Furtinata v. Butterfield

110 P. 962, 14 Cal. App. 25, 1910 Cal. App. LEXIS 39
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedAugust 4, 1910
DocketCiv. No. 737.
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 110 P. 962 (Furtinata v. Butterfield) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Furtinata v. Butterfield, 110 P. 962, 14 Cal. App. 25, 1910 Cal. App. LEXIS 39 (Cal. Ct. App. 1910).

Opinion

CHIPMAN, P. J.

Action for specific performance of a contract for the sale of land. Plaintiff had judgment, from which and from the order retaxing the costs, defendants appeal.

It appears from the amended complaint that, on November 14, 1905, defendants entered into a written contract with plaintiff (wife of P. Bianchi; the action concerns her separate property), by which she was let into possession of certain thirty-three and one-third acres of land belonging to defendants, situated in section 4, T. 2 S., R. 8 E., in San Joaquin *27 county, plaintiff agreeing to plant the same to Tokay and Zinfandel grapes, in the proportion advised by defendants; prior to February 1, 1906, “to prepare said land for the cultivation of grapes only and is to grant, cultivate, prune, hoe and weed, and is to pay all expenses incurred thereto.” It was further agreed that should plaintiff “fail to perform any part of his [her] duty at' the usual and customary time,” defendants, “at their own option, perform said duties necessary for the cultivation of grapes) and hold a lien on the property hereinafter described as property belonging to” plaintiff, “at the following wages: One man per day, $2.00; one man and two horses with any kind of tool, $3.50; one man and four horses with plow, $5.00 per day”; plaintiff guaranteed “95 per cent of living vines at the expiration of three years. ’ ’ It was next provided that if plaintiff performed all her duties as agreed, ‘ ‘ and then, for some unforeseen reason, fails to get a stand of 95 per cent of living vines, he [she] is to have an extension of time "of one year, but no time to exceed four years from this date”; all crops were to belong to defendants, “and upon the fulfillment of the above agreement, it is understood that” defendants “will give a good and sufficient deed to a certain piece of land described as follows”: (A tract of twenty acres in the said section, of which plaintiff was given the possession under the contract.) Plaintiff avers performance on her part and willingness to perform all her said covenants; avers that for good and sufficient reasons, she has been unable, through no fault of hers, to get a stand of ninety-five per cent of living vines, as provided in said contract, up to and inclusive of January 4, 1909, on which date defendants, without right and against plaintiff’s consent, in disregard of her rights, entered upon said premises and kept her out of possession, to her damage in the sum of $1,000; avers that before the commencement of the action she demanded of defendants a good and sufficient deed to said twenty acre tract, and to give plaintiff full and peaceable possession thereof, but defendants refused and still refuse so to do.

Defendants admitted the execution of said agreement, but denied that plaintiff had carried outfits covenants on her part to be performed, and denied most of the other material averments of the complaint; avers that during the term of said *28 agreement defendants were compelled to do certain work in the caring for said vines, because of plaintiff’s failure in that regard.

As a separate defense, defendants aver that, in January, 1909, a dispute arose between plaintiff and defendants, “as to whether or not plaintiff was entitled, as she claimed to be, to an extension of one year, under said contract, from the fourteenth day of November, 1908, within which to complete and perform said contract, and that defendants at that time claimed that plaintiff was not entitled to the extension claimed by her, and they accordingly refused to grant plaintiff an extension of one year for the performance of said contract, and so informed the plaintiff herein; but that thereafter, these defendants, reconsidering said matter, and on the first day of February, 1909, and while there was ample time remaining for the plaintiff herein to perform said contract, ... offered in good faith to allow plaintiff herein to continue in possession of the premises described in said agreement, and requested her, both orally and in writing, to perform all the terms of said agreement, and to allow her until November 14, 1909, within which to complete and fully perform the said agreement,” but plaintiff neglected and refused, etc.

By way of cross-complaint, defendants set forth many of the foregoing facts as to plaintiff’s failure to perform her covenants of said contract, and that defendants found it necessary to furnish vines and do the work of replanting and cultivating where vines were missing, which defendants did at their own expense in the year 1909, and for which they claim damages, as provided in said contract, for the labor thus bestowed and also for the cost of the vines and also special damages. Plaintiff, in her answer, denied most of the averments of the cross-complaint, and, upon the issues thus framed, the cause was tried by the court, without a jury, and findings made. The amended complaint was filed in March, 1909, and the findings were made in June, 1909. These findings are adverse to plaintiff upon almost every issue, and the court found that upon the expiration of three years from the date of the contract there was not* ninety-five per cent of living grape-vines upon said tract, 1 ‘ and there is not now, after proper replanting, care and cultivation, in 1909, a ninety-five per cent stand of living grape-vines on said land, and that the failure of *29 plaintiff to 'perform said contract in the particulars found, was mainly caused by her own neglect and lack of ordinary care. ” As to the dispute between the parties which arose in January, 1909, the court found that defendants refused to grant plaintiff an extension of one year, and so informed her, .but that thereafter, on February 1, 1909, and while there was still time sufficient to do the necessary replanting and cultivation, defendants offered in good faith to grant such extension, and requested her to perform all the terms of said agreement and to allow her until November 14, 1909, in which to complete her said agreement, but she refused. The court next finds that by reason of plaintiff’s said neglect, defendants furnished 3,817 vines, replanted the missing parts of the vineyard, furnished labor, tools, horses, etc., and did all the necessary work in caring for said vineyard, at a cost of $246.02, and also found that defendants had been damaged, through plaintiff’s said negligence, in the sum of $250. As conclusions of law the court found, that “plaintiff has substantially complied with said written contract”; that defendants are entitled to the sum of $250 damage for plaintiff’s failure to comply with said contract, and also to the further sum of $246.02 expended by defendants “in caring for said vineyard, and are also entitled to judgment for their costs herein”; and that upon payment of said sums to defendants, plaintiff “is entitled to a good and sufficient deed from said defendants to the twenty acres of land described in said contract, free from encumbrances, said payment to be made by the fifteenth day of September, 1909.” Judgment passed accordingly.

It would seem somewhat paradoxical for defendants to have findings largely in their favor and plaintiff to have the judgment in her favor, and this is about what defendants claim appears from the record. The evidence is not before us, the appeal being on the judgment-roll. There are certain provisions of the Civil Code which appellants seem to have overlooked in their contention for the application of the rule as to mutuality of remedies where specific performance is sought.

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

Related

Alfinito v. Sater
246 Cal. App. 2d 362 (California Court of Appeal, 1966)
Pitt v. Mallalieu
192 P.2d 24 (California Court of Appeal, 1948)
Lifton v. Harshman
182 P.2d 222 (California Court of Appeal, 1947)
Tonini v. Ericcsen
21 P.2d 566 (California Supreme Court, 1933)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
110 P. 962, 14 Cal. App. 25, 1910 Cal. App. LEXIS 39, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/furtinata-v-butterfield-calctapp-1910.