Brice v. Walker, No. 7639.

CourtUnited States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (District of Columbia)
Writing for the CourtPER CURIAM
Citation73 App. DC 377,121 F.2d 864
Decision Date07 April 1941
Docket NumberNo. 7639.
PartiesBRICE v. WALKER.

73 App. DC 377, 121 F.2d 864 (1941)

BRICE
v.
WALKER.

No. 7639.

United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

Decided April 7, 1941.


Herman Miller, of Washington, D. C., for appellant.

Stanton C. Peelle, Jr., of Washington, D. C., for appellee.

Before MILLER, VINSON, and RUTLEDGE, Associate Justices.

PER CURIAM.

Plaintiff (appellant) is the holder of a promissory note, secured by a deed of trust

executed simultaneously by the defendant on April 29, 1931. The last payment was made on October 7, 1932. Plaintiff asks judgment in the amount of the balance due under the note, plus interest, stating that the claim is based upon the note and the deed of trust. The complaint was filed on July 29, 1939. The defendant answered that the indebtedness was barred by limitation. The District Court sustained defendant's motion for judgment on the pleadings

The parties agree that the question to be determined is whether the obligation is a simple debt or one under seal. If the action is based upon a simple debt, it is conceded that the statute has run. It is clear that an unsecured note is a simple debt and the action upon it must be brought within three years from maturity. It is also clear that a deed of trust is a sealed instrument and the period of limitation is twelve years. Plaintiff contends that the present indebtedness is evidenced and acknowledged by the deed of trust, an instrument under seal; that the note and the deed of trust, being parts of the same transaction, are to be considered as one instrument; and that the applicable period of limitation is twelve years.

These contentions are not in accord with the law.1 They, moreover, are inconsistent with the holding that Hoffman's claim was barred in the Hoffman v. Sheahin2 case decided today, if that deed of trust and note had language dovetailing the two instruments as in the instant case. A comparison reveals that the pertinent language of the note and the deed of trust in the Hoffman case is not only substantially similar to, but almost identical with, the phraseology of the instruments involved in this litigation.

In the Hoffman case the contention, rejected by the court, was that the three-year limitation on the note should start to run after the deed of trust sale when the deficiency was ascertainable. It would seem that in most instances at least that argument is much stronger than the one presented here which would make the twelve year period applicable to...

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7 practice notes
  • Fox-Greenwald Sheet Metal Co. v. Markowitz Bros., Inc., 23160.
    • United States
    • United States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (District of Columbia)
    • 12 de outubro de 1971
    ...governed suit on the note. Munter v. Lankford, 98 U.S.App.D.C. 116, 117, 232 F.2d 373, 374 (1956); Brice v. Walker, 73 App.D.C. 377, 378, 121 F.2d 864, 865 (1941); Hoffman v. Sheahin, 73 App.D.C. 374, 375-377, 121 F.2d 861, 862-864 69 The record does not reveal whether Markowitz' obligation......
  • Archie v. U.S. Bank, N.A., s. 18-CV-945
    • United States
    • District of Columbia Court of Appeals of Columbia District
    • 5 de agosto de 2021
    ...long ago recognized that "a deed of trust is a sealed instrument and the period of limitation is twelve years." Brice v. Walker , 121 F.2d 864, 865 (D.C. Cir. 1941).Appellant contends that § 28:3-118(a) should control despite the express applicability of § 12-301(6) to instruments under sea......
  • Archie v. U.S. Bank, 18-CV-945
    • United States
    • District of Columbia Court of Appeals of Columbia District
    • 5 de agosto de 2021
    ...long ago recognized that "a deed of trust is a sealed instrument and the period of limitation is twelve years." Brice v. Walker, 121 F.2d 864, 865 (D.C. Cir. 1941). Appellant contends that § 28:3-118(a) should control despite the express applicability of § 12-301(6) to instruments under sea......
  • Hoffman v. Sheahin, 7660.
    • United States
    • United States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (District of Columbia)
    • 7 de abril de 1941
    ...became due and payable. It is true the deed acknowledged the existence of the indebtedness on the notes, but this is held insufficient 121 F.2d 864 to constitute an independent undertaking for purposes of rendering a personal judgment,7 as distinguished from one for It is obvious, of course......
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7 cases
  • Fox-Greenwald Sheet Metal Co. v. Markowitz Bros., Inc., 23160.
    • United States
    • United States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (District of Columbia)
    • 12 de outubro de 1971
    ...governed suit on the note. Munter v. Lankford, 98 U.S.App.D.C. 116, 117, 232 F.2d 373, 374 (1956); Brice v. Walker, 73 App.D.C. 377, 378, 121 F.2d 864, 865 (1941); Hoffman v. Sheahin, 73 App.D.C. 374, 375-377, 121 F.2d 861, 862-864 69 The record does not reveal whether Markowitz' obligation......
  • Archie v. U.S. Bank, N.A., s. 18-CV-945
    • United States
    • District of Columbia Court of Appeals of Columbia District
    • 5 de agosto de 2021
    ...long ago recognized that "a deed of trust is a sealed instrument and the period of limitation is twelve years." Brice v. Walker , 121 F.2d 864, 865 (D.C. Cir. 1941).Appellant contends that § 28:3-118(a) should control despite the express applicability of § 12-301(6) to instruments under sea......
  • Archie v. U.S. Bank, 18-CV-945
    • United States
    • District of Columbia Court of Appeals of Columbia District
    • 5 de agosto de 2021
    ...long ago recognized that "a deed of trust is a sealed instrument and the period of limitation is twelve years." Brice v. Walker, 121 F.2d 864, 865 (D.C. Cir. 1941). Appellant contends that § 28:3-118(a) should control despite the express applicability of § 12-301(6) to instruments under sea......
  • Hoffman v. Sheahin, 7660.
    • United States
    • United States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (District of Columbia)
    • 7 de abril de 1941
    ...became due and payable. It is true the deed acknowledged the existence of the indebtedness on the notes, but this is held insufficient 121 F.2d 864 to constitute an independent undertaking for purposes of rendering a personal judgment,7 as distinguished from one for It is obvious, of course......
  • Request a trial to view additional results

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