Forester v. Young

207 S.E.2d 9, 232 Ga. 365, 1974 Ga. LEXIS 953
CourtSupreme Court of Georgia
DecidedJune 12, 1974
Docket28755
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 207 S.E.2d 9 (Forester v. Young) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Forester v. Young, 207 S.E.2d 9, 232 Ga. 365, 1974 Ga. LEXIS 953 (Ga. 1974).

Opinion

Per curiam.

This case involves the validity of a sale under power contained in a security deed.

The appellant, G. M. Forester, executed first and second deeds to secure debt on his property. The first was executed on November 1, 1951, to the Piedmont College Endowment Fund ("Piedmont”) to secure a loan of $3,250, due November 1, 1959. The second was executed to Louis M. Young on August 20, 1954. The second deed and underlying note both recited that they had been given for a consideration of $1,947.52 and were due August 20, 1955. Forester defaulted on both debts.

On May 15, 1962, Piedmont assigned its first security deed to Young, who on June 1,1962, assigned it to the Cornelia Bank for a $2,500 loan.

Although the record does not show the date, Young advertised, apparently in July, 1962, that the property [366]*366would be sold under power, the sale apparently scheduled sometime in August, 1962. The record does not show under which deed Young was attempting to act or whether he was attempting to sell under powers contained in both deeds.

Forester then petitioned the Superior Court of Rabun County on July 30, 1962, to enjoin the sale, naming Young and the Clerk of the Superior Court of Rabun County as defendants (case No. 537). He alleged (1) that Young was proceeding under powers contained in both deeds; (2) that Young was no longer the holder of the first deed; (3) that Young had given no consideration for the second deed; and (4) that Young had procured the second deed by fraudulently representing to Forester that he would use the deed to effect a private sale of the property as Forester’s agent. Forester asked further that the second deed be canceled.

The court’s order of August 6, 1962, recited the fact that the Cornelia Bank, not Young, was the holder of the first deed and then ordered that Young is "hereby restrained and enjoined from selling at public sale the land described in said security deed of November 1,1951, until further order of the court or until final disposition of said case.” The order did not mention the second security deed.

After this restraining order issued, the Cornelia Bank, as holder of the first deed, advertised the property for public sale to be held in October, 1962. The Bank’s Chairman of the Board, Cliff C. Kimsey, was the only bidder at the sale and bid in the property in his own name for $2,500. The bank, under its power, conveyed from Forester to Kimsey, who in turn executed a quitclaim deed to Young. Young paid the bank $3,433.96 for the quitclaim deed, which amount represented the indebtedness under the deed on the date of the sale plus the bank’s expenses and a profit on the sale.

In February, 1963, Young instituted dispossessory proceedings against Forester who filed an amended counter-affidavit and cross bill (case No. 566) in which he asked (1) that the sale be set aside; (2) that both deeds be canceled; and (3) that Kimsey and the Cornelia Bank be joined as parties.

[367]*367Forester alleged in support of his cross bill (1) that the Cornelia Bank, acting through its agent Kimsey, had conspired with Young to sell the property for Young’s benefit in circumvention of the restraining order; (2) that prior to the sale Forester had offered to redeem the property for $4,000 but that the bank refused, thereby relieving him of his obligation to tender; and (3) that the sale yielded a totally inadequate price.

The trial court consolidated the two cases and appointed an auditor on November 21, 1966. This was apparently also the date on which Forester filed a plea of accord and satisfaction based on negotiations occurring in 1965. The auditor then heard the evidence and made his report, dated September 22, 1967, in which he made the following findings of fact.

Case No. 537: (2) Young gave good and valuable consideration for the second deed; (3) because the second deed and underlying note are regular on their face and because Forester’s signatures thereto are admittedly genuine, he had the burden of showing fraud by clear and convincing evidence, which burden he failed to meet; and (4) there were insufficient facts to void the second deed.

Case No. 566: (2) the trial court having disallowed the plea of accord and satisfaction, Forester made no attempt at the auditor’s hearing to have the plea allowed; (3), (4), (5) even if the issue were properly before the auditor, the evidence did not support a finding of accord and satisfaction; (6) there was no conspiracy between Young and the Cornelia Bank, acting through its agent Kimsey, and the bank was acting on its own interests in purchasing the property at the sale, (7) Young gave valuable consideration for the second deed and committed no fraud in its procurement; (8) there was no evidence that Young was acting as Forester’s agent when he procured the second deed; (9) although the undisputed evidence shows that the fair market value of the property was at least $4,000, there is no evidence to show that the sale was unfairly executed or that it was chilled; (11) although on the day of the sale Forester offered to redeem the property for $4,000, he made no valid tender to the bank, nor had he done so up to the time of the hearing; (12) there was no illegal conspiracy between Young and [368]*368the Cornelia Bank relative to Young’s assignment of the first deed to the bank; and (13) there is no basis to cancel the deeds nor facts under which the sale could be declared null and void and set aside.

The auditor recommended that the retraining order be dissolved and found that Forester should be dispossessed. However, he specifically left for the trial court’s determination the issue of whether Young and the Cornelia Bank violated the restraining order. Forester then filed exceptions to the report covering all the above findings.

On July 10,1969, before a ruling was made as to the exceptions, Forester filed a second plea of accord and satisfaction based on transactions which occurred in May, 1969. The issue was submitted to a jury and a verdict rendered for Forester. Young appealed to the Court of Appeals which reversed the judgment of the trial court, holding that a directed verdict should have been entered for Young. Young v. Forester, 122 Ga. App. 679 (178 SE2d 340).

The trial court then authorized a jury trial as to "all exceptions and issues,” except the issue of accord and satisfaction as determined by the Court of Appeals. The trial court later withdrew the entire case from the jury on the grounds that (1) the exceptions were not properly classified as to law and fact; (2) those portions of the record relevant to the exceptions had not been separated from the irrelevant portions; and (3) the issue of accord and satisfaction had been finally settled by the Court of Appeals.

After a hearing, the court held that the preponderance of the evidence sustained the auditor’s findings and ordered that his report be sustained. Forester appeals from this order.

Upon the death of Louis Young, the executrix of his estate, Mary G. Young, was substituted as a party and has filed a motion to dismiss the appeal.

1. The motion to dismiss the appeal is denied.

2. The trial court did not err in disapproving the appellant’s exceptions to the auditor’s report and in refusing to submit the questions of fact therein to a jury.

"In an equity case, exceptions of fact to an auditor’s [369]

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

MILLER GRADING &C. v. Ga. Fed. &C. Assn.
279 S.E.2d 442 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1981)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
207 S.E.2d 9, 232 Ga. 365, 1974 Ga. LEXIS 953, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/forester-v-young-ga-1974.