Ganser v. Zimmerman

80 N.W.2d 828, 1956 N.D. LEXIS 172
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 31, 1956
Docket7570
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 80 N.W.2d 828 (Ganser v. Zimmerman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ganser v. Zimmerman, 80 N.W.2d 828, 1956 N.D. LEXIS 172 (N.D. 1956).

Opinions

MORRIS, Judge.

The plaintiffs who are five of the six children of Tillie Ganser, deceased, instituted this action to quiet title to specific quarter sections of land in individual plaintiffs. The complaint consists of two causes of action. The first is in statutory form to quiet title. In it Katherine Reardon claims ownership of the NE ¼ of Section 14, Township 140N, Range 67W; Rose Bonifas claims the SE14 of Section 31, Township 141N, Range 66W; and Dorothy Van Hoogen claims the NW ⅛ of Section 14, Township 140N, Range 67W. Neither George Ganser nor Frank Ganser claims any ownership of land in the first cause qf action. The first cause of action also states that Tillie Ganser died October 10, 1951, intestate, and that the defendant George I. Anderson is the duly appointed administrator of her estate.

In the second cause of action it is alleged that on July 30, 1946, Tillie Ganser entered into a contract in writing with Rose Bonifas, George Ganser, Katherine Reardon, Dorothy Van Hoogen, and the defendant Vergie Zimmerman whereby Tillie was to convey the above described land to the respective claimants in the first cause of action and was to convey to George Ganser the NW14 of Section 12, Township 140N, Range 67W.

It is also alleged that as a part of and appendix to the written contract it was orally agreed between all the parties that A. William Aylmer was created an es-crowee to- act in connection with the consummation of conveyances and transfers that were to be made pursuant to the written contract and that Aylmer [831]*831became a party to the oral escrow agreement.

In the second cause of action it is further alleged that between the date of the contract and the death of Tillie Gan-ser the plaintiff Katherine Reardon furnished care, maintenance, and support for Tillie Ganser for which she has not received compensation and it is alleged that there is due her thirty dollars a month for all of the period of care amounting to $1,875 and that according to the provisions of the agreement Katherine Rear-don has a lien on all of the real estate designated in the contract as security for her compensation.

It is also alleged that Dorothy Van Hoogen, Katherine Reardon, and Rose Bonifas have separately fully performed the conditions on their part required by the written agreement and if any part thereof remains unperformed they stand ready, able, and willing to complete the performance of the agreement on their part. The plaintiffs pray that title be quieted in them to the respective tracts of land which they claim, and Katherine Reardon especially prays that the amount due her for care, maintenance, and support of Tillie Ganser be adjudged a lien on all tracts of land described in the contract including the land of Vergie Zimmerman described as the NWJ4 of Section 22, Township 140N, Range 67W. It should be noted that this tract was never the property of Tillie Ganser but was included in the agreement as security for the performance on the part of Vergie Zimmerman of promises of support made by her, as will more clearly appear when we discuss the agreement in detail.

The answer of the defendant Aylmer is of some length. Its gist is that he prepared the various instruments involved in this litigation. They were to be held by him until the performance of certain conditions and upon compliance with those conditions he was to deliver the instruments to the various parties who were entitled thereto. The conditions were not fully complied with. He retained the instruments in his possession and

“at the trial of this action will present said Deeds and Mortgages and Notes to this Court, together with the original agreement above referred to, for the Court to make such disposition of the same as this Court shall decide upon the completion of the trial of this action.”

The answer of the defendant Vergie Zimmerman admits the death of Tillie Gan-ser and the appointment of George I. Anderson as her administrator. She denies generally the other allegations of the complaint with the exception that Katherine Reardon is entitled to compensation for the care of the decedent for a period subsequent to July 30, 1946, at thirty dollars per month less her obligated payment of ten dollars per month. She further alleges:

“that under date of July 30th, 1946, an Agreement was made between Tillie Ganser and the Plaintiffs, Rose Bon-ifas, George Ganser, Katherine Rear-don, Dorothy Van Hoogan and Defendant, Vergie Zimmerman; that said Agreement is attached hereto and marked Exhibit A and by reference thereto made a part hereof.
“(b) This Defendant alleges that under date of July 30th, 1946, an Agreement was made between Tillie Ganser and Plaintiff Frank Ganser and Elsie Ganser, wife of Frank Ganser; that said Agreement is attached hereto and marked Exhibit ‘B’ and by reference thereto made a part hereof.
“(c) That the Agreement marked Exhibit ‘A’ as originally prepared provided that Plaintiff Dorothy Van Hoogan, instead of receiving a quarter section of land, was in lieu thereof to receive $2,000 in cash; that after said Agreement was prepared there were [832]*832different interviews by the various parties involved with Defendant A. William Aylmer, who was doing the legal work in connection therewith and they agreed that in view of the fact that Plaintiff Dorothy Van Hoogan was about to go to Germany with her husband — who was in military service — and the further fact that there was not sufficient cash on hand at that time to pay her the $2000, and the further fact that she had no security to give as security for the payment by her of the $10 per month to her mother as provided in said Agreement, that one of the other children let Dorothy Van Hoogan have a quarter section and as an accommodation and favor, the Defendant Vergie Zimmerman, thereupon agreed to do this — said Defendant Vergie Zimmerman to receive the $2000 in cash in place of the quarter section that she was to let Dorothy Van Hoogan have; that said Agreement was thereupon changed to provide that the quarter section which was to go to Ver-gie Zimmerman and described as the Northwest Quarter of 14-140-67 was instead to go to Dorothy Van Hoogan, one of the above named Plaintiffs, subject to a lien thereon in favor of the mother as security for the payment of $10 per month for her support, and in accordance with said agreement, the name of Dorothy Van Hoogan was substituted for the name of Vergie Zimmerman with reference to the Northwest Quarter of 14 — 140-67.
“(d) That the conditions provided in Exhibits ‘A’ and ‘B’ aforesaid were not fulfilled nor carried out, nor were the conditions provided by said Tillie Gan-ser fulfilled and carried out thus entitling the delivery of the deeds held by Defendant, A. William Aylmer.”

Exhibits A and B of the answer are Exhibits 1 and 2 of this record.

She also alleges that the plaintiffs should be made to account to the administrator for the rents and profits of the various tracts of land described in her answer and which have been in possession of the plaintiffs since the year 1947 and prays that the court require the plaintiffs to make such an accounting.

The administrator filed no pleading although at the beginning of the trial the record shows that the attorneys for Vergie Zimmerman also appeared for the administrator. He did not participate in the trial, no statement of his position with respect to any of the issues was made by him or on his behalf.

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Related

Dvorak v. Kuhn
175 N.W.2d 697 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1970)
Kunick v. Trout
85 N.W.2d 438 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1957)
Ganser v. Zimmerman
80 N.W.2d 828 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1956)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
80 N.W.2d 828, 1956 N.D. LEXIS 172, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ganser-v-zimmerman-nd-1956.