King v. Townshend — 48 N.Y. St. Rep. 592

Majority

p. 592

Louis C. King, Resp’t, v. John Townshend, App’lt.

(Supreme Court, General Term, First Department,

Filed October 20, 1892.)

Headnote

1. Estoppel—Judgment.

Where a prior judgment may have been based upon either of two facts, or states of facts, a party seeking to avail himself of it as an estoppel must show affirmatively that it went upon the particular facts claimed to create that estoppel.

3. Same—Cloud on title.

In an action to cancel a tax lease as a cloud on title, there was introduced in evidence a judgment in a prior action of ejectment brought by plaintiff’s grantor against the defendant which directed a dismissal on the merits. It appeared, however, that the court certified that the facts did not establish any title to, or right of possession of the locus in, quo in the plaintiff therein, and that he had not shown possession thereof in himself or those through whom he claimed. Held, that as it did not clearly appear that the court intended to find title in either of the parties, but may have decided the case on the question of possession only, the judgment did not estop the plaintiff in this action from proving title in his grantor.

Appeal from judgment in favor of plaintiff.

John Townshend, for app’lt; L. A. Gould, for resp’t.

The decree from which the appeal is taken in this cause declared that a certain tax lease of premises described in the complaint, made and executed by the proper authorities of the city of New York to the defendant,' was void, and directed it to be canceled of record as a cloud on the plaintiffs title, for the reason that excessive interest had been added to the amount of an assessment for non-payment of which the property was sold. It has been held' by this court that a tax sale made under such circumstances is void, Matter of Willis, 30 Hun, 13 , and by the court of appeals that where the facts constituting the illegality .of the sale do not appear of record, but must be proven by extrinsic evidence,, a suit will lie to remove as a cloud upon title á lease or deed based

p. 593

upon such void sale. Stewart v. Crysler, 100 N. Y., 378 . The burthen of proving the facts constituting illegality in this case was upon the plaintiff, for the statute makes the lease prima facie evidence of the regularity of all proceedings resulting in its execution and delivery. Chap. 381, Laws 1871; § 941, Consol. Act. Sufficient was shown on the trial to authorize the finding that the sale was void, but it is claimed that for other reasons the learned judge at special term erred in holding that the plaintiff was entitled to a decree. ‘ “

It is alleged in the complaint that the plaintiff is the owner and in possession of the premises described therein. The answer puts that allegation in issue. It was, therefore, necessary for the plaintiff to establish title in himself by competent evidence. That lie did by grants or conveyances sufficient to vest a paper title in him, and, although there was some dispute as to possession, he showed that he had it when this suit was begun. On the trial the defendant, as evidence against the plaintiff’s asserted title, introduced (and as would appear) without objection, a judgment record entered in the superior court of the city of Kew York in an action of ejectment brought by one Moores, the present plaintiff’s immediate grantor, against this defendant and .his tenant in possession for the recovery of the same premises. That action was tried October 4, 1886, and a verdict was directed for the defendant, subject to the opinion of the court at-general term: Judgment on the verdict and directing the dismissal of the complaint was ordered by the general term and was entered March 10, 1887. The judgment is expressly stated to be on the merits.

An appeal was taken to the court of appeals and the judgment was affirmed. In obedience to the requirements of § 1339 of the " Code of Civil Procedure, the superior court certified to the court of appeals (and it went" up as part'of the record) a statement of the facts, the questions of law arising thereon, and the determination made of the same ; in which .statement it was, among other things, certified that the facts disclosed on the trial did not establish any title to or right of possession of the locus in quo in Moores, and that he had not shown possession thereof in himself,, nor in the persons through whom he claimed.

It will be observed that “this judgment of the superior court,, which is now invoked as an estoppel against the plaintiff, was-rendered in March, 1887, was upon the merits, and if it was binding upon Moores on this question of title it would also estop the present plaintiff, as his grantee, the grant being subsequent to the judgment. Campbell v. Hall, 16 N. Y., 579 . The present suit was begun May, 1891, more than four -years after the entry of the judgment in the" superior court. The question for consideration therefore is, what is the effect of the judgment referred to on the title derived by the plaintiff from Moores? It may be stated as a general rule, that a judgment between parties, binding on them and their privies, and rendered on the merits, is conclusive upon the same matters in any subsequent action, whether brought for the same or for any other object or purpose, or in the same or any

