Howard v. Morrisey

71 Misc. 267, 130 N.Y.S. 322
CourtNew York County Courts
DecidedMarch 15, 1911
StatusPublished

This text of 71 Misc. 267 (Howard v. Morrisey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York County Courts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Howard v. Morrisey, 71 Misc. 267, 130 N.Y.S. 322 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1911).

Opinion

Niemann, J.

This action is brought for the partition of certain meadow lands, comprising about sixteen acres, situated in the town of Hempstead, Nassau county, N. Y.

The complaint divides the premises into two parcels, designated respectively “ Barcel A” and “ Parcel B ” and sets forth in substance the following facts:

That the plaintiff and the defendant Michael Morrissey are the owners of the said lands in equal moieties as tenants in common; that the defendant Benjamin E. Valentine is a purchaser in possession of a portion of said premises, being Parcel B,” under a contract made by the plaintiff for the sale to him of plaintiff’s interest in said premises; that, prior to said Valentine’s possession of said “ Parcel B,” the plaintiff and the defendant Michael Morrissey agreed between [269]*269themselves upon a division of said property held in common between them, by setting off, granting and releasing to said Michael Morrissey that portion of said premises containing eight acres, or thereabouts, designated in said complaint as “ Parcel A,” and setting off, granting and releasing to the plaintiff the remainder of said land, designated as “ Parcel B; ” that, relying on said agreement as to actual partition of the premises, the plaintiff authorized the defendant Valentine to enter upon said lands designated as “ Parcel B ” and to improve the same, in furtherance of his purchase thereof from this plaintiff; that the defendant Valentine has done a considerable amount of work and expended considerable amounts of money- in the improvement of said land designated as Parcel B and claims a lien thereon for his work and expenditures; that the defendant Morrissey now refuses to set off and release to this plaintiff or to his vendee, said Valentine, the lands designated as “ Parcel B,” as agreed, and refuses to make partition and accept- from the plaintiff a conveyance in partition of said lands designated “ Parcel A.”

The relief demanded by the plaintiff is that there be judgment that a*partition and division be made of said real property according to the plan agreed upon, by setting off to the plaintiff the land designated as “ Parcel B ” and to- the defendant Morrissey the land designated as “ Parcel A,” according to their respective rights and equities, or, in case the said premises cannot be divided between them without material injury to the parties interested therein, that then the said 'property be ordered sold under the direction of the court and the proceeds thereof divided according to the rights and equities of the parties.

The complaint also prays that the court shall adjudge and decree such other and further relief in the premises to any of the parties as may be consistent with justice and equity and the nature of the case may require.

The defendant Valentine interposed an answer, admitting all the allegations of the complaint and setting up as ground for affirmative relief in his favor that, prior to the 1st day of [270]*270May, 1910, for good consideration, he' and the plaintiff agreed with each other that the plaintiff would sell to said defendant his one-half interest in all the premises described in the complaint; that said defendant informed the defendant Morrissey of his said purchase, and 'that he would not hold any of said premises in common with said Morrissey, whereupon said Morrissey urged said defendant to arrange for an actual division of said property, instead of having any partition- sale of the property, and said defendant, in behalf of himself and of the plaintiff, thereafter agreed with the defendant Morrissey that the latter should have set off to him that portion of the premises which is described in the complaint as Parcel A,” and that the plaintiff should have set off to him, and transferred to said defendant Valentine, the portion of said premises described in the complaint as “ Parcel B,” to which arrangement the plaintiff also assented; that thereupon said Valentine, in reliance upon said agreement made with the said parties, entered into possession of the said “ Parcel B ” and commenced to improve the same and brought a dredge to the water front thereof and did a large amount of labor in dredging a channel of approach thereto from Jamaica bay and made improvements of the value of $1,500, and upwards, in reliance upon said agreement and oral division of the said property held in common up to" that time between the plaintiff and the defendant Michael Morrissey.

