Fox v. Coon

Mississippi Supreme Court
Fox v. Coon, 64 Miss. 465 (Miss. 1886)
Campbell

Fox v. Coon

Opinion of the Court

Campbell, J.,

delivered the opinion of the court.

Robert N. Fox was disabled from acquiring from the State and holding the fee against his co-tenants of the estate after the termination of the life estate of the dowress, i. e., he held the fee as trustee for all the co-tenants, but he was under no disability as to the life estate, and could hold that for himself. So that as to it he was *468sole owner, and as to the fee after the termination of the life estate, he was holder for himself and co-tenants. Harrison v. Harrison, 56 Miss. 174; Lenoir v. Bridges, MS. No. 3440.

The deed of trust conveyed all his interest. The life estate has not terminated, and is held by the defendant, which fact is a bar to the suit for partition or sale for division of the proceeds, but the bill has a double aspect, and the complainants are entitled to have the deeds of which they complain as clouds on their title limited by decree of the court according to the rights of the parties, so as to avoid embarrassment at a future day.

Whether the beneficiary in the deed of trust executed by R. N. Fox was a bona fide purchaser entitled to hold the land as such does not arise on the demurrer to the bill, and should be presented by plea or answer. On this view of the case the demurrer should have been overruled.

Decree reversed, demurrer overruled, and cause remanded with leave to the defendant to plead or answer within thirty days after the mandate herein shall have been filed in the court below.

Reference

Full Case Name
George H. Fox v. Albert Coon
Cited By
12 cases
Status
Published
Syllabus
1. CO-TENANTS. Common estate in reversion. Life estate. Tenant purchasing tax-title. Trustee. F. died leaving a widow and several heirs. Certain of decedent’s land was set aside to the widow as dower, and this was afterward forfeited to the State for the non-payment of taxes. R., one of the heirs of F., deceased, purchased the land from the State and mortgaged it to C. It was sold under the mortgage and bought by W. Held, that R. by his purchase became the sole owner of the life interest of the widow and a trustee of the fee for himself and co-tenants jointly. 2. Same. Partition. Bill to remove clouds upon title. Chancery practice. Case in judgment.. In the above-stated case the heirs of F. exhibited their bill praying for a partition and for a cancellation of the deeds to C. and W. as casting a cloud upon their title. The widow was still alive. Held, that partition cannot be granted, because of the existence of the life estate in W., but the deeds should be so reformed as to convey only the interest acquired by R., to wit, the life interest of the widow.