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85 Ala. 463

Jones v. Richardson

Supreme Court of Alabama

Decided December 15, 1888

Supreme Court of Alabama · decided 1888-12-15

Heard before the Hon. John A. Foster. The bill in this case tvas filed on the 28th February, 1888, by Jack Jones and his sister, only children and heirs at law of their deceased mother, Mrs. Jane Jones, against J. C. Richardson, -as executor of the last will and testament of John T. Perry, deceased, with the devisee under his will; and sought to have a conveyance, which was absolute on its face, declared a mortgage, and for an account and redemption.

Cited by 3 later decisions — most recently November 1895

3 state decisions

Relies on Dooley v. Villalonga · Bell v. Hall · Gardner v. Kelso

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1888-12-15

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SOMERVILLE, J.

¶1The bill is one to redeem, brought by the heirs of a deceased mortgagor. A demurrer was interposed, based on the suggestion that the personal representative of the mortgagor was a necessary party to the bill; and this demurrer was sustained by the chancellor.

¶2There may be some cases where the personal representative of the mortgagor would be an indispensable party to such a proceeding, but this is not one of that character. He would only be a proper, but not a necessary party, under the facts alleged in the bill. The heirs are unquestionably entitled to redeem, by paying the mortgage debt, with interest, if this be the only incumbrance on the land held by the mortgagee, as is alleged, and admitted on demurrer. The decree to be rendered does not affect the estate of the mortgagor in any respect. No payments are shown to have been made by her in her life-time, but all payments made - on the mortgage debt are alleged to have been made by the heirs themselves. Nor does the bill contemplate the abatement of the debt by an appropriation of the rents and profits of the land, to the prejudice of the estate. Nor is any effort made to charge the personal assets of the mortgagor’s estate primarily with this debt. No accounting is, therefore, needed between the mortgagor’s personal representative and the estate of the mortgagee, he also being shown to be dead. The offer of the complainants is to pay the mortgage debt themselves, and the sole party entitled to recover it is before the court. *465The chancellor erred in sustaining tbe demurrer. — Story’s Eq. Plead. (9th Ed.), §§ 182-186.

¶3The case is entirely different from that of a bill filed by a mortgagee to foreclose a mortgage, or enforce a vendor’s lien, where the effort is to establish a debt against the mortgagor’s estate, and subject real assets to its payment. In such cases, the deceased mortgagor’s personal representative has been held to be a necessary party, for manifest reasons, which have no application to this case. Moore v. Alexander, 81 Ala. 509; Gardner v. Kelso, 80 Ala. 497; Bell v. Hall, 76 Ala. 546; Dooly v. Villalonga, 61 Ala. 129.

¶4Reversed and remanded.

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