Ford v. David

1 Bosw. 569
CourtThe Superior Court of New York City
DecidedOctober 17, 1857
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 1 Bosw. 569 (Ford v. David) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering The Superior Court of New York City primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ford v. David, 1 Bosw. 569 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1857).

Opinion

By the Court. Bosworth, J.

The judgment appealed from was rendered upon a trial of issues of fact joined between the plaintiff, and David, and Turner respectively, and upon determining, at the same time, the relief proper to be granted as against Townsend & Johnson, on overruling their demurrer to the original and supplemental complaint.

It is insisted that the Court erred at the trial, in refusing to permit the defendant Townsend to interpose an answer to the complaint at that time.

This demurrer was overruled on the 30th of March, 1855, but t liberty was given to him to answer the complaint in twenty days, upon payment of costs. Instead of availing himself of that offer, he appealed from that order to the General Term, and on that appeal the order was affirmed, with costs, on the 10th of November, 1855. This action came on to be tried on the 28th of Eebruary, 1856, and it was during that trial that Townsend tendered his answer. To the decision of the Court refusing to receive it, Townsend excepted.

Even if it be conceded that Townsend had the same time to answer after the decision by the General Term that was given to him by the order of the 30th of March, 1855, he should have tendered his answer within twenty days after the decision of affirmance, by the General Term, or within twenty days from the 10th of November, 1855.—Sands v. M'Clelan, 6 Cowen, 582; Hoadley v. Cuyler, 10 Wend. 593.

By thapfcerms of the order the answer must be put in within twenty days, or the right to answer was gone. None was tendered within that time, nor until after the trial had commenced, [595]*595upon notice of it duly given to all the defendants. There was no error, which is the subject of an exception, in refusing to permit Townsend to put in an answer at the trial.

The decisions—that the action was triable by the Court ;■ that it should be disposed of at the trial as to all the parties, and by a single judgment; that the Court had jurisdiction of the action; and that the complaint stated facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action;—were correct, and need neither argument nor authority to show their accuracy.

Each defendant appeared by his attorney at the trial. On the trial the agreements of the 24th October, 1853; ¡November 3d, 1853; and December 10,1853; and also the agreement between David & Turner, of the 26th of January, 1854, were produced and read in evidence. The latter is inserted at length in the ease. By the terms of the latter Turner bought, “subject to all the covenants, conditions, and terms contained” in the agreement between Eord & David of the 24th of October, 1853, and as a part of the contract price covenanted to pay the $3,100 to Eord. By the terms of that instrument it was to remain in the hands of H. A. Mott, in escrow, until Turner paid the $3,100 to Eord, or arranged it satisfactorily with him.

That agreement was recorded on the 20th of February, 1854. The agreement of the 28th of January, 1854, between the same parties, was recorded at the same time. The latter transferred the leases and property, “subject, however, to the claim of Samuel Eord of thirty-one hundred dollars, as mentioned in said agreement,” of the 26th of January, and guaranteed that the property was free from encumbrances “ otherwise than in said agreement is set forth, and said Eord’s claim as aforesaid.”

The assignment of each of the leases by David to Turner was, by its terms, subject to the “ covenants, cónditibns, and terms ” of the agreement of the 24th of October, 1853, and to the terms of the agreement of the 26th of January, 1854.

It necessarily follows that Wheeler, when he purchased from Turner, and also that Townsend and Johnson, when they made their several purchases, knew, or had notice of the claims and rights of Eord. There is no agreement or instrument of transfer, from Eord to Turner, which does not recite them.

Townsend and Johnson, by demurring to the complaints, [596]*596admit the allegations,' that they bought with notice, and Townsend;' in..the same way; admits that he agreed, as a part of the consideration money to be paid by him, to pay to Ford the $3,100.

The plaintiff, is entitled to recover this sum, out of the property,: unless just' claims to deductions have been properly proved which should be allowed, or unless the Court erroneously excluded evidence, in that behalf, which should have been received. Who of the several defendants, are personally liable for its payment, and in what order such liability should be enforced, will be stated hereafter. We will first notice some of the- exceptions taken at the trial.

The answer of David was sworn to on the 25th of January, and of Turner on the 24th of May, 1854, and the Judge in refusing to permit an amendment of their answers, in February, 1856, nearly two years after both of them had re-sold their interest "in the. property; made a decision; which is not the subject of an exception.

Many of the matters, offered to be proved on the part of David and Turner, and embraced in their eleven written offers, and the five additional written offers on the part of Turner, except those which they were allowed to prove, constituted matters of defence not alleged in their answers. On that ground alone, they were inadmissible, and whether they should be permitted .to so amend their answers, as to make such evidence admissible -under them, was, in the most favorable view for the defendants that can be taken of such an application, a matter addressed solely to the discretion of the Judge.

An exception to his decision is not reviewable on this appeal. If it was, we should not regard it as erroneous. ■ ■

David sold .the leases and furniture on the 26th of January, 1854, and Turner on the 10th of the following February. The application was made in February, 1856, to amend answers which had been interposed in May, 1854, more than three months after Turner had sold the property, and had ceased to have any interest in it, except to conduct the business, as he says in his answer, as tenant of Wheeler.

The Judge, under such circumstances, might, with great propriety, refuse to permit such a mass of amendments to be made, [597]*597the matter of most of which, if not of all of them, must have been known to the defendants when they put in their answers, if it can be supposed that the offers were made in the belief, that the defendants had it in their power to establish the facts which they proposed to prove.

The 2d, 3d, 6th, and 9th offers, and parts of some" of the others, were offers of evidence which would contradict the clear legal import of the agreement of the 10th of December, 1853, and the express terms of the agreement of the 26th of January, 1854.

By the agreement of the 10th of December, 1853, David agreed absolutely, and unconditionally, to pay -$3,100 to Ford, for the interest of the latter in the hotel, as set forth in the previous agreements of the 24th of October and 3d of November, and Ford was to retain all the furniture, not included in the schedule, annexed to the mortgage, which had been executed to Jones.

Ford was to be paid this sum at all events, and was to leave the hotel when it was paid. Whether he was at liberty to remain more than three weeks without charge, if not paid within that period, is a different question. The three weeks, within which it was to be paid at all events, expired with the 31st of December, 1853-

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1 Bosw. 569, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ford-v-david-nysuperctnyc-1857.