Caldwell v. Newton
Caldwell v. Newton
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
This was an action by certain heirs of George W. Newton against his widow, Julia Newton, and others, to partition land in Kansas.
On April 5, 1915, Hattie Newton Caldwell and Lora Newton Barrett filed their original petition against Julia Newton, seeking partition of land in Mitchell county, and after the subsequent pleadings of the parties were filed and the issues made up the case was continued several times. In the meantime, and on April 27, 1916, plaintiffs filed an amended petition, which contained additional allegations to the effect that the deceased had owned land in Florida, and that Harry J. Tick-nor was claiming exclusive right of possession and title thereto against the plaintiffs and wrongfully excluding them from the possession of the land, but there was no allegation that he claimed any right or interest in the Kansas land. The prayer of the amended petition was that the plaintiffs be adjudged the owners of certain undivided interests in and entitled to the joint possession of all the real estate mentioned and that the same be partitioned, with the exception of the tract in Florida. Ticknor was made a party defendant, and was personally served in Mitchell county. The court sustained a motion by Julia Newton to strike out that portion of the amended petition relating to the Florida land and Ticknor’s claim thereto, but overruled her demurrer to the petition; and at the same time sustained a demurrer to the petition by Ticknor, who alleged as grounds therefor that there was an improper joinder of causes of action and that the facts stated were insufficient to constitute a causq of action against him. It does not appear , upon which ground the court sustained the demurrer. Plaintiffs appeal from the judgments of the trial court on the motion and demurrer.
It is contended that as Ticknor had been brought into court by personal service in an action in which the plaintiffs were seeking equitable relief they were entitled to have the owner
It is well settled that actions involving title and possession of real property are local in character and can be tried only in the state wherein the land lies, but it is equally well settled that, jurisdiction having been acquired, equitable relief may be afforded without regard to the location of the subject matter where it is enforceable against the person of the defendant. (Gordon v. Munn, 81 Kan. 537, 106 Pac. 286; Rank v. Miller, 85 Kan. 272, 116 Pac. 884; Meador v. Manlove, 97 Kan. 706, 156 Pac. 731; Fall v. Eastin, 215 U. S. 1.) Chses for such equitable intervention were stated by Chief Justice Marshall in Massie v. Watts, 10 U. S. 148, where he said:
“But where the question changes its character, where the defendant in the original action is liable to the plaintiff, either in consequence of contract, or as trustee, or as the holder of a legal title acquired by any species of mala fides practiced on the plaintiff, the principles of equity give a court jurisdiction wherever the person may be found, and the circumstance, that a question of title may be involved in the inquiry, and may even constitute the essential point on which the case depends, does not seem sufficient to arrest that jurisdiction.” (p. 158.)
In a case note in 69 L. R. A. 673, wherein many authorities bearing upon this question are collated, it is said:
“It follows that a court of equity of one state or country will not assume jurisdiction of a suit that in its essence involves merely the title or possession of land in another, and presents no ground of equitable intervention. In other words, if the action is one which, if it related to real property within the territorial jurisdiction, would be at law, and not in equity, a court of equity will not assume jurisdiction merely because, the property being beyond the territorial jurisdiction, a court of law cán not entertain an action in respect of it.” (p. 675. See, also, Note, 23 L. R. A., n. s., 924.)
The averments as tp Ticknor had no place in the action for the partition of land in Kansas in which he had no interest, and they did not state a cause of action against him triable in this state.
The judgment is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Hattie Newton Caldwell and Lora Newton Barrett v. Julia Newton
- Cited By
- 6 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- SYLLABUS BY THE COURT. 1. Jurisdiction — Title to Land in Another State. The courts of the state where land lies have exclusive jurisdiction of actions, legal or equitable, which directly relate to and affect the title to such land. 2. Same — Lands in Another State — Jurisdiction of Kansas Courts— Equitable Relief. A court of equity of one state that has acquired personal jurisdiction of a defendant may compel performance of contracts to convey land in another state, or enforce trusts as to the same, .or grant relief for fraudulently depriving one of the title or evidence of title to land in another state, or to grant other relief arising out of contract, fraud or trust; but an action may not be maintained in this state which involves merely the title and possession of land in another state. 3. Same — Partition—Kansas Land — Title and Possession of Land in Another State — Pleadings—Misjoinder. In an action for the partition of land in Kansas an amended petition was filed making a stranger to the Kansas land a party, upon whom personal service was obtained. As against him it was alleged that plaintiff was owner of land in another state and that the new defendant claimed the title and exclusive right of possession of the land and wrongfully excluded the plaintiff from any possession or right in it. A motion was made by another defendant claiming an interest' in the Kansas land to strike from the petition the averments as to the new defendant and the land in another state, and the new defendant demurred to the petition upon the grounds of misjoinder and that a cause of action was not stated against him. The motion and the demurrer were sustained, and upon appeal it is held that they were rightly sustained.