Beaman v. Beaman

Mississippi Supreme Court
Beaman v. Beaman, 90 Miss. 762 (Miss. 1907)
44 So. 987
Caljioon

Beaman v. Beaman

Opinion of the Court

Caljioon, J.,

delivered the opinion of the court.

Without especial consideration in detail of the various grounds of demurrer so ably argued, it is plain that appellant’s case is without life if Mrs. Joanna Beaman, wife of Charles Beaman, could not buy, either for cash or on credit, at the' *766sale by the trustee in the trust deed of Alexander Beaman, the ancestor. Charles Beaman was a cotenant, and, with his wife, was in actual possession of the land when his father died and when the trustee sold and she bought. If he had bought, the purchase, subject to what he paid in satisfaction of his father’s debt, would plainly have inured to the benefit of all the cotenants, and himself as one of them. Smith v. McWhorter, 74 Miss., 400, 20 South., 870; Walker v. Williams, 84 Miss., 392, 36 South., 450; Wyatt v. Wyatt, 81 Miss., 219, 32 South., 317. The inability of a cotenant to buy for himself or herself is based on grounds of public policy. On the same grounds of public policy, the husband or wife cannot so purchase. Robinson v. Lewis, 68 Miss., 69, 8 South., 258, 10 L. R. A., 101, 24 Am. St. Rep., 254; Clark v. Rainey, 72 Miss., 151, 16 South., 499; Hamblet v. Harrison, 80 Miss., 118, 31 South., 580. It cannot affect this conclusion that it is held in Means v. Haley, 86 Miss., 557, 38 South., 506, that the wife of the selling tax collector may buy at a tax sale. This involves no question of cotenancy of the tax collector or the purchaser.

The fact that the law emancipating women, and giving them the same rights as men to acquire and hold and sell property, is of no avail to Mrs. Beaman. Her husband had the same right. The law of emancipation gives her no right superior to his; but neither he nor she, being his wife, could acquire adverse rights hy purchase, because it is in contravention of public policy. Tender is unnecessary. The bill does not seek to stop any procedure, but recognizes the rights of Doty, the assignee, who must, of course, be protected.

Affirmed and remanded, with leave to answer within thirty days after mandate filed below.

Reference

Full Case Name
Charles Beaman v. Edward Beaman
Cited By
11 cases
Status
Published
Syllabus
Tenancy in Common. Rights of Cotenants.. Purchase of outstanding title. Wife of Cotenant. Husband and wife. Lands. Where the land of cotenants is subject to a superior lien granted by a former owner and is sold thereunder:— (a) A purchase by one cotenant will inure to the benefit of all the tenants; and (b) A purchase by the wife of one of the cotenants will likewise inure to the benefit of all of them, although married women have been wholly emancipated from common law disability on account of coverture.