Foss v. Stickney

5 Me. 390
Supreme Judicial Court of Maine·Decided June 15, 1828·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

Weston J.

delivered the opinion of the Court at the ensuing terns in Somerset.

Several objections are urged by the tenant to the right of the de-mandant to recover in this action. The certificates of the justices, it is insisted, do not positively name the amount at which the land was appraised and taken, on the levy of the execution. The justices do state the amount from the information of the demandant. If stated truly, it is unimportant from what source derived. The sum, accord-ingto the statement of the demandant, exceeded by a few cents the actual amount of the appraisement; but as this excess is against the demandant, and in favor of the tenant, it is a mistake of which the latter has no right to complain. The tender does not appear to have been embarrassed by any qualification or condition; nor is the right of the demandant impaired by bis having made two successive tenders on the same day, It was competent for the tenant to have re-[393] eeived either. If either was right, more especially if the last was, the rights of the demandant are preserved. The want of the tender of a release prepared by the demandant, as none was required by him to be executed by the tenant, and as this was not assigned as a reason for declining the tender, cannot be sustained as a valid objection. The statute does not require that the money tendered should be brought into court at the first term. It is sufficient if produced and lodged in court, at or before the rendition of judgment.

It is further objected that the demandant, having sued his grantor, upon an alleged breach of his covenant of seisin, and having obtained judgment thereupon, can no longer claim the land against the grantor, or those claiming under him. The covenants set forth in the declaration in that action are, that the grantor was seised in fee of the premises; that they were free of all incumbrances; and that he had .good right to sell and convey the same; and it is averred, in general terms, that the grantor had broken each of these covenants. It does not appear what further proceedings intervened, between the entry of the action and the rendition of judgment. Whether the defendant in that action was defaulted, or whether he pleaded to the same, and if he did, whether the pleadings would disclose any more specific and definite averment of an existing incumbrance, is not ascertained by the case as presented. If the judgment was recovered upon the ground of an incumbrance, it constitutes no objection to a recovery in this action. If on the ground of a want of seisin in the grantor, a question is raised whether it should be made to appear that satisfaction had been obtained. In the case of Porter v. Hill, cited in the argument, it is stated by the court that when a warrantee, in a war-rantia chartce, recovers and has seisin of other lands of the warrantor to the value, he cannot afterwards recover of the warrantor the lands warranted; and that if, therefore, the demandant after his judgment and satisfaction, had sued his grantor for the land, the latter might have defended himself by showing that judgment, which had falsified his deed. The basis of this principle would seem to be the recovery of the warrantee, in the one case, and seisin thereupon of lands of equal value, and in the other, a recovery and satisfaction, which is an equivalent and substitute for a seisin of other lands of the [394] ' warrantor. It is true, that in the subsequent case of Stinson v. Sumner, the court appear to entertain an opinion, that a recovery of judgment is attended with the same .consequences. They refer to, and rely upon, the preceding case of Porter v. Hill as an authority for the latter decision, but do not intimate that satisfaction is necessary to preclude the party from demanding and-recovering the land; but upon this point, from the view we have taken of the cause, it is not necessary for us to give an opinion.

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