Fidelity Realty Co. v. Flahaven Land Co.

236 S.W. 260, 193 Ky. 355, 1922 Ky. LEXIS 5
Court of Appeals of Kentucky·Decided January 10, 1922·Published·Cited by 4 cases

Opinion

Opinion op the Court by

Judge Sampson

Affirming.

The appellee, the Flahaven Land Company, instituted this action against the Fidelity Eealty Company in the Fayette circuit court for specific performance of the fol~[356] lowing contract for the sale of two lots on East Main street in the city of Lexington:

“Lexington, Ky., March 29, 1920.
“To Flahaven Land Company:
“We hereby offer and agree to purchase your property known as 221 and 223 East Main street, Lexington, Kentucky, with frontage of 41% feet and depth of about 160 feet to alley in rear;
“For the sum of sixty-two thousand two hundred and fifty dollars ($62,250.00), payable one-third cash, balance on or before one and two years, deferred payments to be evidenced by two equal notes, bearing interest at the rate •of 6%, interest payable semi-annually, and to secure said notes a lien is to be retained upon the property conveyed.
“You are to pay the state, county and city taxes for the year 1920.
“This offer is made upon the condition that you deliver to us on or before May 1, 1920, a good merchantable title, frée from all encumbrance, except as above noted.
“We hereby tender our check for $1,000.00 in part payment for said property, same to be applied upon the first cash payment.
“Davis & Wilkirson, Agts.”
“To Davis & Wilkirson, Agts.:
“We hereby accept the above offer, and. acknowledge receipt of your check for $1,000.00.
‘ ‘ The Flahaven Land Co.
By Charles E. Eveleth,- President. ’ ’

After entering into the f oregoing contract, which both parties acknowledge, the appellant, Fidelity Bealty Company, paid $15,000.00 additional cash, making in all $16,-000.00 paid on the purchase price of the two lots, but after examining the chain of title of the vendor to the said lots, and finding therein two alleged defects in the title hereinafter set out, the appellant vendee refused to accept from the vendor a general warranty deed which was tendered for the said property, pay the balance $4,750.00 of the cash installment, and to sign and deliver the two notes representing the deferred payments of the purchase price, hence this suit.

[357] Appellants insist that the title tendered by the vendor is not a good merchantable one as provided by the contract above quoted, for the reasons: (1) One of the deeds in the chain of title of the vendor, which was made by Mrs. Mary Albea and husband on July 17,1882, in the state of Texas to Katherine Mulich, was not properly authenticated by the officer who took the acknowledgment in the state of Texas, the said justice of the peace and ex officio notary public omitting to attach to his certificate the seal of his office as required by our statute, section 502; (2) the property is imperfectly and inaccurately, described in one of the deeds in the chain of title under' which the vendor claims. We will consider each of these objections to the sufficiency of the title in the order named.

1. It is admitted by appellant, Fidelity Realty Company, that the Albeas were the holders of a perfect title to the real estate in controversy at the time they undertook to convey the same to Katherine Mulich in 1882. After Miss Katherine Mulich acquired the property the city of Lexington improved the streets abutting thereon and charged the cost of said improvements to the property, which being unpaid the city enforced in an action styled City of Lexington v. Katherine Mulich, et al., in the Fayette circuit court. The property which is now under consideration was then sold under a judgment of that court in that action, but the purchaser discovering that the certificate of the officer made to the deed was imperfect, raised that question by exceptions filed to the report of sale made by the master commissioner of the court. After the Fayette circuit court passed upon the question presented by the exceptions to the sale, the case was brought by appeal to this court styled Barron v. City of Lexington, and reported in 32 Ky. Law Reporter, page 92, and we held said certificate of acknowledgment to said deed substantially good and sufficient to pass the title of the real property from the Albeas to Miss Mulieh. Without again going into consideration of the several questions presented by this appeal, directly involving the sufficiency of the certificate of acknowledgment to the deed made by the Albeas to Miss Mulich in 1882, we think it sufficient to say that we adhere to our former ruling sustaining said certificate and holding the deed to pass perfect title from the Albeas, grantors to Miss Mulich, grantee.

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Fidelity Realty Co. v. Flahaven Land Co., 236 S.W. 260, 193 Ky. 355, 1922 Ky. LEXIS 5 (Ky. Ct. App. 1922).

236 S.W. 260 (Fidelity Realty Co. v. Flahaven Land Co.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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