowan to the First Bank of Nashville; that, although there is a power of sale in the security deed, the defendant is advertising the property for sale “by virtue of the security deed, and not by virtue of the power of sale contained in said security deed, and no reference is made to the power of sale;” that the deed does not name any per
General and special demurrers to the petition were overruled, and the defendants excepted.
The court should have sustained the general demurrer. The power of sale in the deed from W. L. Rowan to the First Bank of Nashville is in the following language: “And, as a further consideration moving the parties to this contract, the said W. L. Rowan hereby expressly agrees and covenants that if the debt to secure which this deed is made is not promptly paid in accordance with the tenor and effect of the contract of the indebtedness aforesaid, then the said The First Bank of Nashville may and is by these presents authorized to sell at public outcry, to the highest bidder for cash, all of the above-described property, for the purpose of paying said indebtedness and the expenses of the proceedings after first advertising the time, place, and terms of said sale in some newspaper published in the County of Berrien, once a week for four weeks preceding the time appointed for said sale; and it being hereby stipulated that the foregoing power of sale, being coupled with an interest, shall be irrevocable by the death of either party hereto; and the said party of the second part, its agents or assigns, may bid at said sale, should it desire, and the said The First Bank of Nashville may make,- and is hereby constituted the attorney in fact of the said W. L. Rowan to make to the purchaser of said prop
Another contention of the petitioners is that the advertisement is illegal and insufficient, because it merely makes reference to the security deed, and not to the power of sale contained therein. This contention is without merit. The advertisement states that the property is being offered for sale by virtue of a deed, that is, the security deed from W. L. Eowan to the bank. This necessarily refers to the power in the deed. No one would be misled by such an advertisement.
The fact that Mrs. Eowan, the wife of the grantor in the security deed to the bank, had, prior to that deed, executed a security deed to some other person is no obstacle to the exercise of the power of sale contained in the deed to the bank. Mrs. Eowan was not a party to this last deed. If she had made a deed that is valid and enforceable, the grantee in her deed, a corporation, or its successors in title, could claim the property or otherwise assert its rights. It follows that the court erred in overruling the general demurrer.
The court not only overruled the general demurrer, but passed an order appointing a rceeiver for the property, his order as to the receivership being as follows: “E. H. Brown is hereby appointed receiver of the property, to take and retain possession of all of said property specified in the • petition, and operate the same and preserve and protect all of said property, until further directed by this court. . . The receiver is directed to cultivate the lands, or have said lands cultivated under his direction and judgment, and to do all things necessary to the best advantage of the parties litigant in this case; to harvest and sell the products of the said farm and keep and retain the profits arising from the sale of said products, until the court shall direct when and where and how the funds arising therefrom shall be distributed. This receivership shall not divest the State superintendent of banks of his authority or legal right to file suit on the note and mortgage or to foreclose said mortgage during the pendency of this receivership; but he is hereby authorized, at his option, to pursue such legal remedy.” The plaintiffs filed a cross-bill of exceptions, in
Judgment reversed on loth lilis of exceptions.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- GORMLEY, superintendent of banks v. ROWAN et vice versa
- Status
- Published