Glassell v. Thomas

3 Va. 113
CourtSupreme Court of Virginia
DecidedOctober 15, 1831
StatusPublished

This text of 3 Va. 113 (Glassell v. Thomas) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Glassell v. Thomas, 3 Va. 113 (Va. 1831).

Opinion

Carr, J.

Taking this as a foreign attachment, by which the plaintiff seeks to condemn in the hands of Glassell, a debt which he owes the absent defendant Towles, to satisfy a debt which Towles owes Thomas, the first inquiry seems naturally to be, whether Glassell owes Towles such a debt as will justify the decree sought ? It was agreed on all hands, that the rights and interests of Towles and Glassell must be settled precisely as if they were the only parties before the court, Thomas’s claim being only to such debt or duty as Glassell might be found to owe to Towles. The deed from Glassell to Towles contains covenants of warranty, good title, and lawful right to convey, and Towles’s deed to Thomas the same. Suppose Thomas had recovered at law on the covenant of title, his purchase money and interest of Towles, and Towles had recovered a judgement for the same, against Glassell, could Glassell have had relief from that judgement, in a court of equity, in any form ? It is in clear proof, that the mistake with respect to the land, was intirely innocent. Glassell had 2000 acres of land lying along side of Lewis’s, to which bis title is undoubted, and which in point of soil, water and seats for a mill and distillery, was (if we, may credit the evidence) superiour to that conveyed : this was the Mercer tract. He shewed his title papers, at the time of the contract; and both the parties knew, that it was the Mercer land (part of it, at least) that he meant to sell; but, unluckily, Lewis’s land was mistaken for it. It is not so strange, that persons living in Virginia, and wholly ignorant of the land, should have fallen into this error, as that the neighbours and the [125]*125surveyor of the county himself, should have led them into it. It is well settled law, that although there be no fraud, or default on either side, yet the mutual error of the parties, if that error be in a matter which is the cause of the contract, that is, in the substance of the thing contracted for, is a good ground for rescinding even an executed contract. Graham v. Hendren, 5 Munf. 185. Chamberlaine v. Marsh’s adm’r, 6 Id. 283, 7. Tucker v. Cocke, 2 Rand. 66. Thompson v. Jackson, 3 Id. 504, 7. Lamb v. Smith, 6 Id. 552. Under this rule, I have no doubt, that, if Towles had obtained a judgement at law on the covenant in the deed, Glassell might have filed a bill injoining that judgement, bringing the whole subject before the court, and praying that Towles might, if he elected to do so, take his choice of 1000 acres of the Mercer land at valuation, or that, in case of his refusal, the contract might be rescinded and the parties placed in statu quo. When I speak of the contract, I mean the whole contract, embracing the Madison as well as the Kentucky land. It was strenuously contended, and ably too, that there were two several and distinct contracts ; and that, therefore, the mistake in the Kentucky land, ought not to disturb the sale of the Madison land, about which there was no error. But to me it is quite clear, that it was all but one contract. The very terms of the agreement, the admissions of the parties to it, and the proof of the witnesses establish this. By the agreement Towles sells his land to Glassell for 15 dollars 50 cents per acre, and agrees to take 1000 acres of Kentucky land at valuation, and at the delivery of his land to Glassell, the money to be paid down, if there is any left after deducting the valuation of the Kentucky land : this incorporates and makes them one intire contract. Again, the plaintiff in his own bill states, that Glassell having land in Kentucky which he wished to sell and invest the proceeds in Madison land, in order to effect his wishes, proposed trading with Towles for his land; and that Towles, yielding to the influence of the considerations pressed upon him by Glassell, concluded [126]*126a contract with him, hy which he sold him his Madison land at 15 dollars 50 cents per acre, and agreed to receive in part payment for it, one of Glassell’s tracts at valuation. The answer of Glassell, after stating that the proposal to sell came from Towles, and that the price he asked for his land was so high, that he declined the purchase unless Towles would take 1000 acres of his Kentucky land at valuation, adds, that his main leading inducement for the purchase of Towles’s land, as Towles well knew, was the selling his Kentucky land. Towles, in his deposition, so far from denying this, confirms it; he says, that Glassell agreed to purchase his land of him, upon condition that he would take 1000 acres of Kentucky land ; that he did not wish to take the Kentucky land, but rather than not sell, he agreed to take it at valuation; and that he does not believe Glassell would have bought his land, if he had not agreed to take the Kentucky land. It is most clear to me, that in the purchase of the Madison land, the making payment in the Kentucky land, so far it would go, was as much a part of the contract, as the payment of the balance in money was: and any man acquainted with the ordinary transactions of life, must know, that with Glassell it would probably be a most important consideration. How often do we see a price given for property, when it is to be paid for in barter, labour or other facilities, which the buyer would not have an idea of giving if it were to be paid in money?

The mistake which occurred, was as much the work of Towles as of Glassell; for though the plat taken by Robert Glassell, described the lapd of Lewis, instead of the Mercer tract, yet this was a mere transcript from the surveyor’s book, not founded on actual survey, with no courses and distances, and was not intended to govern, and did not govern, the parties, in the consummation of the contract. This is clear, from that part of the agreement, which provides that the land in Kentucky shall be surveyed by an authorized legal surveyor at the expense of Glassell. Under this provision, it was the business of Towles to see to the [127]*127survey, and have it correctly made : he sent his sou to attend to this, and if he had taken along with him the description of the land from the patent to Mercer, the mistake into which the plat of 1814 was leading them, would have been discovered; the true land would have been surveyed ; and, as no particular tract was specially wished for by Towles, the contract would have been correctly executed. But, instead of this cautious course, young Towles went, without any title papers, to the surveyor Ruby ; and he surveyed the Lewis instead of the Mercer tract. Both parties then may be considered equally instrumental in producing this innocent mistake. Would it not, in such a case, be exceedingly harsh to say that the whole loss should fall upon Glassell? that he should be obliged to hold the Madison land, and pay 6200 dollars for it, all in money,

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Related

Graham v. Hendren
5 Munf. 185 (Supreme Court of Virginia, 1816)

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Bluebook (online)
3 Va. 113, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/glassell-v-thomas-va-1831.