Itzel v. Winn
Itzel v. Winn
Opinion of the Court
The respondents contend that the plaintiff’s claim is barred both by the judgment of the county court disallowing plaintiff’s contingent claim against the estate of . Mrs. Abbey and by the judgment of the circuit court in the former action of Winn v. Itzel, 125 Wis. 19, 103 N. W. 220, rendered pursuant to the direction of this court. As to the judgment of disallowance of the contingent claim, it seems clear that it cannot be held as res adjudicate/, in this case. It clearly appears that the claim filed in the county court was simply a claim to recover against the estate for breach of the covenant of warranty against incumbrances contained in the deed from Mrs. Abbey to the plaintiff, and that it was rejected simply because the county court held that deed to be a voluntary conveyance, based upon no valuable consideration but only upon love and affection, and hence upon familiar principles there could be no recovery upon the covenant of warranty. That controversy only involved the question of the legal liability of the estate upon the covenant of warranty. Neither the question as to the duty of the trustee, Winn, to discharge the mortgage, nor the question of the validity of the mortgage after its purchase by Winn with moneys of the trust estate, was actually or necessarily involved, considered, or decided in that case.
The action of Winn v. Itzel, however, did involve in sub
It is to be regretted perhaps that this court did not respond more explicitly to this call. The mandate was that the-judgment be reversed and the cause remanded with directions “to enter judgment directing the trustee to deed the property in dispute to the defendant Itzel.” It appears that judgment, was entered in the circuit court in these words and that the trustee has made a deed (presumably a quitclaim deed) of the premises to Miss Itzel, but that the mortgage is still outstanding, having been purchased by the trustee in February, 1900, out of the trust funds in his hands under the arrangement with the respondents Taylor and Mathews, which is fully set forth in the foregoing statement of facts. The question now is as to the construction of that mandate. Does it. mean that the trustee is to execute a bare- quitclaim, or that he is to execute an effective deed of the lot ? The mandate says he is to “deed the property in dispute.” Now the property in dispute very clearly was the lot, free and clear of the mortgage. This court certainly was not expecting to frame a judgment which would leave undecided vital questions for future lawsuits and only partially respond to the issues made by the pleadings. That the Court considered Mrs. Abbey’s, warranty deed as an effective exercise of the power of appointment which Mrs. Abbey reserved to herself under her deed
■We construe the mandate as a mandate to make an effective ■deed conveying the lot, and not a mere quitclaim conveying nothing but the equity of redemption after half or more of the property had been exhausted by incumbrances1. This construction becomes more reasonable also' from the fact that at the time the mandate was pronounced and ever since the trustee has been in possession of the mortgage by purchase with trust funds used for that purpose by the consent of the respondents. Thus it appears that the trustee was in position at that time and ever since to malee an effective deed of the property. When a person holding the legal title of real estate and a mortgage on the same real estate is commanded by a judgment to “deed” the same to a party who has1 by his pleading asserted his right to- a deed clear of incumbrances, it would seem that a fair construction of the word “deed” demands that he make an effective deed, not a deed which in effect reserves half the beneficial interest to himself. So we construe the judgment in the former action as requiring the trustee to make a deed clear of incumbrances, and hence decisive of the present action in the plaintiff’s favor upon that question.
The plaintiff also seeks to recover the taxes which she has paid on the premises during the time between the execution of the Abbey deed in 1898 and the date of the execution of the deed by the trustee in 1905, on the ground that during this period she was kept out of possession by the defendants wrongfully and deprived of the rents and profits, and that the wrongdoers should be compelled to reimburse her for the taxes paid during such period. We know of no legal -pifinciple which would justify such a recovery. Property owners must pay the taxes on their own property. If a wrongdoer takes pos
There should be a judgment against Wmn for the $9.19 so collected as rent, in addition to judgment declaring the property to be free from the lien of the mortgage in question.
By the GouH. — Judgment reversed, and action remanded with directions to render judgment for the plaintiff in accordance with the opinion.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Itzel v. Winn and others, imp.
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- •Judgment: Res judicata: Mandate construed: Conveyance of land by trustee: Incumbrances: Wrongful possession of land: Liability for taxes paid by owner. 1. Disallowance by tbe county court of a claim against an estate for breach of tbe covenant against incumbrances in a warranty deed from tbe decedent to tbe claimant, on tbe ground that tbe deed was a purely voluntary conveyance, involved only tbe question of the legal liability of tbe estate on such covenant, and is not a bar to a subsequent action by tbe grantee to compel tbe executor and trustee of the decedent to remove tbe in-cumbrance in question pursuant to tbe terms of bis trust. 2. In an action of interpleader brought by tbe executor and trustee-of a decedent to determine tbe validity and effect of a warranty deed given by tbe decedent in her lifetime and tbe duty of tbe • trustee, in whom tbe legal title was vested, as to transferring such title to tbe grantee named in said warranty deed free of incumbrances, a judgment sustaining tbe validity of tbe warranty deed as an effective exercise of tbe power of appointment reserved to tbe grantor in her prior conveyance to tbe trustee,, and directing tbe trustee to “deed tbe property in dispute” to-tbe grantee in said warranty deed, is decisive of a subsequent action between tbe same parties in which said grantee seeks to-compel tbe executor and trustee to cancel and discharge a mortgage which was specifically in question in tbe former action. 3. When a person bolding; tbe legal title to land and also a mortgage thereon is commanded by a judgment to “deed” tbe land to a. party who has by bis pleading asserted bis right to a deed clear of incumbrances, such judgment should be construed as requiring an effective deed conveying tbe premises free from tbe lien of such mortgage. 4. A wrongdoer who excludes tbe owner from tbe possession of land and deprives him of tbe rents and profits may be liable for such rents and profits but cannot be compelled to reimburse the-owner for taxes paid during such wrongful occupancy.