Case Name: MULTNOMAH COUNTY v. WHITE
Court: Oregon Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Oregon
Decision Date: 1905-08-28
Citations: 48 Or. 183
Docket Number: 
Parties: MULTNOMAH COUNTY v. WHITE.
Judges: 
Reporter: Oregon Reports
Volume: 48
Pages: 183–191

Head Matter:
Argued 25 July,
decided 28 August,
rehearing granted 4 December, 1905;
reargued 18 January,
finally decided 3 April, 1906.
MULTNOMAH COUNTY v. WHITE.
81 Pac. 388, 85 Pac. 78.
Appeal — Motion to Dismiss.
1. The consideration of a motion to dismiss an appeal, involving the merits of the dispute, may appropriately be continued until the final hearing.
Appealable Judgment — Measure op Relief Granted — Equity.
2. It is a rule of general application that a party cannot appeal from añ order granting the relief which he asks, but if the measure' of relief allowed falls short of that obtainable under his complaint, he may seek further relief by appeal.
For example: A county having sued to invalidate an exchange by its judge of sundry tax certificates which it owned for certain void warrants, to have the holders of such certificates declared trustees thereof for the county, to restrain their transfer, to recover the proceeds of any that had been sold, and the amount for which the certificates had been bid in by the county, on the theory that the certificates were still outstanding, is entitled to appeal from a decree merely declaring the entire exchange void, since it had asked for a recovery of the value of such certificates as had been sold, it being shown that most of such certificates had been taken up by the property owners and canceled before the filing of the suit.
Effect of Decree in Collusive Suit.
3. A collusive proceeding is not binding on parties or privies, and questions there decided may be re-examined upon proof of the prior collusion.
Estoppel to Deny a Right by One Who Exercised It.
4. One who has exercised a right conferred by another will not be heard to deny that such grantor had the right in question.
For example: One who has collected money from various property owners for certain tax certificates cannot insist that they were void when called upon to account to the true owner, who claimed that they had been unlawfully obtained from its possession.
Recovering Consideration of Illegal Contract.
5. Whatever may be the rule between private persons as to recovering a consideration voluntarily paid on an illegal contract with a knowledge of the facts, the consideration so paid can be recovered by a public corporation that has been imposed upon, whether by its officers or others.
For example: Where tax certificates belonging to a county were wrongfully transferred in exchange for void county warrants, the fact that the transfer was voluntary and with full knowledge of the facts is not a defense to a claim by the county for an accounting and a return of all money obtained from sales of such warrants to taxpayers for redemption.
From Multnomah: Arthur. L. Frazer, Judge.
Suit by Multnomah County against W. F. White and another, resulting in a decree from which plaintiff appeals. A motion to dismiss the appeal was overruled, and a decision rendered on the merits after a rehearing.
Motion Overruled.
Reversed.
Decided 20 March, 1904.
Decided on rehearing 3 April, 1906.
Mr. Joseph Simon and Mr. Martin Luther Pipes for the motion.
Mr. Charles Henry Carey, contra.

Opinion:
On Motion to Dismiss the Appeal.
Per Curiam :
This is a motion by respondents to dismiss the appeal in the above cause on the ground that the appellant, who is plaintiff in the suit, obtained by decree of the circuit court the full relief demanded. The presentation thereof has developed a situation involving somewhat the merits of the controversy, which being so, we have concluded that we may be more fully advised touching the question involved by a further hearing of the motion in conjunction with the cause itself. We will therefore withhold our decision in the premises for the present, and the order of the court will be that the motion be continued until the cause comes on for hearing on its merits, when both will be heard together. Motion Overruled.