First Mortgage Corporation of Stuart v. Degive

177 So. 2d 741
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedAugust 6, 1965
Docket5232
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 177 So. 2d 741 (First Mortgage Corporation of Stuart v. Degive) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court of Appeal of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
First Mortgage Corporation of Stuart v. Degive, 177 So. 2d 741 (Fla. Ct. App. 1965).

Opinion

177 So.2d 741 (1965)

FIRST MORTGAGE CORPORATION OF STUART, a Florida Corporation, Appellant,
v.
Mary L. deGIVE, Appellee.

No. 5232.

District Court of Appeal of Florida. Second District.

August 6, 1965.

*743 Elton H. Schwarz, Stuart, for appellant.

Ralph Geilich, of Williams & Geilich, Melbourne, for appellee.

SMITH, Judge.

Appellant, plaintiff below, has appealed the entry of a final summary decree in favor of appellee, defendant below. The parties will be referred to as they appeared in the lower court.

Defendant and one Bernard F. O'Connor entered into an agreement on March 12, 1959, the pertinent parts of which are as follows:

"Agreement
"This Agreement made and entered into the 12th day of March, 1959, by and between Mary L. deGive, hereinafter referred to as party of the first part, and Bernard F. O'Connor, hereinafter referred to as party of the second part,
"Witnesseth:
"Whereas the party of the second part has performed many and various services for the party of the first part with the understanding that he would be reimbursed on some basis satisfactory to the parties to this agreement and
"Whereas the party of the second part has this date paid in hand to the party of the first part the sum of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) and
"Whereas the party of the first part owns * * * (certain property) * * * subject to a purchase money mortgage in favor of Doctor C.K. Wall and on which mortgage there is a principal payment due of Five Thousand Six Hundred and Eighty Dollars ($5,680.00) on January 19, 1959, which the party of the first part agrees to pay together with the interest to January 19, 1959, and the party of the second part will accept this agreement subject to an unpaid balance of Seventeen Thousand and Forty Dollars ($17,040.00) as of January 19, 1959, and subject to all the terms and conditions of the said purchase money mortgage for said principal balance and interest thereon from January 19, 1959.
"Now, therefore, the premises considered the party of the first part covenants and agrees to convey to the party of the second part or his nominee, an individual one-half interest in (certain real property-description omitted)
"The party of the first part agrees to convey the said property subject to taxes for 1959 and subject to purchase money mortgage of record in favor of C.K. Wall the principal balance of which is Seventeen Thousand and Forty Dollars ($17,040.00) as of January 19, 1959 * * *.
"The party of the second part in exchange for the said deed of conveyance agrees to release the party of the first part from all claims which he has for services heretofore rendered to the party of the first part on any account and in full from the beginning of time *744 up to the day and date of the execution of this agreement.
"This agreement is made upon consideration of the agreements each with the other as herein contained and in consideration of the prior promises of the party of the first part to pay for said services and in consideration of the rendition of said services by the party of the second part."

The agreement was signed by defendant and O'Connor, was witnessed by two subscribing witnesses, acknowledged, and recorded on December 28, 1959.

Subsequently, on June 30, 1959, O'Connor, joined by his wife executed an instrument entitled "Assignment of Contract." This instrument recited that in consideration for the sum of $3,600, O'Connor and his wife assigned to Anchorage Mortgage Company all their right, title and interest in the agreement between defendant and O'Connor. This instrument was signed by O'Connor and his wife, was witnessed by two subscribing witnesses, and was acknowledged before a Notary Public. The instrument was accompanied by a written agreement, dated June 30, 1959, between O'Connor and Anchorage Mortgage Company to the effect that upon the payment of the sum mentioned in the Assignment of Contract, Anchorage Mortgage Company would reassign the assignment to O'Connor and his wife. The O'Connors also executed a promissory note, dated June 30, 1959, payable to Anchorage Mortgage Company in the amount of $3,600 and due on June 30, 1960.

On August 29, 1959, O'Connor and his wife executed another promissory note payable to Anchorage Mortgage Company. This note was for $1,000 and was due on June 30, 1960. O'Connor and his wife also executed an instrument, dated the same day, entitled "Modification of Assignment of Contract" which recited that in consideration of the sum of $1,000 the Assignment of Contract dated June 30, 1959 was modified to read $4,600 instead of $3,600 but that said Assignment would remain unchanged in all other respects.

Thereafter, on May 12, 1960, O'Connor and his wife executed a deed naming defendant as grantee. The deed conveyed to her all of the O'Connors' right, title and interest to the real property described in the agreement between O'Connor and defendant stating that it was the intention to convey to defendant "all interest which Bernard F. O'Connor has in and to the * * * [described real estate] * * * including but not limited to all interest under the agreement made and entered into between the grantee and the said Bernard F. O'Connor dated March 12, 1959 * *." The deed also stated that the conveyance was made "subject to any rights which Anchorage Mortgage Company may have in and to the one-half (1/2) interest hereby conveyed."

O'Connor defaulted in the payment of the promissory notes described above, and plaintiff, who was Anchorage Mortgage Company's successor in interest, filed its complaint against defendant. Plaintiff prayed that the agreement between O'Connor and defendant dated March 12, 1959 be declared to be an absolute conveyance of the one-half interest in the property described therein; or, in the alternative, that the Assignment of Contract and the attendant documents be declared a mortgage; and that this mortgage be foreclosed. Defendant answered admitting the execution of the agreement and denying generally all other allegations. Defendant alleged further that under the agreement O'Connor undertook to perform certain acts and agreed to make certain payments due on a mortgage on the property, but that O'Connor "defaulted on his obligations under said contract."

Both parties moved for summary final decree upon the pleadings, depositions, and affidavits, and the chancellor granted a summary final decree in favor of defendant.

*745 In order to determine the correctness of the chancellor's ruling, we must ascertain what legal effect the various instruments have on this admittedly unusual and complex problem. We turn first to the "Agreement" of March 12, 1959, between defendant and O'Connor.

Plaintiff has contended that the agreement operated as an absolute conveyance to O'Connor of a one-half interest in the subject property. It relies upon the case of Tucker v. Cole, 1941, 148 Fla. 214, 3 So.2d 875, for the proposition that no prescribed form is essential to the validity of a deed or to make it operative if it makes known the transaction. We have no quarrel with the rule stated in that case, but do not feel it applicable to the facts before us. In Tucker v. Cole, supra, the Supreme Court held that the words "Know All Men By These Presents, that I * * * have this day bargained and sold, aliened, confirmed and delivered unto * * * (the vendee), a certain tract or parcel of land * * *" conveyed a present estate.

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Bluebook (online)
177 So. 2d 741, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/first-mortgage-corporation-of-stuart-v-degive-fladistctapp-1965.