Conner v. Andrews Land, Home & Improvement Co.

70 N.E. 376, 162 Ind. 338, 1904 Ind. LEXIS 56
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 18, 1904
DocketNo. 19,944
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 70 N.E. 376 (Conner v. Andrews Land, Home & Improvement Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Conner v. Andrews Land, Home & Improvement Co., 70 N.E. 376, 162 Ind. 338, 1904 Ind. LEXIS 56 (Ind. 1904).

Opinion

Jordan, J.

Appellee upon a special finding of facts in the lower court recovered a judgment whereby it was awarded, among other things, $6,000 as damages. From this judgment appellant appeals, and relies on the following alleged errors for a reversal: (1) ' Overruling his motion to strike out parts of the second paragraph of the complaint; (2) overruling a demurrer to the first paragraph of the complaint; (3) error in the conclusions of law; (4) overruling motions to modify certain conclusions of law and finding of facts; (5) denying a motion for a new trial. The complaint is in two paragraphs and a demurrer to each was overruled. The answer was a general denial.

The following appear to be substantially the facts as alleged in the first paragraph of the complaint: On July 10, 1899, appellant and appellee entered into a contract in writing, by the terms of which it was agreed that appellee should convey to appellant certain real estate situated in the town of Andrews, State of Indiana, embracing lots numbered fifty-seven to sixty-eight inclusive, in Cubberly & Bell’s addition, and also pay him $10,000, $6,000 of which was to be in cash, labor, or material, and $4,000 in two promissory notes of equal amount, containing certain [340]*340specified conditions; in consideration of which, appellant was to construct on said real estate factory buildings of given dimensions, and to equip said buildings by placing therein at the start not less than thirty new, or equivalent to new, machines, and an engine of sufficient power to operate the same, and to add thereto from time to time as the business might require. By the terms of said contract it. was further stipulated that said notes were to be deposited in the First Rational Bank of Wabash, Indiana, one to be paid within sixty, and the other ninety days after the said buildings had been completed and the machinery placed therein and in operation; that on the failure on the part of appellant to equip said buildings with said machines or to operate the same, or should he abandon said business or cause said machines to be removed at any time within five years, then the title to said lots should revert to appellee. The lots were duly conveyed to appellant, and $6,000 was paid to him in cash, labor, and material, and said notes were duly executed. Appellant caused said buildings to be constructed, but failed to place therein thirty new and good machines as required of him. He also failed to operate said factory in substantial compliance with the terms of said contract, but, on the contrary, abandoned the business for which the factory was constructed. It is further averred that the aforesaid notes were transferred by appellant to Taylor, Dick & Dick; that by failure on appellant’s part to comply with the terms of the contract said notes have become inoperative and void, and title to said property has reverted. A reconveyance was duly demanded, but refused. The prayer is for the cancelation of said notes and the deeds of conveyance, and that appellee be declared the owner of said lands. Copies of the contract and notes were filed with the complaint.

