Denning v. Bailey

229 P. 912, 112 Or. 621, 1924 Ore. LEXIS 83
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 21, 1924
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 229 P. 912 (Denning v. Bailey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Denning v. Bailey, 229 P. 912, 112 Or. 621, 1924 Ore. LEXIS 83 (Or. 1924).

Opinion

COSHOW, J.

A will takes effect on the death of the testator. The beneficiaries of the will take the property under the condition it is in at the death of the testator. If the land involved in this appeal, or its proceeds was personal property at the death of the testatrix, then it remained so through the administration of her estate. Nothing that the administrator with the will annexed could do in the course of administration could change the nature of that property: 28 R. C. L. 60, § 4, note 4; In re Estate of Bernhard, Deceased, 134 Iowa, 603 (112 N. W. 86, 12 L. R. A. (N. S.) 1029); 40 Cyc. 1074, 1368; Keep v. Miller, 41 N. J. Eq. 350 (6 Atl. 495); [626]*626Leiper’s Appeal, 35 Pa. St. 420 (78 Am. Dec. 347); In re Wilson’s Estate, 85 Or. 604, 620 (167 Pac. 580); Rood on Wills, § 429; Page on Wills, § 49.

“Equitable conversion is defined as a constructive alteration in the nature of property by which in equity real estate is regarded as personalty or personal estate as realty. It grows out of the old equitable maxim that ‘Equity regards that done which ought to be done.’ 2 Story’s Equity Jurisprudence (14 ed.), §1091.

‘ ‘ There is another consideration which is incident to this subject and to which Courts of Equity have given an attention and effect proportioned to its importance. In the view of Courts of Law contracts respecting lands, or other things, of which a specific execution will be decreed in equity, are considered as simple executory agreements, and as not attaching to the property in any manner, as an incident, or as a present or future charge. But Courts of Equity regard them in a very different light. They treat them, for most purposes, precisely as if they had been specifically executed. Thus if a man has entered into a valid contract for the purchase of land, he is treated in equity as the equitable owner of the land, and the vendor is treated as the owner of the money. The purchaser may devise it as land, even before the conveyance is made, and it passes by descent to his heir as land. The vendor is deemed in equity to stand seised of it for the benefit of the purchaser, and the trust (as has been already stated) attaches to the land so as to bind the heir of the vendor, and every one claiming under him as a purchaser with notice of the trust. The heir of the purchaser may come into equity and insist upon a specific performance of the contract; and unless some other circumstances affect the case, he may require the purchase-money to be paid out of the personal estate of the purchaser in The hands of his personal representative. On the other hand the vendor may come into equity for a specific performance of the contract on the other side, and to have the money paid; for the remedy, in [627]*627cases of specific performance, is mutual, and the purchase-money is treated as the personal estate of the vendor, and goes as such to his personal representatives.” 2 Story’s Equity Jurisprudence (14 ed.), § 1092.

See, also, 1 Pomeroy’s Equity Jurisprudence (4 ed.), §§ 371, 372; In re Dwyer’s Estate, 159 Cal. 664 (115 Pac. 235); 13 C. J. 855, § 8 et seq.; 6 R. C. L. 1076, 1077; Rhodes v. Meredith, 260 Ill. 138 (102 N. E. 1063, 34 Ann. Cas. 1914D, 416).

In Stewart v. Mann, 85 Or. 68, 74 (165 Pac. 590, 1169), the court announces the same doctrine in the following language:

“The doctrine of the cases is to the effect that a vendee acquires an estate in land under an executory contract for the purchase of the same in proportion as he pays the purchase price and is not in default in the performance of his covenant. The vendor holds the legal title to that extent in trust for the vendee.”

The respondent, C. O. Denning, ably and earnestly argues that, inasmuch as the vendee was in default at the time of the death of the testatrix, the doctrine of equitable conversion does not apply. It will he noticed that the contract for the sale did not make time of the essence thereof. The record further discloses that the testatrix extended the time of payment to the purchaser. She also accepted a payment after the purchaser’s default. After her death, her administrator with the will annexed also accepted payment. The purchaser remained in possession exercising ownership of the property. Equity does not favor forfeiture: Mitchell v. Hughes, 80 Or. 574 (157 Pac. 965); Miller v. Beck, 72 Or. 140 (142 Pac. 603); Hawkins v. Rogers, 91 Or. 483 (179 Pac. 563, 905); Comely v. Campbell, 95 Or. 345 (186 Pac. 563, 187 Pac. 1103). The provision of forfeiture in the con[628]*628tract was for the benefit of the vendor. She conld waive that provision. She did not declare a forfeiture during her lifetime and for that reason forfeiture had not occurred, notwithstanding the purchaser was in arrears. Even when time is made the essence of the contract and the purchaser is in default, if the vendor accepts payment, or by any other act waives the prompt performance on the part of the purchaser, he cannot thereafter declare a forfeiture without notice to the purchaser of his intention to do so: Johnson v. Berns, 111 Or. 165 (225 Pac. 727, 224 Pac. 624), and other cases cited above. In fact, the purchaser was not in default at the time of the death of the vendor for she had extended time to the purchaser.

The respondent, C. O. Denning, asserts that the contract would not be specifically enforced against the purchaser. No reason is given for that assertion. The contract is mutual, the purchaser agreeing to buy and the vendor agreeing to sell the specific property for a specified amount. Either party to a contract for the sale of land may have specific performance of that contract: Slatterly v. Gross, 96 Or. 554 (187 Pac. 300, 190 Pac. 577); 2 Story’s Equity Jurisprudence (14 ed.), § 1092; 4 Pomeroy’s Equity Jurisprudence (4 ed.), § 1402; 5 Pomeroy’s Equitable Remedies (2 ed.), § 745.

“When the testatrix entered into the contract for the sale of land and placed the purchaser in possession, she then became the trustee of the title for the benefit of the purchaser, and the purchaser became the trustee of the purchase price for the benefit of the testatrix. The interest of the testatrix was thereby converted into personal property. That was the status of the land at the death of the testatrix. That land would remain personal property until by the [629]*629voluntary act of the owner thereof the same should be reconverted into realty. The sale of the land under foreclosure at the suit of the administrator with the will annexed did not constitute reconversion. The land should be treated, therefore, as personal property for the purpose of distribution under the law.

It is earnestly contended by the respondent that Section 10099, Or. L., prevents the doctrine of equitable conversion from applying. We think not. By the common-law doctrine a specific devise of real property was revoked if the property was disposed of during the life of the testator. Section 10099 changes that rule by preventing a revocation of such a devise. That rule has no application to this particular case because the property in dispute here was not specifically devised.

Section 10099, Or. L., referred to is as follows:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
229 P. 912, 112 Or. 621, 1924 Ore. LEXIS 83, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/denning-v-bailey-or-1924.