Baker v. Grundy's heirs
Baker v. Grundy's heirs
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court:
This is a bill of review to which the appellant pleads time as a bar. Without any saving disability, a bill of review, like a writ of error, is limited to three years. Cumulative disabilities are unavailing. In personal actions, whenever the bar begins, it runs on without regard to intervening disabilities; but in suits for land, if a litigant claimant die before his remedy shall have been barred by time, and his successor by descent labor under disability at the time of his death, the limitation is suspended during the period of the disability. But if, in such case, the descent be cast on several persons as parceners, claiming jointly, the running of the statute is not suspended, unless all of them labor under disability; and if all of them labored under disability, the suspension would continue as long as the disability of any one of them should continue. (Macher vs. May, 4 Bibb, 44; McIntire’s heirs vs. Funk’s heirs, 5 Littell, 37; South’s heirs vs. Thomas’s heirs, 7 Mon., 63.)
Consequently, although Robert E. Grundy was an infant when the decree was rendered against him, yet, as he had attained majority about two years before his death, and his right descended to several heirs, some of whom labored under no disability, the disability of some of the other heirs did not suspend the running of the limitation as to any of them.
Nor is the error in failing to reserve to Robert E. Grundy time to open the decree after attaining 21 years of age now material on the question of limitation or any other question in
But fraud in obtaining the decree presents the question of limitation in a different phase. In such case the limitation in equity commenced, not from the perpetration, but from the discovery of the fraud, provided that the discovery was, under all the circumstances, made within a reasonable time. The bill of review in this case charges that the decree sought to be reviewed was obtained by fraud, which was not discovered by Robert E. Grundy before his death, nor by his heirs until just before the filing of their bill to open and change the decree-If these allegations be true, the review is not barred by time, and, in the judgment of this court, they are true. There was apparent fraud, and this was not sufficiently developed until the appellant filed an answer in this case presenting exhibit (H), not disclosed or alluded to in the original suit, and alleged, as an excuse for not using it in that suit, that he showed it to Towles, who was said Roberts guardian and counsel, and who, thereupon, consented to the decree as rendered without extending or altering the pleadings, so as to have a judicial consideration of that document.
Without that paper there was no semblance of ground for the original decree ; and, therefore, the decree was fraudulently obtained, if, as alleged by the appellant, it was obtained by showing the paper to Towles, who, as both guardian and counsel, controlled the defense; unless, as it literally and abstractly may import, it was bona fide evidence of a sale of the previously unsold residue of the “ Christy survey,” and for which the original decree was thereon obtained for about 720 acres of land.
On a full and careful consideration of all the facts, we are of the opinion that there was no such sale, and that the appellant, knowing this, made, according to his own allegations, a fraudulent use on the guardian of that specious writing, and thereby surreptitiously obtained an unjust decree for land he had neither paid for nor bought. The following facts, among
“ I have this day received of Miles Baker $800, which amount 'is in full satisfaction for the balance of the Christy Survey (more or less); and 1 hand the patent of said land to James Price to hold until the deed is made to the said Baker. In the presence of the undersigned witnesses, as witness my hand this 27th day of July, 1830.
“ Witness— ^ William Grundy.
“ James Farmer, Ms “Joshua Short.” mark
This receipt is an unusual memorial of a sale of land and a convenant to convey. It is also ambiguous and indefinite. What “balance” is meant? The writing itself furnishes no clue. When was the balance sold, and for v.hat price? The receipt “in full” does not show. If the sum of $800 was paid at the date of the receipt, of which there may be much doubt, that might have been full payment.for the land embraced by the compromise, and probably was, for there is neither proof nor allegation of any other payment for that land; nor is there satisfactory proof, or even any suggestion, that the replevin bond for about $600 was otherwise paid. The acknowledgment of payment in the compromise would be true, if it was a part of the consideration for the land embraced in the memorial of compromise; and this hypothesis is fortified by the following facts — 1. On the 26th of July, 1830, one day before the date of the receipt, a credit in full is indorsed on the replevin bond as paid on that day; 2d. As there is nowhere any suggestion that Grundy owed the appellant anything, or
Under these circumstances, and with these clues, however difficult or doubtful the true interpretation of the receipt (H) anight be on its face alone, it seems to us that the only consistent construction of it is, that it does not mean that the appellant had bought from Grundy any more of the Christy Survey than the portion embraced in the compromise of February, 1830, and that “the balance” of that survey, as recited in the receipt, was intended to mean the balance of the compromise land after deducting the Briggs 200 acres and the Thompson 100 acres, and which balance of the Christy Survey had not been otherwise paid for. And this deduction is, as we think, made almost conclusive by facts to be hereinafter noticed. The use we now make of the foregoing considerations, is to show the pregnant significance of the otherwise unaccountable fact that, in his original suit, the appellant never exhibited or alluded to the receipt (II), which, if he then understood it as evidence of a sale of the whole of the Christy Survey, except 200 acres, he must have deemed indispensable to a just and irreversible decree for a title to the whole. The only consistent presumption is, that he then knew that it did not embrace any portion of the 720 acres, all outside of the compromise
Without noticing other circumstances conducing to the same conclusion, we are, on the foregoing grounds,sufficiently satisfied that the decree of the circuit court now sought to be reversed by this appeal, is maintained by the record. The appellees, as R. E. Grundy’s heirs, seem to be, as decreed, entitled to a restitution of the 720 acres conveyed to the appellant under the original decree.
Wherefore, the decree appealed from being to that effect, is affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.