Johnson v. Murphy
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Johnson v. Murphy
Opinion of the Court
This action was brought to determine adverse claims to four separate tracts or parcels of land in Hennepin county. Plaintiff claimed title to each through certain real estate tax proceedings. Defendants Jacobson and Murphy appeared at the trial and each laid claim to separate tracts of the land. The trial was before a jury, and a verdict was returned in favor of defendant Jacobson, but as to defendant Murphy, the verdict returned, as subsequently amended by the court, affirmed the validity of plaintiff’s tax title to the land claimed by that defendant. She subsequently moved for a new trial on various grounds, and appealed from the judgment after denial of a motion for a new trial.
Defendants were not jointly interested in the land, and there was a misjoinder of causes of action as well of parties defendant. No objection, however, was seasonably interposed, and the misjoinder led to some confusion on the the trial, particularly in the verdicts returned by the jury. But the conclusion we have reached upon other questions renders unnecessary a further reference to that branch of the case.
It was conceded on the trial that defendant Murphy was the owner of the fee title, and she was entitled to judgment, unless her rights had been divested and lost by the tax proceedings relied upon by plaintiff. The sole question necessary to be determined in disposing of the appeal is whether the holder of a tax certificate, when his title is assailed as invalid for defects in the notice of expiration of redemption, must affirmatively show, independently of the facts recited in such notice, that the amount required to redeem in respect to delinquent taxes included therein .is
Plaintiff was the purchaser of the property at the tax sale and the usual certificate of sale was issued to him. The owner, defendant Murp,hy, was entitled to redeem by the payment of the amount for which the land was sold to plaintiff, together with any and all delinquent taxes, penalties and costs subsequently accruing, and if paid by plaintiff, interest thereon at 12 per cent per annum. 6. S. 1913, § 2183, subd. 3. The notice of expiration of redemption stated that the property was “sold for the sum of $22.00; and that the amount required to redeem said pieces or parcels of land from said sale, exclusive of the costs to accrue upon this notice, is the sum of $108.95, and interest on $90.34, at the rate of 12 per cent per annum from the date of this notice,” etc.
The notice contains no statement in explanation of the different amounts mentioned therein. The property was sold for $22, but the amount required to redeem is stated at $108.95, from which we may assume that the difference between that sum and what the property sold for is made up of delinquent taxes subsequently accruing against the land. But the notice contains no statement that plaintiff had paid them, nor any facts from which the person entitled to redeem could ascertain whether the amounts stated are correct, and at the trial no evidence was offered by plaintiff either of the amount of delinquent taxes or that plaintiff had paid them. We are clear that it was incumbent upon plaintiff to prove the fact of payment, and that the failure to do so was fatal
In view of this conclusion we do not deem it necessary to consider other objections to the notice, except to say that the name of the person to whom it was addressed is not so illegibly written as to render the notice a nullity. It is quite clear that the name is Horace Lowry. And the same may be said of the name as it appears in the sheriff’s return of service. There may be other objections to the notice, some were suggested on the argument, but we pass them without further remark. The point decided requires a new trial, and we remand the cause for trial upon all the issues.
Order reversed.
[ 2 As corrected by a per curiam order on July 28, 1916.]
Reference
- Full Case Name
- J. B. JOHNSON v. MARY ANN GORMAN MURPHY
- Cited By
- 1 case
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- Published