Court Opinion

ID: 9644954
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 21:09:19.588899+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:11:20.660121
License: Public Domain

*349Dissenting Opinion by
Mr. Justice Cohen:
The majority recognizes in its opinion that it has long been the law in Pennsylvania that if a tenant in common purchases a property at a tax or other judicial sale, such property inures to the benefit of all the cotenants. The purchasing cotenant is presumed to act for all. Conceding this rule, the majority attempts to avoid its impact by invoking cases from jurisdictions which have established statutory laws to cover such situations. They are not applicable in Pennsylvania.
Here, the record title disclosed that Maggie Francis purchased the land at a tax sale. This revelation was sufficient notice to a purchaser that an examination of the tax sales record must be made to determine whether the land was acquired by a cotenant at the tax sale. Further reference to the records would reveal that this land was assessed in the name of the Estate of Jennie Francis, which was such a “red flag” that the purchaser was again put on notice and required to investigate who actually were Jennie Francis’ heirs. A superficial inquiry would have disclosed the heirs of Jennie Francis and would have disclosed that Maggie Francis was a cotenant with the other heirs of Jennie Francis. Hence, her acquisition of the land was for the benefit of herself and all the cotenants at the time of her purchase.
I would hold that the appellees’ failure to recognize the implications of the tax sale disclosed by the records and the failure to pursue an inquiry outside of the records to ascertain the heirs of Jennie Francis, prevents them from asserting that they are bona fide purchasers and hence they cannot cut-off the rights of prior owners.
I dissent.