Briggs v. Austin

8 N.Y.S. 786, 29 N.Y. St. Rep. 245
New York Supreme Court·Decided February 15, 1890·Published·Cited by 4 cases

Opinion

Hardin, P. J.

Plaintiff in his complaint alleges that on the 1st day of February, 1887, at Oneonta, he and the defendant ElyD. Austin entered into an agreement in writing, under their hands and seals, whereby plaintiff “let and rent to said defendant Ely D. Austin a certain farm and premises of plaintiff, situated in the town of Davenport, in the county of Delaware, described in said agreement and known as the * Sperry Farm,’ containing one hundred acres of land, more or less, together with eleven cows and one bull, then on said farm,—said bull and one cow to be taken from said farm by plaintiff, September 1, 1887,—for the term of one year, to commence April 1, 1887, and end March 31,' 1888, unless sooner terminated, as provided in said agreement; for which said defendant agreed to pay plaintiff $250 in the fall of 1887, when the butter made on said farm was sold, or ready to be sold, as specified in said agreement.” The complaint further alleges that by [787] the terms of the agreement “all of the butter made on said premises should be and remain the property of plaintiff until said rent was fully paid, and that all the grain and products of said land should be and remain plaintiff’s, and the title thereto in him until said rent was paid. ” The complaint also alleges that said defendant “would keep plaintiff’s said cows in good condition until grass, in the spring of 1888, and that he would quit and surrender demised premises to plaintiff, his heirs or assigns, in as good condition as he received them from plaintiff, at the expiration of his said term, natural decay and damages by the elements excepted.” It also alleged that the defendant Ely took possession of the farm on the 1st of April, 1887. The complaint also alleged that the defendant Harvey Austin “ was present at the execution of said agreement by plaintiff and the defendant, and, as plaintiff is informed and believes, knew the contents thereof, and that the products of said farm, to-wit, the butter made from the milk of said cows, and the hay and grain grown thereon, belonged to plaintiff, and were to remain plaintiff’s until said rent was paid, and said agreement fully carried out and executed by the defendant Ely D. Austin; and also knew, as plaintiff is informed and believes, that said defendant Ely D. Austin was insolvent and wholly irresponsible, and unable to respond to plaintiff in damages.” The complaint further alleges that on “the 19th day of May, 1887, with full knowledge of the facts aforesaid, and intending thereby, as plaintiff is informed and believes, to defraud plaintiff, and deprive him of his said property,—said butter, hay, and grain, the products of said farm,—and prevent the collection of said rent, the defendant Ely D. Austin executed a eha'ttel mortgage to said defendant Harvey Austin, purporting to transfer to said defendant Harvey Austin all of the hay, grain, and grass now growing or standing on said farm, and all the crops, of whatever kind or nature, and filed the same in the town-clerk’s office of said town of Davenport on the 20th day of May, 1887.” It also alleged that the defendants, “acting together, and fraudulently intending to prevent plaintiff from recovering said rent, and to take from plaintiff’s said cows on said farm the hay and grain necessary for their proper sustenance, have removed, or caused to be removed, from said premises a large portion of the hay grown thereon, and a large quantity of oats, corn, and buckwheat grown on said lands, all of which was needed to keep said cows through the present winter, claiming to take and remove the same under and by virtue of said chattel mortgage.” The complaint further alleged “that said defendants threaten and intend to remove all of the hay and grain grown on said farm therefrom, and leave nothing thereon with which said cows can be fed or kept, as required by the terms and intentions of said agreement.” The complaint alleged that plaintiff had not received to exceed $100 on the rent, and there remained “due and unpaid of said rent $155 and upwards.” Plaintiff also alleges that, “before the commencement of this action, plaintiff elected to terminate said lease, and to re-enter and take possession of said farm and premises, and of said cows and said hay, and whatever of the products of said farm remains thereon, and notified the defendants thereof.” In the prayer for relief the plaintiff, among other things, asked “that plaintiff have immediate possession of said cows, the barns and outbuildings on said premises, and of said hay, grain, and feed for said cows;” also, that the defendants be “enjoined and restrained from removing any of said hay or grain from said land, and from selling or disposing of any part thereof pending this action, except such as shall be necessary to be fed to said cows.”

Harvey Austin, in his answer to the complaint, “denies that it was provided in and by the terms of the lease mentioned in the complaint, or by any other arrangement, ‘ that all the grain and products of said land should be and remain plaintiff’s, and the title thereto in-him, until said rent was paid.’” He also denies all the allegations in respect to fraud in the execution of the chattel mortgage; and he avers that the chattel mortgage was made for a val[788] uable consideration, and filed in the proper town-clerk’s office, and “that this defendant took said mortgage in good faith, and without any fraudulent design or knowledge, suspicion or belief, that it was given with fraudulent design ; and this defendant denies, upon information and belief, that said mortgage was given with intent to hinder, delay, or defraud the creditors of Ely D. Austin, but alleges that the same was given to secure a bona fide debt due this defendant from said defendant Ely D. Austin. ”. He makes several other specific denials of allegations in the complaint, and asks to have the complaint dismissed. He also sets up the chattel mortgage which he received to secure $100 from Ely, which chattel mortgage covers “all the hay, grain, and grass now growing or standing or being on the farm now occupied by said Ely D. Austin, in said town of Davenport; all other crops of whatsoever kind or nature, now growing or being on said farm; also all the calves now owned by said Ely D. Austin, and kept on said farm.”

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Briggs v. Austin, 8 N.Y.S. 786, 29 N.Y. St. Rep. 245 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1890).

8 N.Y.S. 786 (Briggs v. Austin) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Depew v. Ketchum
31 Abb. N. Cas. 210 (New York Supreme Court, 1894)
Briggs v. Austin
11 N.Y.S. 944 (New York Supreme Court, 1890)
Newton v. Manwarring
10 N.Y.S. 347 (New York Supreme Court, 1890)