Brin v. Spruance

81 N.W.2d 401, 348 Mich. 29, 1957 Mich. LEXIS 385
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 28, 1957
DocketDocket 72, Calendar 47,073
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 81 N.W.2d 401 (Brin v. Spruance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Brin v. Spruance, 81 N.W.2d 401, 348 Mich. 29, 1957 Mich. LEXIS 385 (Mich. 1957).

Opinion

Carr, J.

Plaintiff brought this suit in circuit court for the purpose of obtaining a decree for the specific performance of an agreement for the purchase and sale of certain real estate and personal property. The material facts are not in dispute. Under date of June 29, 1955, defendants Delmos M. Spruance and his wife gave an exclusive listing for a period of 6 months to the Elsea Realty & Investment Company for the sale of a gasoline station business located at 1240 East State Fair avenue, Detroit, Michigan, describing the real estate covered *31 as lots 266-270 Washington Boulevard Subdivision. Through the efforts of a salesman of the realty company plaintiff submitted a written offer for the purchase of the business, stock, fixtures, equipment, and the lots described.

The filling station was located on the first 2 of said lots, the others being used for driveway and parking purposes. The offer specified the sum of $6,000 in cash for the business and personal property incident thereto, and the further consideration of $16,500 for the real estate, the purchase of the lots to be made under a land contract with a $2,000 down payment and monthly payments thereafter of not less than $145 each with interest at the rate of 6% per annum. Said offer was made to defendants Delmos M. Spruance and wife under date of September 9, 1955, and was accepted by them in writing on September 21st following.

The contract as written made reference to “fixtures and equipment as per attached inventory, if any” with a further statement in parentheses to the effect that the stock should be inventoried prior to or at time of consummation of sale. The acceptance of the offer specified that the transaction should be closed on October 1, 1955, or thereafter, but no later than November 1, 1955. An appointment was made for the parties to meet at 4 p.m. on November 1, 1955, but the defendants Delmos M. Spruance and his wife were not present. The record indicates that papers that had been prepared for execution were taken by the attorney for Delmos M. Spruance for presentation to his client. Said papers were not signed or returned. It appearing that defendants did not intend to complete the transaction, plaintiff instituted the present suit, alleging in his bill of complaint the making of the offer, the acceptance thereof, his willingness and readiness to consummate the transaction, and the refusal of defendants *32 to do so. The answer filed to the bill admitted the offer and the acceptance, and averred the willingness of defendants Delmos M. Sprnance and wife to complete the transaction at any reasonable time, charging in general terms that plaintiff had failed to carry out the obligations resting on him.

Having ascertained that the legal title to lot 268 ivas in Herbert Spruance, plaintiff filed an amended bill of complaint, following a pretrial hearing, alleging, in substance, that while the title to said lot was in the name of Herbert he was actually holding the same as agent of the defendants Delmos M. Spruance and wife, and that there was an understanding to the effect that upon the sale of the premises Herbert Spruance and his wife Marie Spruance would quitclaim said lot to defendants Delmos M. Spruance and wife. On stipulation of the parties an order was entered permitting Herbert Spruance and wife to be added as parties defendant, and allowing the amendment of the bill of complaint in such manner as to set forth the facts claimed by plaintiff. The defendants by answers to the amended bill denied any agency relation between them, and defendants Herbert Spruance and his wife further set forth the affirmative defense that they had not signed any written agreement for the sale of their interest in lot 268.

On the trial of the case plaintiff testified in his ■ own behalf and also produced the real-estate salesman who was responsible for bringing the parties together. The latter testified that several days after November 1, 1955, he discussed the matter with defendant Delmos M. Spruance, asked the latter what he intended to do, and was advised by said defendant that' he was not going through with the deal if he could helxo it, the reason given being that he had a better offer. Defendants offered no testimony.

*33 Plaintiff having failed to establish that he was entitled to relief as against Herbert Spruance and wife, the trial court ordered the case dismissed as to them. Decree was entered against the other defendants for the specific performance of the agreement with reference to the personal property and the lots other than 268. A deduction in the purchase price of the land in the sum of $2,000 was ordered, based on the finding that the omission of said lot decreased the value of the real estate in that sum. Because of the delay in the carrying out of the contract, brought about by the refusal of the defendants to consummate the transaction at the appointed time, the trial judge deemed it necessary to provide for a joint inventory of salable stock and gasoline at the station, to the end that an equitable result might be reached. Motion for a new trial was made and denied. Prom the decree entered defendants Delmos M. Spruance and wife have appealed, claiming that the agreement between the parties was not sufficiently certain and definite as to justify a decree for specific performance.

At the time plaintiff’s offer to purchase was delivered to the appellants it was accompanied by a list of personal property that plaintiff evidently understood was used in connection with the operation of the gasoline station. As before noted, the written offer made reference to such possible list. Defendants accepted the offer, but did not expressly approve the inventory. The testimony of the real-estate salesman indicates that some question was raised with reference to the ownership of a certain vending machine, the exact nature of which the record fails to show. There is no proof as to the value of the article in question nor as to its actual ownership.' The offer to purchase submitted by plaintiff made no reference to an appraisal. There is nothing to indicate that the parties had any such action *34 in contemplation. The offer was definite in amount for the business, fixtures, equipment and stock. Appellants accepted that offer and consequently were not entitled to refuse to carry out their agreement in the face of plaintiff’s demand that they do so.

Attention is also directed to the fact that legal title to lot 268 was in Herbert Spruanee, and that the decree refers to a land contract covering the other 4 lots. The fact that plaintiff could not establish his right to specific performance as to all of the real estate described in the agreement was not a bar to granting him relief as to the property that appellants can convey. Borkowski v. Kolodziejski,, 332 Mich 589. As to the 4 lots covered by the decree, it is not denied that appellants may perform their undertaking with the plaintiff. Having the power to perfect their title, if defects still remain at the present time, it is equitable that they should do so. Brin v. Michalski, 188 Mich 400.

The claim that the agreement between the parties lacks sufficient certainty and definiteness to permit it to be specifically enforced is not tenable.

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Brotman v. Roelofs
246 N.W.2d 368 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1976)
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113 N.W.2d 860 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1962)
Brin v. Spruance
93 N.W.2d 158 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1958)
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90 N.W.2d 656 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1958)

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Bluebook (online)
81 N.W.2d 401, 348 Mich. 29, 1957 Mich. LEXIS 385, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brin-v-spruance-mich-1957.