Gould v. Young

107 N.W. 281, 143 Mich. 572, 1906 Mich. LEXIS 693
Michigan Supreme Court·Decided April 3, 1906·No. Docket No. 79·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

Ostrander, J.

Complainants are vendors, and defendants the vendees, in an executory contract for the sale of lands, entered into August 31, 1901, under which defendants are in the possession. In March, 1905, vendors, after having given a three months’ notice of claimed forfeiture of defendants’ rights, with demand for possession, began an action before a circuit court commissioner to recover possession, the complaint setting out, generally, the possession of defendants, a tenancy, unlawful holding, and the right of complainants to possession. The commissioner found in favor of complainants, and found and stated the amount which was, by the terms of the contract, then due. Defendants appealed.

The case was heard at the circuit, and a verdict directed for complainants. No testimony was offered on the part of defendants. The journal of the court recites a verdict rendered by direction of the court and concludes as follows:

“Therefore it is considered that the said complainants do recover possession of the premises described in the complaint, * * . * and that a writ of assistance do issue; * * * that complainants recover their costs and charges.”

Counsel for defendants moved to set aside the verdict and judgment, for the reason that the amount due to complainants should have been determined by the jury. Complainants, by a writing filed in the cause, tendered a correction and amendment of the judgment entry, to the effect that there was due at the date of trial upon the land contract $791.65, and interest thereon from March 3, 1905, at the rate of 5 per cent, per annum, and also waived the right to interest from March 3, 1905, to the date of said correction and amendment. The court amended the judgment, and overruled the motion. The land contract provided for payment of the purchase price of $3,000 in installments, upon' payment of $1,000 of which, in accordance with the terms of the contract, a deed was to be given and mortgage taken for the balance [574] of the purchase price. Tendees have not made payments according to the requirements of the contract, and were, when notice to quit was served upon them, and still are, in default. There is evidence in the record of a claim on the part of their counsel that they have paid a total of $729.20. On October 1, 1903, by the terms of the contract, a total of $800 should have been paid. The case is "brought here by writ of error, 42 errors being assigned upon the record, and the bill of exceptions containing all the testimony. The brief for appellants does not contain, as is required by Rule 40 of this court, a statement, distinct from argument, of the errors relied upon, the questions involved, and the manner in which they arose. The court is much aided by the observance of this rule.

1. Under the first two assignments of error, we are asked to reverse the judgment, because oral evidence was admitted of ' matters which were in writing, and better proved by the instruments themselves. Both writings were later introduced in evidence.

2. The statements of a witness to the effect that there was'a mortgage upbn the premises when the executory contract tvas made, which mortgage was later discharged, were received over objection that they were “ incompetent, immaterial, and irrelevant, not mentioned in the contract between these parties.” Exceptions were taken, errors assigned, and they are argued in this court. There may have been better evidence of the facts, but it is not clear how the fact stated in the objection affects the question of the admissibility of this testimony. Besides, the facts stated by the witness were otherwise proved, are included in appellants’ statement of facts, and are affirmatively relied upon as evidence of infirmity in the case made by complainants. Why this court should be called upon to examine and dispose of these objections is not clear._ We have examined and overrule, as without merit, all objections based upon rulings admitting evidence.

3. It is not pointed out in what respect the facts recited in the amendment to the judgment are untrue. Testi[575] mony was given of the sums paid by defendants upon ihe contract. The directed verdict was not a nullity, nor void. The amendment supplied whatever defendants were entitled to have included in the judgment entry if the amount was correctly stated. McSloy v. Ryan, 27 Mich. 116; Bauer v. Wasson, 66 Mich. 256; Trevor v. Hawley, 99 Mich. 504.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Gould v. Young, 107 N.W. 281, 143 Mich. 572, 1906 Mich. LEXIS 693 (Mich. 1906).

107 N.W. 281 (Gould v. Young) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Donnelly v. Lyons
139 N.W. 246 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1913)
Smith v. Nelson
130 N.W. 1119 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1911)