Jarrett v. Redman

TYLER, P. J.

Appeal from a judgment declaring void a justice’s court judgment.

The facts are as follows: Defendant E. C. Redman executed a certain mortgage to secure the payment of a promissory note given to one Norma G. Tucker for the sum of three thousand dollars. The note was subsequently assigned

to

plaintiff Pearle H. Jarrett, said assignment being duly recorded January 3, 1914. On December 20, 1916, plaintiff and the mortgagor entered into a written agree

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ment extending the time of payment of the note for the period of three years. On the eighth day of May, 1922, foreclosure proceedings were instituted to recover the balance due upon the note and appellant Cooney was joined as a defendant, it being alleged that he claimed an interest in the mortgaged property. By way of answer Cooney alleged that he had a lien upon the mortgaged property by virtue of a judgment in his favor duly given and made by a justice’s court in Long Beach township against the mortgagor Red-man, an abstract of which judgment was recorded in the county of Los Angeles on January 20, 1919. As a further and affirmative defense Cooney pleaded the statute of limitations, alleging that the mortgage was more than four years past due when his abstract of judgment was recorded and became a lien upon the property, and that as to him plaintiff’s cause of action was barred by the provisions of section 337 of the Code of Civil Procedure, and his lien of mortgage extinguished. He prayed that his alleged judgment lien be determined to be prior and superior to the mortgage of the plaintiff herein, and upon the sale of the mortgaged property the proceeds arising therefrom be first applied in payment and satisfaction of his lien before the application of any of said proceeds be made in satisfaction of plaintiff’s mortgage. Two issues were thus presented for determination; first, as to the existence of appellant’s justice court judgment" and the lien thereof, and, second, as to the priority of such lien over plaintiff’s mortgage. Trial was had and the court found that the alleged judgment obtained by Cooney in the justice’s court of Long Beach in his favor and against the mortgagor Redman was null and void, and that he take nothing in the action. This finding disposed of the question of the priority of appellant’s lien and no finding was made thereon. Judgment was accordingly rendered in favor of plaintiff and against Redman in the sum of ¿4,723.21, and the mortgaged property was ordered sold to pay such judgment. Defendant Cooney appeals. ■ On" his behalf it is claimed that the findings of-fact and conclusions of law are insufficient to support the judgment invalidating the justice’s court judgment held by appellant. The sole question here presented, therefore, is the sufficiency of the findings of fact to support the judgment. The findings in substance recite that the complaint filed by the