Summers v. Brady

Mississippi Supreme Court
Summers v. Brady, 56 Miss. 10 (Miss. 1878)
Chalmers

Summers v. Brady

Opinion of the Court

Chalmers, J.,

delivered the opinion of the court.

Various errors and irregularities occurred in the proceedings condemning the lands of G. W. Summers, deceased, to be sold for the payment of his debts. At the sale they were bought by R. S. Drone, ostensibly for himself only, but really for himself and the administrator, Sivley, to whom, shortly afterwards, he conveyed a two-thirds interest. Drone and Sivley held the parcel of land here involved for about two years, and then sold it to one McNair, who, some years later, sold to defendants in error.

The heirs of Summers bring this action of ejectment, basing their right to recover upon the legal defects in the proceedings condemning the lands of their ancestor, and upon the collusive arrangements between the purchaser, Drone, and the administrator, Sivley.

The judicial sale took place in December, 1872. This action was instituted in July, 1877. Defendants pleaded the one year’s *16Statute of Limitations prescribed by sect. 2173 of Code of 1871. It is settled that that statute bars a recovery by the heirs, notwithstanding defects in the proceedings of sale, even though some or all of them had no notice of the proceedings. Morgan v. Hazlehurst Lodge, 53 Miss. 665; Hall v. Wells, 54 Miss. 289.

But the requirement of the statute is, that “ the sale shall have been made in good faith, and the purchase-money paid.” In this case, the purchase-money was paid by actual payment of the .pro rata decreed oil all the probated claims against the estate except those held by Drone and Sivley, and by the ex-tinguishment of these in the reception of the land. We think, therefore, that the requirement that the purchase-money should be paid is fully, met.

Does the fact that the administrator was interested in the purchase so deprive it of the element of good faith as to preclude, a reliance upon the statute ? We think so, if the land were still in his possession, or in that of his confederate in the purchase. But in this instance five years intervened between the administrator’s sale and the purchase by these defendants. They are not shown to have had any knowledge or suspicion of the fact that the administrator was personally interested in his own sale. Indeed, the administrator and Drone both protest to this hour that he was not, and it is only by a careful scrutiny of various outside collateral facts that we have been forced to a different conclusion. Upon the face of the papers, Drone alone was purchaser. It was he who paid the money and received the deed, so far as the records show, though in reality two-thirds of the money was advanced by the administrator. Under these circumstances, we think that the defendants may successfully plead the statute referred to. A sale at which the administrator making it becomes the purchaser is not void ; it is voidable only, at the election of the parties in interest. Where those parties suffer the property to remain in the hands of the purchasing administrator sufficiently long for a statute of limitations to bar them, they certainly could not recover from sub-*17purchasers acquiring title after the bar had attached. If it be replied that the bar of this short and peremptory statute never attaches except where there has been a sale in good faith, we answer, that while this is true as against the administrator, a different rule must be applied in favor of the innocent vendee who has purchased after the bar has become complete, so far as can be discovered by the record. It could never have been intended to so limit the benefit of the statute as to require remote purchasers to prosecute inquiries into the hidden interest of the administrator in the purchase. We confine ourselves to the particular act under consideration, — to wit, a secret purchase by an administrator at his own sale, — and leave questions of concealed frauds and fictitious debts for consideration when they shall arise.

It is urged that sect. 2173 does not apply to minors and married women ; or, rather, that such persons must have, under sect. 2156, one year after the removal of their disabilities within which to bring their suits. This is erroneous. Sect. 2156 applies only in express terms to “the actions before mentioned,” all of which are personal actions. The limitations as to real actions are found in sect. 2147, which contains its own exceptions as to disabilities. Sect. 2173 provides for a special and exceptional state of case, — namely, to actions for the recovery of property sold by an administrator or guardian, under a decree of the Probate or Chancery Court. The proceedings for such sales are in the nature of in rem proceedings. All parties are supposed to have notice of the judicial seizure of the property, in making the sale; they are required to assert their rights within one year thereafter, and the Legislature saw fit to make no exception in favor of minors and married women. The constitutional power to apply statutes of limitation to minors and married women is undoubted. We treated this statute sub silentió, as applicable to them, in Morgan v. Hazlehurst Lodge, and Hall v. Wells, supra, and are satisfied of the correctness of that ruling.

