Scott v. Estill
Scott v. Estill
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
There is some conflict between the decisions of this court as to the effect of a reversal of a judgment upon sales made under it prior to its being reversed. In this instance the decree was rendered in August, 1881, and never superseded. It was not reversed by this court until October 31, 1882. In the meantime, on September 19, 1881, a landed interest of the appellant was sold under an execution, which issued upon the judgment, and on October 17, 1881, upon which the decree had given a lien, a like interest was sold by the commissioner. The purchaser in each instance was one of the plaintiffs in the decree. The sale by the commissioner had
Whether the plaintiff who thus purchases should be protected in his purchase in the event his judgment is reversed admits of great doubt; but the weight of precedent in this state inclines in his favor, and the question should therefore be left to legislative action.
The rule established by the cases, supra, is based upon public policy, which requires stability of title, and to which individual loss, which will arise in some instances, must give way.
The validity of the sale depends on the jurisdiction of the court.
All have a right to rely upon the judgment. This is the rule both at law and in equity and it is necessary to create confidence as to title and encourage bidding at judicial sales.
Our general legislation has been shaped to this end and we see no reason why this case should be made an exception.
Judgment affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.