Forgey v. Gilbirds

170 S.W. 1135, 262 Mo. 44, 1914 Mo. LEXIS 144
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedNovember 24, 1914
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 170 S.W. 1135 (Forgey v. Gilbirds) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Forgey v. Gilbirds, 170 S.W. 1135, 262 Mo. 44, 1914 Mo. LEXIS 144 (Mo. 1914).

Opinion

WILLIAMS, C.

This is a suit for specific performance of a contract whereby plaintiffs seek to compel defendant to join with the plaintiffs Sarah J. and Andrew J. Forgey in conveying to plaintiff Jacobs the title to 65 acres of land located in Pike county, Missouri. Defendant filed a general denial and in her answer, seeking affirmative relief, asked to have the written contract cancelled, on the grounds of fraud and misrepresentation in its procurement. Trial was had in the circuit court of Pike county, resulting in a decree in favor of plaintiffs and denying defendant the affirmative relief sought, and directing that the money derived from the sale he used in paying off the encumbrance. Defendant thereupon perfected an appeal. In 1904, appellant’s husband, John F. Gilbirds, died intestate, vested with the legal title to a tract of 840 acres of land situated near Bowling Green, Pike county, Missouri. The 65 acres involved in this suit, and known as the Home Farm, was a portion of said tract of land. Said Gilbirds left surviving him his widow, Mary V. Gilbirds (appellant herein), and two children, Sarah J. Forgey (respondent herein), and Noel F. Gil-birds. Sarah married Andrew J. Forgey (respondent herein) a short time before her father’s death. A few months before his death, said Gilbirds, his wife joining him, therein, executed two separate deeds of trust. One deed of trust to secure the sum of $18,000, covering all of said land except 120 acres; the other deed of trust for $800, covering the remaining 120 acres. Some time after the death of said Gilbirds, the widow and the heirs joined in making a sale and conveyance of about 140 acres of this land to a Mr. Quinn for $3600, which money was applied on the mortgage indebtedness. Later .a controversy arose between the widow and her children with reference to the division of the land and, [52]*52as a result thereof, Sarah J. Forgey, joined by her husband, brought a partition suit to enforce an alleged parol partition agreement. It appears that as a defense to said suit the widow set up the claim that she had furnished the entire purchase price for said 840 acres of land at the time that it was purchased and the title taken in her husband’s name. A trial of this suit was had resulting in a decree in favor of the widow (appellant herein), and by said decree the legal title was divested out of the heirs of her said husband and vested in her. Mrs. Forgey thereupon perfected an ■appeal in said cause to this court.

A- few months thereafter, Mrs. Gilbirds, being-joined by her son Noel and his wife, executed a deed conveying all of their interest in and to the remaining 700 acres of this land to one Winn F. Morrow, of Kansas City, Missouri, in trust. Mr. Morrow was the father-in-law of Noel F. Gilbirds. This deed recited that all of the land conveyed belonged to Mary Y. Gilbirds except 160 acres thereof which belonged to Noel F. Gil-birds and his wife. The deed recited that the property was encumbered by the $18,000 mortgage; that there was then interest due to the amount of $720, and that Mrs. Gilbirds was indebted to a law firm in the sum of $800 for legal services, and also indebted to Maud M. Gilbirds in the sum of from $300 to $500. Said deed further stated that it was the desire of the first parties thereto to have all of said property managed by said Morrow and to subject portions of said land to sale for the purpose of discharging the debts in said deed mentioned and to provide for the final distribution and descent of said property. The trustee was empowered to take possession of, manage and control the property and to make sale of any portion or portions of the property, as he might see fit, for the purpose of raising funds with which to discharge the above-mentioned debts. The. instrument further provided that after said indebtedness was paid off in the above man[53]*53ner, the title of said real estate should revert as follows: The remaining portion of the land belonging to Noel and his wife should revert to them and be held by them as it was before the trust conveyance was made. The remainder of the property was to go to Mary Y. G-ilbirds for life with remainder over to Noel P. Grilbirds and his wife as tenants in common. At about this time, whether before or after the trust deed was executed to Morrow, it does not clearly appear, Mrs. Grilbirds had contracted to sell about 134 acres of this land to George W. Chappie for approximately $7000 and she also desired to make sale of about 160 acres of the land to her son Noel for the price of about $4400, which price was about $5000 less than its market value. After the property was conveyed to Mr. Morrow, Mrs. Gilbirds became dissatisfied with the arrangement provided in the trust deed; and was also unable to perfect title to the 134 acres contracted to be sold to Mr. Chappie and to the 160 acres to her son Noel, without Mrs. Porgey and her husband joining in making the conveyances. This, apparently, due to the fact that the appeal in the partition suit was pending in the Supreme Court and the purchasers were unwilling to pay the purchase price unless the Porgeys joined in the conveyance. In this situation, Mrs. Gil-birds employed an attorney for the purpose of aiding her in getting the title back from Mr. Morrow and to make general adjustment of the situation, whereby sales could be made of sufficient property to pay the indebtedness and title thereto delivered to the purchasers. .The attorney made a trip to Kansas City and then took the matter up with the attorney for the Porgeys with a view to making an entire adjustment of the situation. These negotiations continued for several weeks, finally resulting in the trustee, Mr. Morrow, making conveyance of all of said land, except the 160 acres owned by Noel and his wife, to Mary Y. Gilbirds (appellant herein) and Sarah J. Porgey (respondent here[54]*54in). The deed provided that Mrs. Grilbirds should have a life estate in said real estate only and that the remainder in said property was vested in Sarah J. Forgey. As a part of the settlement, it was further agreed that the Forgeys would dismiss their appeal in the partition suit then pending in the Supreme Court. On the same day that this deed was executed, and as a part of the general adjustment of the situation, the following contract, dated April 28, 1909, was entered into by and between Mary V. Gilbirds as first party and Sarah J. Forgey and Andrew J. Forgey as second parties:

This contract made and entered into this 28th day of April, 1909, by and between Mary V. Gilbirds, party of the first part, and Sarah J. Forgey and Andrew J. Forgey, parties of the second part, and all being of Pike county, Missouri,
Witnesseth: Whereas, the real estate described in a certain deed made by Mary V. Gilbirds, Noel F. Gilbirds and Maude M. Gilbirds to Winn F. Morrow dated July 3, 1909, and recorded in book 142 at page 561 of the deed records of Pike county, Missouri, is encumbered by a certain deed of trust originally given to the Prudential Insurance Company of America, which deed of trust is recorded in Vol. 128 at page 118 of the deed records of Pike county, Missouri, and upon which deed of trust there now remains due and unpaid approximately a little over fifteen thousand dollars, and whereas there is another encumbrance of eight hundred dollars on a portion of said real estate which was given originally to the People’s Savings Bank of Bowling Green, Missouri, and whereas it is the intention of the parties to this instrument that the title to said lands shall be transferred from the said Winn F. Morrow back to said Mary V. Gilbirds during her life with remainder to her daughter, Sarah J.

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Bluebook (online)
170 S.W. 1135, 262 Mo. 44, 1914 Mo. LEXIS 144, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/forgey-v-gilbirds-mo-1914.