*18There was no error in the action of the court with reference to the bill of particulars of defendants’ title. Under the rulings of the court, it.was impossible that plaintiffs could have sustained any injury.

Judgment affirmed.

Reference

Full Case Name
Chares H. Summers v. Louisa M. Brady
Cited By
11 cases
Status
Published
Syllabus
Limitatiojt of Action's. Chancery sale. The bar of one year. Sect. 8178 of Code. Sect. 2173 of the Code of 1871, which provides that no action shall be brought to recover land sold by order of a Chancery Court, where the sale is in good faith and the purchase-money paid, unless brought within one year after such sale, bars a recover}' by heirs whose ancestor’s lands have been sold by the administrator of his estate, under an order of the Chancery Court, and they fail to bring their action for the recovery of the lands within one year after such sale, notwithstanding any defects in the proceedings of sale, — even the want of notice, on their part, of such proceedings, — if it appears that the sale was in good faith and the purchase-money paid. 2. Same. Sect. $173 of Code. Sale in good faith. Case in judgment. S., being the administrator of an insolvent estate, sold the lands thereof under an order of the Chancery Court. At the sale, D. became the purchaser of the lands, ostensibly for himself; but soon thereafter he. conveyed a two-thirds interest in the same to S., the administrator. D. and S. then conveyed a part of the lands to N., and several years after the judicial sale he conveyed the same to B. It appears that S., the administrator, was interested in D.’s purchase, but it is not shown that B. had any knowledge or suspicion of that fact. The heirs of the decedent bring an action of ejectment against B., who pleads the limitation of one year, as provided in sect. 2173 of the Code. Held, that if the land wasstill in the possession of S. andD., the bar of sect. 2173 could not be pleaded by them, because as to them the sale was not in good faith; but B., having no knowledge or suspicion of the administrator’s secret interest in the purchase, and not being required by law to inquire into that matter, may plead the bar of that statute. 3. Same. Personal actions. Real actions. Sects. $156, $147 of the Code. Sect. 2156 of the Code of 1871, which constitutes an exception to the Statute of Limitations, in allowing infants, married women, etc., to bring their actions within the period of the general limitation, after the removal of their disabilities, only applies to personal actions. Sect. 2147 of the Code prescribes the limitations for real actions, and contains its own exceptions as to disabilities. 4. Same. Sect. $173 of the Code, continued. Infants and femes covert. Sect. 2173 provides the limitation to actions for the recovery of property sold by an administrator, executor, or guardian, under a decree of the Probate or Chancery Court. The proceedings for such sales are in the nature of in rem proceedings; and all parties are supposed to have notice of the judicial seizure of the property, in making the sale. The period in which actions may be brought for the recovery of property thus.sold is limited to one year, and there is no exception to this limitation in favor of minors and married women. 5. Same. Applied to infants and femes covert. Constitutional. A statute of limitations is not unconstitutional because it applies to infants and married women so as to bar their rights of action before the natural expiration, or removal, of their disabilities. 6. Ejectment. Practice. Bill of particulars of title. ■Where, in an action of ejectment, the plaintiff demands of the defendant a bill of particulars of his title, under sect. 1551 of the Code, and the defendant files such bill with the clerk of the court, instead of delivering it to the plaintiff, and on that account the latter objects to the introduction of any evidence of title by the defendant, it is not error for the court to overrule such objection, if at the same time the court informs the plaintiff that he can have a continuance of the case if he is taken by surprise; nor is it error in such case to-allow the defendant to amend his bill of particulars of title, during the trial, by changing the references to pages of the record in which the defendant’s-deeds are recorded.