Garrick v. Garrick

87 N.E. 696, 43 Ind. App. 585, 1909 Ind. App. LEXIS 91
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedMarch 17, 1909
DocketNo. 6,091
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 87 N.E. 696 (Garrick v. Garrick) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Garrick v. Garrick, 87 N.E. 696, 43 Ind. App. 585, 1909 Ind. App. LEXIS 91 (Ind. Ct. App. 1909).

Opinions

Myers, J.

A demurrer for want of sufficient facts to the third paragraph of the complaint was sustained, and a motion for a new trial as of right was overruled. These rulings are assigned as errors.

Concerning the first error assigned, and in order that some understanding may be had as to the questions to be considered, the substance of the material allegations of the third paragraph of the complaint is set out. It is alleged that Joseph Garrick died January 3, 1899, leaving as his only heirs at law his children, six in number, and his widow, Agnes Garrick; that said children and widow verbally agreed to partition all of the real estate left by said dece-. dent, describing it; that such verbal agreement was made and a partition had on or about January 9, 1899; that by the terms of said agreement said Agnes Garrick was to have the use and benefit of all the income from said real estate for the term of her life, and in consideration therefor the six children were to have the entire real estate left by the decedent, share and share alike, as tenants in common at the death of said Agnes; that said Agnes entered into the possession of said real estate, and continuously from that time has been and is now in possession thereof, collecting all the rents, issues and profits therefrom; that, since the date of said agreement, one of said children, Margaret Hughey, died, leaving as her only heirs Joseph Hughey, one of the plaintiffs, and Al Fellowes, one of the defendants; that on July [588]*58813, 1900, said Agnes disaffirmed and repudiated said contract, and attempted to convey her interest in said real estate, left by Joseph Garrick, deceased, to said Mary T. Garrick, who has also repudiated said contract and accepted said interest so attempted to be conveyed, and now claims the same; that said Agnes, though in possession of said real estate, refused to carry out the terms of said contract. Prayer, that plaintiffs have specific performance of the verbal contract, and that a commissioner be appointed to make conveyance, etc.

1. Specific performance of an oral argreement seems to be the purpose of this paragraph. The verbal agreement stated in the pleading was not an agreement for a partition by the apportionment to the owners of their shares in. severalty, but was an agreement for the exchange of interests in land, and subject to the requirement of the statute of frauds. The plaintiffs sought the specific performance of the verbal stipulations in their favor, through the intervention of the court, by a conveyance to them of the widow’s one-third in fee simple, subject to her life estate. It does not appear that it was expressly agreed that a deed of conveyance should be executed by either party. If it be considered that the contract implies such execution on the part of the widow, it must be regarded as implying the requirement of a deed of conveyance from the plaintiffs to the.widow, and there is no allegation to this effect. She had as much right to the possession of indicia of her legal title, as an occupant of the entire estate of her deceased husband, as the other parties to the contract had to the evidence of title in fee in the widow’s one-third.

2. The payment of purchase money is not alone a sufficient part performance to take the transaction out of the operation of the statute. Mather v. Scoles (1870), 35 Ind. 1.

[589]*5893. [588]*588A contract of which specific performance will be enforced by a court of equity must be mutual in its obligations [589]*589and in its remedy. In Mather v. Scoles, supra, it was said that "an action cannot be brought on a covenant or agreement to convey real estate, as a general rule, until there has been a demand lor such conveyance.” In Lynch v. Jennings (1873), 43 Ind. 276, 286, the court adopted the following language of Shaw, C. J., in Irvin v. Gregory (1859), 13 Gray 215: "But when, in their nature, the stipulations are, the one to pay money and the other to execute a conveyance, and no time fixed, and no provision that either is to be done first, the covenants are mutual and dependent.

4. The one is not bound to pay, without receiving his conveyance; nor the other to part with his land, without receiving his money. The performances must be simultaneous. In such case, it is not necessary on the part of the purchaser to make a strict tender, and actually to deliver over the money unconditionally, without his deed; it is sufficient that upon reasonable notice to the owner he is ready and willing to perform, and when the performance is the payment of the money, that he has the money and is able and prepared to pay, and demands the deed, and the other absolutely refuses to receive the money and execute the deed; that is a sufficient tender of performane to warrant the party so offering to maintain his action. ’ ’ See, also, Fall v. Hazelrigg (1874), 45 Ind. 576.

5. In Horner v. Clark (1901), 27 Ind. App. 6, it was held that the repudiation of the contract by the vendor and his denial of obligation under it, and the conveyance by him of the land to a stranger who had notice of the equity of the vendee in possession and took possession of it, obviated the need of a demand before suit. In that case the plaintiff, seeking specific performance of the contract to convey, had fully performed the contract on her part, and there was nothing further to be done by her to entitle her to a deed of conveyance.

[590]*590In Burns v. Fox (1888), 113 Ind. 205, it was said: “The reason for the rule which requires a demand before bringing suit is that the covenantor may be afforded a fair opportunity to perform his contract, after becoming aware that the covenantee desires to receive the title, without being harassed with a suit to compel him to do that which he would have done, upon reasonable request, without compulsion. If, however, it appears that the covenantor has put himself in such an attitude in respect to the alleged contract as makes it plain that a demand would be unavailing, the law will not exact the mere idle ceremony.” Cutsinger v. Ballard (1888), 115 Ind. 93; Harshman v. Mitchell, (1889), 117 Ind. 312; Denlar v. Hile (1890), 123 Ind. 68; Law v. Henry (1872), 39 Ind. 414; 4 Pomeroy, Eq. Jurisp. (3d ed.), §1407.

It is alleged that at the date specified Agnes Garrick dis-affirmed and repudiated the contract, and attempted to convey her interest in the real estate to Mary T. Garrick, who repudiated the contract and accepted said interest so attempted to be conveyed, and said Mary now claims that interest, and Agnes Garrick, although in possession of the real estate, refuses to carry out the terms of the contract.

6. Under the allegations of this paragraph of complaint there was something yet to be done on the part of the plaintiffs in the specific performance of the contract. They could not have the legal title to the widow’s one-third interest transferred to them without the transfer to her of a life estate in their two-thirds interest. Notwithstanding the alleged repudiation of the contract, there must be a showing of readiness or willingness on the part of the plaintiffs to carry out the contract on their part, and this it does not do.

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Bluebook (online)
87 N.E. 696, 43 Ind. App. 585, 1909 Ind. App. LEXIS 91, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/garrick-v-garrick-indctapp-1909.