Hilligoss v. Thorpe
Hilligoss v. Thorpe
Opinion of the Court
Action by appellant against appellee Thorpe on two promissory notes, one of which was executed by appellee Thorpe to appellant, and one to Peoples National Bank of Rushville, Indiana, upon which appellant was surety for appellee Thorpe and which appellant was compelled to pay. The action was also to recover the first installment of cash rental for appellant’s farm due to appellant from appellee Thorpe, and $2.75 telephone toll charged to appellant by said appellee. Appellee Willey was garnishee defendant to appellant’s complaint. Appellee Mull, on petition, was made a party and filed a cross-complaint against his coappellees and appellant upon a note for $500 and to foreclose a chattel mortgage, which note and chattel mortgage were executed by appellee Thorpe. Appellee Thorpe filed a set-off against appellant’s claim. Appellee Miller was made defendant to the cross-complaint, and a supplemental cross-complaint because of the purchase from appellant of some of the com included in the chattel mortgage. The issues joined between appellant and appellees Thorpe and Willey were submitted to a jury for trial and a verdict was returned in favor
Appellant’s motion for a new trial -was sustained as to the issues raised by appellant’s complaint against appellee Thorpe, and the same was overruled as to the issues raised on the cross-complaint of appellee Mull. These rulings of the court are assigned as error.
The facts involved in this appeal are, briefly stated, that Thorpe was a tenant of appellant for six months from September 1, 1920. During the time that he was upon appellant’s farm, he performed some labor for appellant, hiring him some teams and furnished him some meals, and thereby appellant became indebted to Thorpe. Thorpe was indebted to appellant on a note for $296.50, and appellant, as surety for Thorpe, was compelled to pay a note to the Peoples National Bank of Rushville, Indiana, for $350. Thorpe was also in
It is appellant’s contention that the statements of appellee Mull were such as to waive his mortgage upon the corn purchased by appellant at the sale and that he is estopped now to claim any property right therein or
The fact that appellee Mull had not, at the time of the public sale, recorded the mortgage would not within itself preclude him from recovering the property mortgaged and which was sold at the sale, for, under the law, he had ten days from the date of the execution of the mortgage within which to record the same. But he could not, during the ten days, or at any time, for that matter, consent to the sale of the property by the mortgagor who had retained the possession thereof without waiving his right to a lien thereon.
The general principle is thus stated in 21 C. J. 1156: “Where one who owns or has an interest in personal property, with full knowledge of his rights; suffers another to deal with it as his own by selling or pledging it, or otherwise disposing of it, he will be estopped to assert his title or right as against a third person who has acted on the faith of and been misled by his acquiescence. Actual presence of the owner at the time of the sale is not indispensable.”
In this case appellee Mull was not present at the public sale, but knew of it and consented thereto. This court in the case of Benedict v. Farlow (1891), 1 Ind. App. 160, 27 N. E. 307, has announced the same principle as quoted from C. J. above. To the same effect see, also, Carter v. Fately (1879), 67 Ind. 427. Having waived his lien on the personal property described in his mortgage by consenting to the sale thereof at public auction, we do not see how he can have any right of action against appellant for conversion of the corn.
We hold that under the undisputed evidence in this cáse appellee Mull has no right of action against appellant for conversion.
The judgment is reversed, with instructions to the trial court to grant a new trial.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.