The defendant Valentine thereupon demands judgment that said oral partition and agreement for division of said property be adjudged binding upon the plaintiff and said' Morrissey, their heirs and assigns, and that the same be confirmed by the judgment of this court, and that, if for any reason the said oral agreement of partition shall not be corn-firmed, said defendant Valentine be adjudged to have a lien upon the said premises Parcel B,” for the value of his improvements made for the benefit thereof, and that he may have such other and further relief as he may be "entitled to.

This answer of the defendant Valentine was served upon the attorneys for the defendant Michael Morrissey, and there was no reply thereto served.

[271]*271The defendant Michael Morrissey served an answer to the complaint, denying all the material allegations thereof, except the allegation that he refused to set off and release “ Parcel B ” to the plaintiff or the defendant Valentine, or to accept a conveyance from the plaintiff of said “ Parcel A/’ and as a distinct and separate defense alleges that he and the plaintiff Howard are each the owners of.an undivided one-half interest in the lands described in the complaint; that the said defendant and his cotenant Howard have not been able to agree upon a division of the said property, and that the division asked for in the complaint is wholly in favor of the plaintiff and is unfair to said defendant Morrissey, and that said defendant is desirous of having an impartial division made of the said property, and concludes with a demand for judgment dismissing the plaintiff’s complaint, and prays that partition be directed by this court, and that a commission be appointed for that purpose, or, if a fair division cannot be made, that the property be sold by a referee, and for such further relief as may seem to this court just and equitable.' Evidence was given by the parties upon these issues, which, so far as it is material, will be discussed and considered in connection with the legal questions involved.

The questions which have been presented for my determination upon the record in this case may be stated as follows:

First. Was there an oral agreement between the parties for the partition between the plaintiff and the defendant Michael Morrissey of the lands in question according to a plan agreed upon between them?

Second. Is the plaintiff in possession of the said lands as a tenant in common with the said defendant Morrissey and is his possession such as to entitle him to maintain an action for partition?

Third. What are the rights of the defendant Valentine under his contract of purchase made with the plaintiff of the share or interest of the plaintiff in the premises, and can those rights be adjusted and adjudicated between said plaintiff and the defendant in this action?

Fourth. Is the defendant Valentine entitled to be allowed in this action, or to recover from the defendant Morrissey, [272]

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

Related

Harris v. . Frink
49 N.Y. 24 (New York Court of Appeals, 1872)
Ford v. . Knapp
6 N.E. 283 (New York Court of Appeals, 1886)
Brown v. . the New York Central R.R. Co.
44 N.Y. 79 (New York Court of Appeals, 1870)
Beebee v. . Griffing
14 N.Y. 235 (New York Court of Appeals, 1856)
Weston v. . Stoddard
33 N.E. 62 (New York Court of Appeals, 1893)
Cosgriff v. . Foss
46 N.E. 307 (New York Court of Appeals, 1897)
Scott v. . Guernsey
48 N.Y. 106 (New York Court of Appeals, 1871)
Townsend v. . Bogert
27 N.E. 555 (New York Court of Appeals, 1891)
Gray v. Fuller
17 A.D. 29 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1897)
Schwencke v. Haffner
18 A.D. 182 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1897)
Biglow v. Biglow
39 A.D. 103 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1899)
Leidenthal v. Leidenthal
121 A.D. 269 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1907)
Kellogg v. Kellogg
6 Barb. 116 (New York Supreme Court, 1849)
Dolittle v. Eddy
7 Barb. 74 (New York Supreme Court, 1849)
Taylor v. Baldwin
10 Barb. 582 (New York Supreme Court, 1850)
Fosgate v. Herkimer Manufacturing & Hydraulic Co.
12 Barb. 352 (New York Supreme Court, 1852)
Traphagen v. Traphagen
40 Barb. 537 (New York Supreme Court, 1863)
Suffern v. Townsend
9 Johns. 35 (New York Supreme Court, 1812)
Herbert v. Smith
6 Lans. 493 (New York Supreme Court, 1872)
Bryant v. Ondrak
34 N.Y.S. 384 (New York Supreme Court, 1895)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
71 Misc. 267, 130 N.Y.S. 322, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/howard-v-morrisey-nycountyct-1911.