Gardiner v. Gardiner

214 P. 219, 36 Idaho 664, 1923 Ida. LEXIS 32
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 23, 1923
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 214 P. 219 (Gardiner v. Gardiner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gardiner v. Gardiner, 214 P. 219, 36 Idaho 664, 1923 Ida. LEXIS 32 (Idaho 1923).

Opinion

MCCARTHY, J.

This is an action brought by respondents through their guardian ad litem to quiet their title to 80 acres of land. Appellant, in addition to his answer, filed a cross-complaint in which he seeks to quiet his title to the same land. Respondent and Rose B. Gardiner were husband and wife. They were endeavoring to divide the community property. Respondents are their minor children. Mary O’Roke is the mother of Rose B. Gardiner and grandmother of respondents. Ou October 17, 1918, Mary O’Roke executed and acknowledged a warranty deed to the 80 acres in question to appellant, reciting a consideration of $855, and deposited the same in escrow with the Boise City National Bank in an envelope on the outside of which was indorsed the following escrow agreement, to wit:

“ESCROW AGREEMENT.
“Boise City National Bank.
“This envelope contains a deed from Mary O’Roke, a widow, grantor to James T. Gardiner and Rose B. Gardiner, grantees. It is to be delivered to the grantees upon two conditions which are as follows:
“First: That James T. Gardiner on or before March 1, 1919 deposit to the credit of Mary O’Roke in your bank the sum of $855.00.
“Secondly: That after said deposit is made said James T. Gardiner and Rose B. Gardiner, shall jointly request the delivery of said deed to them and shall receipt you for the same.
“If said deposit is made as above provided then you are to hold said deed until the delivery thereof is jointly requested by the grantees.
“Bated this 17th day of Oct. 1918.
“MARY O’ROKE.”

Appellant complied with the first condition of the escrow agreement by paying Mrs. O’Roke the $855 on November 4, [668]*6681918. About May 8, 1919, Rose B. Gardiner executed and acknowledged a warranty deed conveying to appellant all her interest in the said 80 acres and deposited it in escrow with Martin and Martin, attorneys at Boise, Idaho, with directions to deliver it to appellant when final proof was made on the land. In the fall of 1919 final proof was made. Appellaut and Rose B. Gardiner were living' apart at the time, and the execution and delivery of this deed was a part of an attempted settlement of their property rights. On February 10, 1920, after the $855 had been accepted by Mrs. O’Roke, after Rose B. Gardiner had deposited in escrow her deed conveying her interest to appellant, and, the condition of that escrow had been fulfilled, Mrs. O’Roke executed and delivered to respondents, with no consideration other than love and affection, a deed to the land in controversy, which was duly recorded. From a judgment for respondents, quieting title to the 80 acres in them, as against appellant, this appeal is taken. Among the many assignments of error the principal ones, and the only ones which we need mention, are that the court erred: (1) in finding that the deed from Mary O’Roke conveyed title to the property to respondents and in rendering judgment quieting that title, (2) in finding and decreeing that appellant has no title to the land, (3) in admitting evidence of an oral agreement varying and adding to the written escrow agreement.

The fact that appellant did not obtain actual possession of the deed and record it, before respondents’ deed was recorded, does not invalidate the conveyance to him. -

“See. 5424. Every conveyance of real property other than a lease for term not exceeding one year, is void as against any subsequent purchaser or mortgagee of the same property, or any part thereof, in good faith and for a valuable consideration, whose conveyance is first duly recorded. ’ ’ (G. S., sec. 5424.)

The only consideration for respondents’ deed was love and affection. While this is a good consideration, it is not a valuable consideration within the meaning of the statute. [669]*669Nothing passes under a deed without valuable consideration, if the grantor has theretofore executed and delivered a deed of the premises to another. (Stephenson v. Deuel, 125 Cal. 656, 58 Pac. 258; Ten Eyck v. Witheck, 135 N. Y. 40, 31 Am. St. 815, 31 N. E. 994; Evans v. Templeton, 69 Tex. 375, 5 Am. St. 71, 6 S. W. 843; Blanchard v. Tyler, 12 Mich. 339, 86 Am. Dec. 57.) If the deed to appellant became effective, it was not affected by the delivery and recording of the later deed to respondents.

The fact that the escrow agreement was signed only by Mary O’Roke does not invalidate it. A written contract, signed by one party only, binds the other if he accepts the writing. (McPherson v. Fargo, 10 S. D. 611, 66 Am. St. 723, 74 N. W. 1057; Vassault v. Edwards, 43 Cal. 458; Sellers v. Greer, 172 Ill. 549, 50 N. E. 246, 40 L. R. A. 589; Vogel v. Pekoc, 157 Ill. 339, 42 N. E. 386, 30 L. R. A. 491; 1 Williston on Contracts, sec. 90, p. 158, note 57.) Appellant by his acts accepted the contract and it became a valid written contract between himself and Mrs. O’Roke.

Where a deed is delivered in escrow with an agreement that it shall take effect upon the fulfilment of certain conditions by the grantee it takes effect when these conditions are fulfilled, even though actual delivery has not been made to the grantee. (Gammon v. Bunnell, 22 Utah, 421, 64 Pac. 958; Davis v. Clark, 58 Kan. 100, 48 Pac. 563; Guild v. Althouse, 71 Kan. 604, 81 Pac. 172; Cannon v. Handley, 72 Cal. 133, 13 Pac. 315; Bishop v. Dodge, 196 Mich. 231, 162 N. W. 1002; Chase v. Gates, 33 Me. 363; 1 Devlin on Real Estate, see. 331, p. 588; 2 Tiffany on Real Property, sec. 462, p. 1778.) C. S., sec. 5381, relied upon by respondents, relates to a contract of sale and not to a deed deposited in escrow. If the conditions of the escrow agreement governing the taking effect of the deed from Rose B. Gardiner to appellant were fulfilled, the deed to appellant became effective.

Respondents contend that the second condition of the contract was never met because Mrs. Gardiner did not join appellant in a joint request to the bank to deliver the deed. [670]*670The conditions of the escrow agreement governing the deed from Rose B. Gardiner to appellant were met, and it took effect on the making of the final proof. When she conveyed her interest in the land to appellant this made unnecessary a demand on her part.

This brings us to the most important and closest question in the ease. Over appellant’s objection respondents were permitted to introduce the testimony of Mrs. O’Roke to the effect that it was orally agreed between her and appellant, at the time the deed was placed in escrow, that the following additional conditions should be fulfilled before the deed was to take effect, viz., that he was to pay all back taxes and clear all indebtedness on the place, that a division of the community property was to be made between Mrs. Gardiner and the appellant which would be satisfactory to Mrs. O’Roke, that appellant was to procure a patent for certain land which was going to Mrs. Gardiner in the settlement, and that a division of property was to be agreed upon between appellant and Mrs. Gardiner which would be satisfactory to Mrs. O’Roke. She testified that these other conditions were not fulfilled, and that the division of property, which was agreed upon between Mrs. Gardiner and appellant, was not satisfactory to her.

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Bluebook (online)
214 P. 219, 36 Idaho 664, 1923 Ida. LEXIS 32, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gardiner-v-gardiner-idaho-1923.