p. 594

other form of action, Castle v. Noyes, 14 N.Y., 329 ; Smith v. Smith, 79 id., 634; Jordan v. Van Epps, 85 id., 427 ; Leavitt v. Wolcott, 95 id., 212 ; Pray v. Hegeman, 98 id., 357 ; Bell v. Merrifield, 109 id., 211; 14 St. Rep., 796 , and it is immaterial whether the judgment is pleaded in bar as a defense or is put in evidence without being pleaded, as an estoppel. Embury v. Conner, 3 N. Y., 522 Krekeler v. Ritter, 62 id., 372. But engrafted upon the general rule is the condition' that" the precise question involved in the second action must have been (or- within the pleadings might have been) finally determined in the first action, Bell v. Merrifield, supra, and that where the prior judgment may have been based upon either of two facts, or states of fact, . the •party seeking to avail himself of the estoppel must show affirmatively that it went upon the particular facts claimed to create that estoppel, otherwise it is open to a new contest. Lewis v. Pier Co., 125 N. Y., 341 ; 34 St. Rep., 073 . The learned judge at special term found and based his decision on the finding that the record-in'the superior court did not disclose that the judgment was rendered upon the question of title, but that it may have been on that of possession only. All that appears from the judgment roll, properly so called, is that the judgment was on the merits, but what was determined by the superior court, as certified by it to the court of appeals, is that it was adjudicated that the facts proven. did not establish any title to the premises in Moores. This certificate of the general term was •required by law, is to be regarded as part of the proceedings in the action similar to findings of fact and conclusions of law on a trial at special term, and was necessary to enable the court of last resort to know upon what grounds the determination below was based.

We agree with the special term that the superior cortrt judgment is not conclusive in this action on the question of title, because it -is not clear that that court intended to make a final •and binding adjudication on that subject, and it is at least very ¿doubtful under the statute if it had the power to do so finder the facts certified by it to the court of appeals. The conclusiveness of a judgment in ejectment on the question of title is a matter of ■express statutory provision in the state of New York. Before the Revised Statutes, as is well known, a judgment’in ejectment was not a bar or an estoppel to new actions on .new .demises, but as many subsequent actions might be brought as there were new leases made, and the only, way to prevent further litigation was by a decree in equity enjoining other actions being brought .at law. The revisers remodelled and regulated the action of ejectment, intending to assimilate it as a real action as nearly as might be to replevin as a personal action, but in doing so they -carefully provided for the effect of a judgment both after a trial and upon default of a defendantLin pleading; as. to the former case it bding enacted, 2 Rev. St at., 309, § 36, that “ every judgment in the action of. ejectment rendered.upon a verdict of a jury •or a report of a referee upon the facts, or upon a decision of a single judge upon the facts, shall be conclusive as to the title estab

p. 595

lished in such action upon the party against whom the same is rendered, and against all persons claiming from, through or under such party, by title accruing after the commencement of such action subject, etc.” This provision of the R. S., is now contained in substance in § 1524 of the Code of Civil Procedure. Now it is to be observed that .the superior court certifies that on the question of title there was merely a failure of proof. If title were only involved a dismissal as in the case of an ordinary nonsuit would have been the proper judgment. But possession and title being both involved in actions of ejectment since the Revised Statutes, Cagger v. Lansing, 64 N. Y., 417 , it is probable that on the finding that the plaintiff Moores was not entitled to possession the superior court held the complaint should be dismissed on the-merits; for it is not to be assumed that that learned court intended to ignore the plain provision of the statute, that to make the judgment conclusive as to title there must be a title established in the action, and it would be an absurdity to say that the failure of a plaintiff to prove title in himself establishes one in 'his adversary or in any one else. In the defendant’s answer in the superior court action no title was set up. The whole defense was simply on the general denial, and respecting a judgment in such a case-the language of Mr. JusticeS wayne, Barrows v. Kindred, 4 Wall., 399 , in commenting upon the Illinois statute, which is similar to-ours respecting judgment in ejectment, is pertinent. The learned judge says: “ Where a judgment is rendered for the plaintiff the title upon which he recovered is thereby established, and the construction and effect of the statute are obvious. He must recover in all cases, if at all, on the strength of his own title, and not upon the weakness of his adversary’s. It is not incumbent on the defendant to show any title. , Where a plaintiff shows no title, and is therefore defeated, it is not easy to perceive how any title can be said to have been established in the action, or how, under the-statute, the result cap affect his right to bring a new action.” And in our own courts the same view of the statute has been taken. Briggs v. Wells, 12 Barb., 569 ; Ryerss v. Rippey, 25 Wend, 432 , the latter case being cited to the same point by Rapallo, J., in Dawley v. Brown, 79 N. Y., 398 .

There was no title whatever established in. anyone by the superior court judgment, and as it does not clearly appear, either by the record in that action or otherwise, that the court intended to find title in either of the parties, we think the special term was right in holding that the judgment referred to did not conclusively estop the plaintiff from showing here that title in Moores, his grantor, which was not shown on the trial of the ejectment action, but which was proven on the trial of the case at bar.

The judgment must he affirmed, with costs.

Van Brunt, P. J., and O’Brien, J., concur.