The second paragraph of the complaint differs from the first in that it alleges, in addition to the averments in.the [341]*341first, tliat tlie purpose of appellee company was to promote tlie general good and prosperity of the town of Andrews by aiding in tlie location of factories, which would furnish employment to a large number of citizens at remunerative wages; that with this end in view it obtained a large number of donation contracts and leases, from the proceeds of which it proposed to reimburse itself for any bonus paid out as an inducement for the location of a factory. A large amount of these subscription contracts and leases contained a specific stipulation that the money or rentals should be, payable only upon the location of a factory and the operation thereof with not less than one hundred employes; “that at the time said contract was entered into between plaintiff and said Conner, and before the signing thereof, the plaintiff informed the defendant of the manner in which it proposed to raise the money to reimburse and repay itself for the time and money by it to be expended, and of the stipulation in such contracts of subscriptions and leases as to the employment of one hundred men in such factory, and insisted that such stipulation be also inserted in the contract with him. Conner thereupon stated that it would require from three to four men to operate each of the thirty machines specified in the contract, and as the contract required the placing in said factory of at least thirty machines, and the operation thereof, that this would require at least one hundred men to operate said factory, and that the provisions in the contract were substantially equivalent to the proposed clause. He represented to the plaintiff that he did not desire to have a direct stipulation in said contract requiring him to operate such factory by the employment of one hundred men, because said contract had to be recorded in a public record, and that his employes would thereby learn of such stipulation, and take advantage thereof in demanding higher wages, else go on a strike and thereby reduce the number of employes below the requirement of said contract. To con[342]*342vince plaintiff that it would require at least one hundred men to operate said machines, he requested plaintiff to send a committee to the factory at Wabash, Indiana, known as the Underwood Factory, where he represented they would find machines in operation identical with those with which he proposed to equip said factory, to ascertain how many men it would require to operate said machines. Plaintiff thereupon did send such committee to said factory at Wabash for said information,. and was informed by the foremen thereof that said representations were true, and that it would in fact require one hundred men to operate such machines. Plaintiff believed these representations, and relied thereon in signing and delivering such contract, and with this understanding and belief the plaintiff signed and delivered said contract. It is alleged that such representations were fraudulently made by said Conner, and at the time he made the same he did not intend to employ one hundred men in such factory, and falsely represented such purpose only to induce plaintiff to execute said contract, and thereby get the said property and moneys from the plaintiff.” The breach of said contract is then fully charged, whereby appellee became “unable to collect said donations and subscriptions and rentals from leases in a large sum, to wit, about $12,000,” and that the appellee sustained damages thereby in the sum of $10,000, for which judgment was prayed in addition to the relief sought by way of forfeiture of title to said lands and the cancelation of said notes.

The written contract referred to in each paragraph of the complaint, and entered into between appellant and appellee, omitting the signatures of the parties and the formal parts, is as follows: “In consideration of th6 sum of $10,000 to be paid me by the Andrews Land, Home & Improvement Company, as hereinafter stated, and the conveyance to me by good and sufficient warranty deed or deeds (a perfect title to be shown by an abstract to be fur[343]*343nished to me by you) of the following described real estate, situate in -the town of Andrews, in the county of Huntington, in the State of Indiana, to wit: Lot Nos. 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, and 68 in the Oubberly &

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

Related

Real Estate Support Services, Inc. v. Nauman
644 N.E.2d 907 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1994)
Williams v. Graber
485 N.E.2d 1369 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1985)
Walb Construction Co. v. Chipman
175 N.E. 132 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1931)
State, Ex Rel. v. Meiser, Trustee
168 N.E. 185 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1929)
Edmundson v. Friedell
159 N.E. 428 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1928)
Fletcher Savings & Trust Co. v. American State Bank
147 N.E. 524 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1925)
Federal Life Insurance v. Maxam
117 N.E. 801 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1917)
Brown v. Guyer
115 N.E. 947 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1917)
Zink v. Zink
106 N.E. 381 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1914)
Wolf v. Akin
104 N.E. 308 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1914)
Bradley v. Onstott
103 N.E. 798 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1914)
Model Automobile Co. v. Sterling
99 N.E. 51 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1912)
Terre Haute, Indianapolis & Eastern Traction Co. v. Phillips
97 N.E. 1014 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1912)
Grant Trust & Savings Co. v. Tucker
96 N.E. 487 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1911)
Walker v. State ex rel. Stinson
95 N.E. 353 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1911)
Weeks v. Hathaway
90 N.E. 647 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1910)
American Building & Loan Ass'n v. Fowler
88 N.E. 118 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1909)
Pittinger v. Ramage
82 N.E. 478 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1907)
Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville Railway Co. v. Williams
79 N.E. 442 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1906)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
70 N.E. 376, 162 Ind. 338, 1904 Ind. LEXIS 56, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/conner-v-andrews-land-home-improvement-co-ind-1904.