Raley v. Bitter
Raley v. Bitter
Opinion of the Court
Appellant, Jennie Raley, brought suit against John A. Bitter, tax collector of Bexar county, appellee, and, as grounds of said suit alleged, substantially: That she is the owner of certain lots of real estate in the city of San Antonio, and that there are back taxes that appear to be due thereon and a lien on the property for various years from 1886 down to 1901, on others from 1886 down to 1905, and on still others from 1898 down to 1910. But it is alleged that all of the taxes are illegal and void on account of improper assessments, and still constitute a cloud on the title. It is also alleged:
“That the officers of state and county charged with the assessment and collection of taxes for the year 1894 have fraudulently charged to the above property $56.62 and $63 interest, when $4 or $5 was the very largest amount that could be saddled upon it.”
“Plaintiff says she has importuned the county officers to bring suit to collect these taxes and they have refused to do so.”
“Plaintiff asks for a decree clearing the title of the above property from the cloud now resting upon it and for an injunction restraining the collection of such taxes, but if the court should find that any part of said taxes are a legal charge on the property, she expresses a willingness to pay it.”
The trial court sustained exceptions to the petition on the following points: (1) Because the tax collector of Bexar county has no power to relieve the property of any such lien for state and county taxes; (2) because the petition is vague and indefinite, in that it does not appear therefrom what property is incumbered with taxes for particular years; (3) because the petition charges county officers with fraud in the assessment of interest and penalties, and does not specify what officers did this; (4) because plaintiff has an adequate remedy at law under articles 7702, 7703, and 7704 of the Revised Statutes of 1911; and (5) because no right to equitable relief appears in the bill.
The plaintiff declined to amend, and her suit was dismissed, and from the order of dismissal this appeal is prosecuted.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Raley v. Bitter, Tax Collector.
- Cited By
- 2 cases
- Status
- Published