Baker v. Farish

Decision Date18 March 1943
Docket Number8 Div. 200.
Citation244 Ala. 178,12 So.2d 547
PartiesBAKER v. FARISH, Superintendent of Banks.
CourtAlabama Supreme Court

Carmichael & Polk, of Sheffield, for appellant.

Norman W. Harris, of Decatur, for appellee.

LIVINGSTON, Justice.

The appeal is from a decree of the Circuit Court of Colbert County, Alabama, in Equity, overruling demurrers to the bill of complaint of Addie Lee Farish, as Superintendent of Banks of the State of Alabama, liquidating the Tennessee Valley Bank, in liquidation. The suit is against Nell Baker respondent in the court below, appellant here.

The bill, filed in a double aspect, seeks to redeem certain lands that were sold at tax sale. Appellee concedes the aspect of the bill seeking redemption on the theory that appellee claimed under a recorded mortgage, and therefore had the right to redeem because no notice of the tax sale had been served on the mortgagee (section 303, Title 51, Code of 1940), is subject to demurrer. Therefore, we will not consider that aspect of the bill.

The demurrers were directed to the bill of complaint as a whole and were properly overruled if the bill in any of its aspects was not subject to the demurrer. Oden v. King et al., 216 Ala. 504, 113 So. 609, 54 A.L.R. 1413; Kelly v. Carmichael, 217 Ala. 534, 117 So. 67; American-Traders' National Bank v. Henderson, 222 Ala. 426, 133 So. 36.

Therefore the aspect of the bill, other than that concededly bad, will be considered.

In the aspect considered, the bill alleges, in substance, that complainant in the court below, appellee here, is the owner of the lands described in the bill, and sets forth the manner or method by which appellee acquired title thereto, but the time of such acquisition is not stated; that said lands were sold on June 29, 1936, by the tax collector of Colbert County for non-payment of state and county ad valorem taxes assessed for the year beginning October 1, 1934, and ending September 30, 1935, in the name of Lake Wilson Park Addition Syndicate by Howard E. Fowler, trustee; that said lands were purchased by the State of Alabama at said tax sale; that on, to-wit February 14, 1941, John C. Curry, State Land Commissioner, conveyed to appellant a part of the lands described in the bill for a consideration of $392.00; and, on, to-wit, June 23, 1941, the said John C. Curry, State Land Commissioner, conveyed the balance of the lands described in the bill to appellant for a consideration of $16. The bill further alleges that the tax sale of June 29, 1936, was void for the following reasons: That the property was assessed in the name of "Lake Wilson Park Addition Syndicate, by Howard E. Fowler, trustee," and there was no entity or person of that name, at the time of said assessment, who or which owned said property or any interest therein; that the tax collector in his report to the probate judge of Colbert County, Alabama, of his inability to collect the taxes assessed against said property, without a sale of the same, did not anywhere in said report or in connection therewith in the delinquent tax list required by section 215 of the General Revenue Act of 1935, Code 1940, Tit. 51, § 250, specify the amount of the taxes due the State and the amount of the taxes due the county and to any special tax district.

The bill further alleges that during the first week of August, 1941, appellee, by and through her duly authorized agent, advised appellant that she was the owner of the property described in the bill, and that she desired to redeem the same from said tax sale, and offered to pay to appellant whatever amount was necessary and proper for her to pay in order to redeem the same; but appellant refused to allow appellee to redeem said property, and refused to give her any statement of the amount required to redeem. Appellee tendered into court for the use of appellant the sum of $432.08, the amount paid by appellant to the State of Alabama, for the conveyance to her from the State Land Commissioner, together with interest on said amounts to the date of the filing of the bill, and also tendered into court $20.37, the amount of taxes due on October 1, 1942. And appellee offers to do equity.

The bill prays that the court will adjudge and decree that said tax sale was void, and that appellee has the right to redeem said property from appellant, and will ascertain and declare the amount necessary to redeem, and that upon payment of the same, and performing such conditions as the court may fix, that the court effectuate appellee's redemption of said property, and divest out of appellant all of her right, title and interest in and to said property, and vest the same in appellee, and for general relief.

Taking the averments of the bill as true,...

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16 cases
  • Ellis v. Stickney
    • United States
    • Alabama Supreme Court
    • 6 October 1949
    ... ... procedure and the bill was sufficient to bring in the new ... party and adjudicate as regards her title.' See Baker ... v. Farish, 244 Ala. 178, 12 So.2d 547, and Harrell ... v. Vieg, 246 Ala. 669, 22 So.2d 94. While those cases do ... not deal with a proceeding ... ...
  • Chicago, Mobile Development Co. v. G. C. Coggin Co.
    • United States
    • Alabama Supreme Court
    • 18 June 1953
    ...City of Birmingham, 256 Ala. 540, 55 So.2d 833. It is clear that the bill has equity to redeem, section 3, Title 33, Code; Baker v. Farish, 244 Ala. 178, 12 So.2d 547, and to obtain the incidental relief prayed for as stated above. Neal v. Williams, 168 Ala. 310, 53 So. 94; Alger-Sullivan L......
  • Smith-Howard Gin Co. v. Ogletree
    • United States
    • Alabama Supreme Court
    • 7 October 1948
    ... ... Lusk, 241 Ala. 519, 525, 3 So.2d ... 310; First Nat. Bank of Birmingham v. Bonner, 243 ... Ala. 597, 599, 11 So.2d 348; Baker v. Farish, Supt. of ... Banks, 244 Ala. 178, 179, 180, 12 So.2d 547; Wells ... v. Wells, 249 Ala. 649, 651, 32 So.2d 697. In the ... further ... ...
  • Chastang v. Washington Lumber & Turpentine Co.
    • United States
    • Alabama Supreme Court
    • 22 May 1958
    ...the complainants at the time of the institution of the suit was not necessary to a recovery under that aspect of the bill. Baker v. Farish, 244 Ala. 178, 12 So.2d 547; Harrell v. Vieg, 246 Ala. 669, 22 So.2d 94; Timms v. Scott, 248 Ala. 286, 27 So.2d 487; Ellis v. Stickney, 253 Ala. 86, 42 ......
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