Title: Nicholas v. Fowler

State: arizona

Issuer: Arizona Supreme Court

Document:

89 Ariz. 7 (1960) 357 P.2d 331 Clarence M. NICHOLAS and Mary Ida Nicholas, husband and wife, Mable Taylor, a widow, and Harold Taylor, husband of Olive Taylor, Appellants, v. Florence J. FOWLER, a divorced woman, Appellee. No. 6578. Supreme Court of Arizona. December 1, 1960. *8 John M. Levy and Emmett R. Feighner, Phoenix, for appellants. Gibbons, Kinney & Tipton, Phoenix, for appellee. LESHER, Justice. This is an appeal from a judgment quieting the plaintiff-appellee's title to certain real property. That title derives from a deed executed and delivered to her predecessor in title by the Superintendent of Streets of Maricopa County in foreclosure of a lien for special assessment. The appellants Nicholas were the owners of the property, a vacant lot, when the assessment was levied. Their appeal is based upon the proposition that the appellee's predecessor in title, who bought the land at the foreclosure sale, failed to comply with the requirements of A.R.S. § 11-743. That statute reads: It is conceded that the appellants Nicholas were never personally served with the notice required by subsection B. Instead, the buyer gave notice by posting. These appellants contend (1) that the affidavit referred to in subsection C was legally insufficient and (2) that the requirements of subsection B as to posting of notice were in fact not met. The affidavit filed by the buyers here consisted of a mimeographed form which provided blank spaces to be filled in by the affiant. As completed and filed by her it appeared thus: The owner appellants' position with respect to this affidavit is stated thus: The statute requires that the affidavit show that "due diligence was used to find the owner", if *11 notice was by posting; the affidavit does not show the use of due diligence; such a showing was a condition precedent to the issuance of a deed; for lack of that showing the sale and deed were absolutely void, without regard to what in a subsequent proceedings might be shown to have actually been done to find the owner. We agree. Statutes providing for foreclosure by deed of assessment liens are to be strictly construed. One who relies for his title on such a deed must show that the governing statutes have been strictly complied with. And, from Thomas v. Peterson, 213 Cal. 672, 3 P.2d 306, 307: The affidavit in question here, in attempting to set forth facts showing the use of due diligence, stated merely that the owner lived in another state. It did not say what efforts were made to find the owner, or even that any effort was made at all. It notes that an attempt was made to serve the owner by registered mail but does not state the result of that attempt, nor does it show where and how the address was obtained, or even in any way connect that address with the true address of the owner. As a matter of law this affidavit is insufficient. The statute by its terms requires that a deed shall issue to the purchaser "if he has fully complied with the provisions of this section." Where posted notice is relied on, full compliance with the statute includes the filing of an affidavit showing on its face facts which amount in law to the use of "due diligence" to serve the owner personally. Such an affidavit, sufficient on its face is a clear condition precedent to the issuance of a deed. Where an affidavit makes no sufficient showing, a deed issued on the basis of such affidavit is void as against the owner and persons having prior legal or equitable interests in the property. *12 The appellants Taylor are mortgagees of the property whose lien antedates the assessment lien foreclosure sale. What we have said above makes it inappropriate that we here consider the various other assignments of error which they and the appellants Nicholas have specified. The deed issued to appellee's predecessor could confer no rights in appellee as against any of these appellants. The judgment appealed from is in all respects reversed. STRUCKMEYER, C.J., and PHELPS, BERNSTEIN and UDALL, JJ., concur.