Gardner v. Brown
Gardner v. Brown
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
The order of the Circuit Court dismissing this cause and remanding it to the State court is affirmed.
By the terms of the mortgage, a deed of trust, Walker, as trustee, was authorized, upon default of payment of the debt, to take possession of the mortgaged premises and sell them upon certain specified terms and conditions. It is claimed in the bill, that he had not qualified himself under the laws of Tennessee to act under this power, and the suit was brought to foreclose the mortgage in chancery, without reference to the special power of sale. Walker, the trustee, was made codefendant with Gardner, the mortgagor, the ob
The motion of Gardner, the mortgagor, to transfer the cause, as to himself, to the Circuit Court, under the provisions of the act of July 27th, 1866, could not be granted unless there could be a final determination of the cause, so far as it concerned him, without the presence of the other defendant as a party. And we think that the Circuit Court was right in its opinion that Walker was a necessary party to the relief asked against Gardner, and in refusing to entertain jurisdiction and in remanding the cause. The bill prayed a foreclosure of the mortgage by- a sale of the land. This required the presence of the party holding, the legal title. The complainant had only the equitable title. Walker held the legal title. The final determination of the controversy, therefore, required his presence, and as the cause was not removable as to him, under the authority of Coal Company v. Blatchford,
Order of the Circuit Court affirmed.
11 Wallace, 172.
Reference
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- Í. Though statute may enact that a trustee to whom property is assigned in trust for any person, “ before entering upon the discharge of his duty, shall give bond ” for the faithful discharge of his duties, his omission to give such bond does not divest the trustee of a legal estate once regularly conveyed to him. 2. Accordingly when A., of one Slate, mortgages by way of trust-deed to B., of another, lands in that other in trust for C., of this same other State, authorizing B. upon default in the payment of the mortgage debt to take possession of the mortgaged premises and sell them upon certain specified conditions, B. is a necessary party in any proceedings in the nature of foreclosure; though by statute of the State, B. may have been required to give bond such as abovementioned, and may not have given it. And if C., the creditor, have filed a bill for foreclosure against A. and B., A. cannot transfer the ease from the State court to the Circuit Court under the act of July 27th, 1866. The suit is not one in which there can be a final determination of the controversy, so far as it concerns him, without the presence of B., to whom the trust-deed was made.