Croft v. Bunting

2 A.2d 657, 16 N.J. Misc. 493, 1937 N.J. Misc. LEXIS 51
CourtCamden County Circuit Court, N.J.
DecidedNovember 17, 1937
StatusPublished

This text of 2 A.2d 657 (Croft v. Bunting) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Camden County Circuit Court, N.J. primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Croft v. Bunting, 2 A.2d 657, 16 N.J. Misc. 493, 1937 N.J. Misc. LEXIS 51 (N.J. Ct. App. 1937).

Opinion

Palmer, C. C. J.

Four cases in which the above named plaintiff is the plaintiff in each one and the above named defendants the respective defendants in each case, have been submitted to the court upon testimony, stipulations and briefs. The suits are to recover upon promissory notes each one signed by a separate defendant, dated December 16th, 1930, payable five years after the date thereof, at the office of Joseph H. Carr, pursuant to an agreement bearing the same date signed by the plaintiff and defendants. The notes are identical except as to the amounts, which are different in each case.

The testimony shows that the plaintiff is the present holder of these notes. Each note contains the following memoran[494]*494dum: “Pursuant to agreement dated December 16th, 1930.” This agreement is offered as part of the plaintiff’s case. No testimony was presented by the defendants other than certain portions of the ñle of a foreclosure suit. The determination of the liability of the defendants on their respective notes depends entirely upon the interpretation to be placed upon this agreement of December 16th, 1930.

In the agreement the defendants, together with some other persons, are designated as the “Moran Group,” which term will be used in this memorandum. The agreement recites that the “Moran Group” had procured an offer in writing for the sale to the plaintiff for the sum of $87,500 of a certain bond and mortgage made by the plaintiff to Ephraim T. Gill, dated March 26th, 1923, covering certain lands in the borough of Barrington, in the county of Camden: that there was then due on said bond and mortgage with then existing costs of foreclosure, the sum of $115,000. It further recites that the plaintiff desired to destroy the bond which was her personal obligation, that accompanied said mortgage, in order to eliminate any future liability to respond for any deficiency that might thereafter be incurred on a foreclosure of said mortgage, and that the defendants, together with the “Moran Group,” were stockholders in Haddonstock Corporation, the then owner of the lands covered by the mortgage, and further, that the members of the said “Moran Group” had interests in mortgages made subsequent to the date of the mortgage here in controversy.

The agreement will be analyzed in paragraphs, as follows:

1. The agreement provides that the plaintiff, upon acquiring said bond and mortgage, might destroy the bond without impairing the validity of the mortgage, and the “Moran Group” undertook to obtain an agreement from the Haddonstock Corporation recognizing the validity of the mortgage, notwithstanding the destruction of the bond and would procure further a declaration from the Haddonstock Corporation that there was then due on said mortgage at least the sum of $87,500 with interest from December 16th, 1930.

[495]*4952. There was to be no merger of the mortgage as a result of this agreement.

3. In this paragraph the plaintiff agrees to sell and the “Moran Group” agrees to buy said mortgage for the sum of $43,750 and to pay for the same within five years from the date thereof, and to pay interest semi-annually on said sum of $43,750. It then apportions the proportion of this sum to be paid by the several members of the “Moran Group.”

4. This paragraph provides that in the event of the default of any member of the “Moran Group” in paying his share of the purchase price and interest on such purchase price, he should lose his share or interest in the mortgage, and the other members of the “Moran Group” were to take up such defaulting member’s interest.

5. The fifth paragraph stated that the plaintiff should be under no obligation to assign the bond with the mortgage when conveyed to the “Moran Group.” Obviously if the bond was destroyed there could be no assignment of it.

6. The sixth paragraph states that inasmuch as the plaintiff would sustain a loss by the sale of this mortgage to the “Moran Group,” the members thereof agreed that they would make up such loss if and when they received dividends on their stock in the Haddonstoek Corporation, and they agreed to pay to the plaintiff such loss if and when they received two-thirds of their actual investment in the Haddonstoek Corporation and in their mortgages on its lands.

7. The seventh paragraph provides that the obligation of the “Moran Group” under this agreement should remain without respect to whether or not the lands covered by the mortgage should be sold by tax sale or otherwise.

8. The eighth, ninth and tenth paragraphs of the agreement relate to details which have no bearing upon the present controversy.

11. The eleventh paragraph limits the amount to be paid to the plaintiff to the sum of $87,500, the amount paid by her for the bond and mortgage, but that such limitation should not operate as reducing the amount alleged to be due as prin[496]*496cipal and interest on the said mortgage so far as the “Moran Group” was concerned. This provision gave to the “Moran Group” as against the Haddonstock Corporation, the owner of the lands, the right to claim and collect the full face value of the mortgage.

12. Paragraphs twelve to eighteen inclusive, regulate the details of the management of the land covered by the mortgage and have no bearing upon the present controversy.

19. This paragraph provides that as long as the “Moran Group” is not in default in the obligations hereby imposed, there would be no foreclosure of the mortgage, nor call for its payment. This was designed for the protection of the defendants and the Haddonstock Corporation against probable foreclosure of the mortgage so that there would be no hindrance to the further development and sale of the lands covered by the mortgage.

The testimony shows that the plaintiff acquired the bond and mortgage in question and presumably destroyed the bond which accompanied said mortgage, and that the “Moran Group” for a period of two years thereafter paid interest upon the purchase price of the mortgage in accordance with the terms of the agreement, that is, until December 16th, 1932. That thereafter the plaintiff foreclosed the mortgage and organized a corporation to take title upon the foreclosure sale which was for a nominal consideration.

The question to be determined is the liability of the defendants to respond for the amount of their respective notes, which question must be determined by an interpretation of the terms and conditions of the agreement and the objects that it sought to accomplish. This is an integrated bilateral agreement.

“The ascertainment and effectuation of the intention of the parties, as manifested by the language employed and the objects to be accomplished are the ends to be served in the interpretation of written contracts.” Corn Exchange Bank v. Taubel, 113 N. J. L. (at p. 609); 175 Atl. Rep. 55.

The purposes and objects sought to be accomplished by [497]*497this agreement were first as to the plaintiff to absolve her from future probable personal liability on her bond in the event of a foreclosure of the mortgage by the then holder, and a deficiency decree entered against her upon which suit might he brought, and to insure to her the amount that she paid for the mortgage, namely, $81,500.

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Related

Corn Exchange National Bank & Trust Co., Philadelphia v. Taubel
175 A. 55 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 1934)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2 A.2d 657, 16 N.J. Misc. 493, 1937 N.J. Misc. LEXIS 51, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/croft-v-bunting-njcirctcamden-1937.