Goodwin v. Beard

1967 OK 182, 434 P.2d 192
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedSeptember 19, 1967
Docket41171
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 1967 OK 182 (Goodwin v. Beard) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Goodwin v. Beard, 1967 OK 182, 434 P.2d 192 (Okla. 1967).

Opinion

BERRY, Justice.

This is an appeal from a judgment quieting title of plaintiff, Ollie L. Beard, Jr., to an undivided ⅝⅛. mineral interest in and under a described 280 acres of land in Section 16, Township 6 South, Range 4 East, Marshall County, Oklahoma. Involved for *194 determination is the question of the correctness of the trial court’s finding that a constructive trust by parol evidence had been established in plaintiff’s favor. The matters hereafter summarized disclose the factual background out of which the action arose.

The mineral interests involved, owned jointly by Naomi Jean Williford Romano and her husband, and Sam F. Williford and his wife, were offered for sale at a judicial sale, subject to the county court’s approval. An initial bid of $25.00 per acre had been made by Wayne Beard. At a sale conducted by an attorney (Miller) representing the vendors the property was purchased (November 10, 1960) by defendant, Riley Goodwin, for $25.50 per acre. Plaintiff alleged, and testified at the trial, that purchase of the minerals had been discussed with defendant, and an oral agreement made to bid the minerals in together in defendant’s name. Plaintiff was to bear 2%oths of the purchase price, attorney’s fee and necessary costs and defendant was to pay ^oths. After the sale plaintiff offered a check in payment of his pro rata portion, but defendant-left the court house without accepting same, and the check was left with the attorney. The court approved deed was taken in the name of both defendants, husband and wife. Thereafter defendants denied existence of any agreement respecting purchase of the minerals and. refused to convey any interest to plaintiff.

Plaintiff eventually brought this action alleging the facts of the entire transaction, purchase by defendant at the sale as agent for plaintiff, and that such interest was purchased and held in trust by defendant, who denied and disputed plaintiff’s ownership and refused to convey in compliance with the agreement. Plaintiff further alleged tender of his proportionate share of expenditures involved. The petition reiterated the tender and offer to do equity, alleged any interest of defendant, Aleen Love Goodwin was junior and inferior and acquired with knowledge of plaintiff’s interest. The petition asked that plaintiff be decreed to be legal, actual and equitable owner of an undivided 25 acre interest; that defendant be decreed to hold such interest in trust for plaintiff and that his title therein be quieted.

Demurrer to the petition was overruled and defendants answered admitting purchase of the undivided mineral interest, but specifically denying existence of any agreement with plaintiff, either oral or written, relating to purchase of any interest for, or on behalf of plaintiff. The issues were completed by plaintiff’s reply in form of general denial and demand for strict proof of the allegations of defendants’ answer.

Plaintiff’s evidence was that Goodwin was interested in buying the minerals equally, which was not acceptable to plaintiff, who already owned a 20 acre interest, which was the reason the original bid was made in Wayne Beard’s name. The agreement was made to bid in the name of defendant, upon the basis of 254oths for plaintiff and ^■Moths to defendant, all costs and expenses to be borne in the same proportion. Defendant offered the high bid ($25.50) and paid the purchase price by check. Plaintiff offered a check for his part which defendant refused at the time because in a hurry to attend a sale in another county. Following the sale the attorney was in the county clerk’s office preparing the deed. Both parties went to the office and plaintiff advised the attorney the minerals were to be proportionately divided, and the attorney wrote this information upon his case file. Plaintiff gave the attorney his check payable to defendant, in an amount ($724.38) sufficient to cover his share of the minerals, attorney’s fee and costs.

The attorney who handled the sale corroborated plaintiff’s testimony as to his being the original bidder, the parties coming to the clerk’s office, plaintiff’s delivery of the check covering his 2%oths share, and having made notation on his office file as to the proportion each had purchased in response *195 to plaintiff’s advice. Plaintiff gave the attorney this information in defendant’s presence, including the statement that defendant had to leave and plaintiff wanted this understood in the event anything happened to defendant. The attorney advised defendant of having plaintiff’s check but defendant refused to accept the check and it remained in the attorney’s files until the trial. While the deed and papers were being prepared defendant inquired whether his wife’s name could be placed in the deed, to which the attorney agreed. Demurrer to plaintiff’s evidence was overruled by the court.

Defendant testified he paid the grantors the amount of the bid, and in addition gave the attorney a check covering the attorney’s fee and costs of the sale. Defendant denied having any agreement with plaintiff concerning the bidding prior to the sale, or that there was any prior agreement that he was buying the minerals in trust and would convey any part thereof if successful in the bidding. The defendant denied hearing any statement by plaintiff in his presence wherein plaintiff told the attorney about any agreement, as testified to by plaintiff and the attorney handling the matter. Defendant admitted having seen the check plaintiff left in the attorney’s office, but testified he was advised this was to pay for part of the minerals plaintiff wished to buy. Defendant also admitted having discussed bidding upon the minerals with plaintiff before the sale, and that plaintiff had made the original bid. Demurrer to the evidence, renewed by defendant at the close of all the evidence, was overrruled.

The trial court entered judgment finding that at all times involved defendant Goodwin was acting as plaintiff’s agent for purchase of the mineral interest, pursuant to an oral agreement entered into prior to approval of the deed; that plaintiff was the owner of an undivided %eths interest and the defendants were owners of the remaining %6ths, subject to plaintiff’s payment of the pro rata portion of the total costs; that plaintiff was the owner of the legal and equitable title in the property claimed, title to which was quieted in plaintiff against all claims of defendants, and that defendants should execute a mineral deed covering the interest determined to be owned by plaintiff.

In appealing from this judgment defendants assert the basic proposition involves the error from overruling defendants’ demurrers to the evidence. The general argument advanced as grounds for reversal embodies two contentions, which shall be discussed separately.

The first claim is that all the evidence showed plaintiff was attempting an oral contract for sale of the mineral interest. Because such contract concerned an interest in real property and was not in writing, defendants insist same was violative of the statute of frauds, 15 O.S. 1961, § 136, and particularly subdivision 5:

“An agreement for the leasing for a longer period than one year, or for the sale of real property, or of an interest therein; and such agreement, if made by an agent of the party sought to be charged, is invalid, unless the authority of the agent be in writing, subscribed by the party sought to be charged.”

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Bluebook (online)
1967 OK 182, 434 P.2d 192, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/goodwin-v-beard-okla-1967.