White v. Houser
White v. Houser
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
The plaintiff brought this suit to set aside certain judgments sought to be made liens against his land, and to set aside judicial sales thereunder. The trial court found the facts to be that when the suit was begun the action of Krouse v. White was pending, based upon a promissory note executed
The trial court quashed the service and sale in Houser v. White on the ground that no valid affidavit for service had ever been filed. Thereupon Houser filed his motion in that case setting up that he had redeemed the land as the junior lien holder and creditor, and prayed for subrogation to the rights of Krouse. He also answered in this action setting up his claim to be subrogated to the rights of Krouse in Krouse v. White, praying that the order of sale therein' be not set aside but that a sheriff’s deed be issued to him, Houser. The trial court found that Houser was entitled to subrogation as prayed for and to a sheriff’s deed, and from this ruling the plaintiff, White, appeals.
His claim is that the judgment in favor of Krouse in Krouse v. White was void for lack of service upon White, and because the land was a government homestead not liable for debts con
The defendants argue that the action amounts to one to set aside or reverse the order of confirmation after the term and is brought too late for that purpose and that there is no statute authorizing it.
Aside from questions of service, it appears that the original judgment was rendered on a note executed before the issuance of a final receipt or patent, and from the findings of the court this was apparent from an examination of the record below. But it was expressly found that this was not disclosed to the court. The action really is not one to set aside the judgments but to relieve the land from the lien thereof on the ground that in obedience to the federal statute it must be left free therefrom.
When Houser paid his money to the clerk it was to redeem from a judgment wrongfully attaching to the land, basing his own claim on an attachment which had to be set aside for lack of service.
But while the Houser judgment was erroneously made a lien upon the land because intended by congress to be left free from such attachments, still the error did not oust the court of jurisdiction, and White’s remedy was by appeal or by opening up the judgment rendered on publication service, under the civil code. (Doran v. Kennedy, 237 U. S. 362.)
The judgment is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- J. F. White v. Steve Houser and John Sharfey, as Sheriff, etc.
- Cited By
- 2 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- SYLLABUS BY THE COURT. 1. Quieting Title — Homestead—Final Receipt — Patent—Antecedent Indebtedness — Judgment—Execution—Owner Can Not Maintain Action. The owner of land patented under the homestead law, upon which an execution has been levied based on indebtedness antedating the issuance of a final receipt or patent (U. S. Rev. Stat. 1375, § 2296), upon whom no personal service has been made, after sale and before the redemption period fixed by the court has expired, the attention of the court not having been called to such indebtedness, can not maintain an action to remove from such homestead the apparent lien of such judgment. ' 2. Same — Judgment Creditor — Attachment—Prior Judgment — Subrogation. The holder of another judgment who had attached the same land subject to the one referred to, after his attachment had been quashed for want of service, by redeeming from such prior judgment could subject the land to the payment of his lien by subrogation to the rights of such prior judgment creditor.