Kern v. Kelner

48 N.W.2d 90, 77 N.D. 948, 1951 N.D. LEXIS 125
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedApril 3, 1951
DocketFile 7170
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 48 N.W.2d 90 (Kern v. Kelner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kern v. Kelner, 48 N.W.2d 90, 77 N.D. 948, 1951 N.D. LEXIS 125 (N.D. 1951).

Opinion

Christianson, J.

This is a sequel to Kern v. Kelner, 75 ND 292, 27 NW2d 567, and Kern v. Kelner, 75 ND 703, 32 NW2d 169. The action is one for specific performance of a written contract between plaintiff and defendant.

On December 31, 1930, the plaintiff executed and delivered to the defendant his promissory note for $3000 payable on or before December 31, 1931, with interest at 8 per cent per annum. The plaintiff’s father and mother signed the note with the plaintiff as makers. Owing to the financial condition of the plaintiff the defendant made little attempt to collect the note, no part thereof was paid, it was not renewed and the statute of limitations ran against suit on the note. The defendant sought to induce the plaintiff to make some payments on the note apparently so as to keep the indebtedness alive but it was not until November 30, 1940, that the parties came to an agreement. At that *952 time the amount due on the note (if interest were added thereto) amounted to more than $5000. On November 30, 1940, plaintiff: executed and delivered to the defendant a note for $3000 due November 30, 1942, with interest at the rate of two per cent per annum payable annually. About the time this note was executed and delivered the defendant Kelner became the owner of the SWi of Section 4, Township 131, Range 100 in Bowman County, the land that is involved in this action. The plaintiff lived on the adjoining quarter, — NWi of Section 4, Twp 131, Rg 100. According to the evidence the buildings were quite close to the line between the NWi and the SWi and apparently the half-section tract has been developed as a farm unit.

“On November 28, 1941, the defendant, being the owner of the land involved, entered into a written contract with the plaintiff for the renting of this land to the plaintiff ‘during the season of farming in the year 1942 and subsequent years as hereinafter provided.’ ”

In preparing the contract a printed form for “Farm Contract • — Upon Shares,” was utilized. The form contained the usual printed provisions of such contract between landlord and tenant. 75 ND 294. The form contained printed provisions that the party of the second part (Kern)

“agrees not to remove any straw or manure from said farm, and not to sell or remove, or suffer to be sold or removed, any of the produce of said farm or premises, of any kind, character, or description until the division thereof, without the written consent of the party of the first part (Kelner), and until such division the title and possession of all hay, grain, crops and produce raised, grown, or produced on said premises and the proceeds of each of. the same, shall be and remain in the party of the first part (Kelner), and the said party of the first part (Kelner) has the right to take and hold enough of the crops or proceeds therefrom that would on the .division of said crops or proceeds belong to the party of the second part (Kern), to repay any and all advances made to him, by the party of the first part (Kelner), and interest thereon at 6 per cent per annum, and also to pay all indebtedness due said party of the *953 first part (Kelner) by said party of tbe second part (Kern), if any there be. It is also agreed that in case said party of the second part (Kern) neglects or fails to perform any of the ■ conditions or terms of this contract on his part to be done and performed, then said party of the first part (Kelner) is hereby authorized and empowered to enter upon said premises and take full-and absolute possession of the same, and he may do and perform all things agreed to be done by the party of the second part (Kern) remaining undone, and to retain or sell sufficient of the crops raised on said premises that would otherwise belong to said second party (Kern), if he had performed the conditions thereof, to pay and- satisfy all costs and expenses of every kind incurred in performing said contract, with interest at 6 per cent per • annum; and the residue remaining, if any, of said crops shall belong to said party of the second part (Kern) after all conditions hereof are fulfilled.”

The contract also contained certain provisions written in part or wholly with a typewriter. In order that it may be apparent what parts of a provision were printed and what was written in with the typwriter the words and provisions written with typewriter are italicized. Such provisions are as follows:

“In consideration of the faithful and diligent performance of all-the stipulations of this contract by. the party of the second part the party of the first part agrees, upon reasonable request thereafter made, to give and deliver on said farm, the three fourths of all grains, so raised and secured upon said farm during said season, proceeds thereof to be applied as hereinafter provided: The party of the second part shall plant to wheat each year during the life of this contract ninety-three acres upon the said premises, and the remainder, thereof he shall either summer fallow, or plant to corn for his own v,se.

“It is further understood and agreed between the parties that whereas the said party of the second pari is indebted to the party of the first part upon a promissory note of three thousand dollars, dated the 30th day of November, A.D. 1940, with interest thereon at the rate of two per cent per annum, all of the crops to be raised by the party of the second part upon the said prem *954 ises each year during the Ufe of this contract shall be delivered to the order of the party of the first part at the Scranton Equity Exchange at Scranton, North Dakota; that the value thereof shall be determined as of the market price thereof on the 1st day of October of the year in which delivered, unless otherwise agreed upon by the parties hereto; and of the proceeds so to be determined, the one fourth shall be considered as rental due the party of the first part for the use of the said land, and the remaining three fourths thereof shall be applied toward the payment of the said promissory note of three thousand dollars hereinbefore mentioned and the interest thereon, until the same shall have been fully paid; and in consideration of the premises, the party of the first part hereby grants to the party of the second part an option to purchase the said premises from the party of the first part for the sum of twelve hundred fifty-eight dollars and 85 cents; which option may be exercised within one year after the said note shall have been fully paid, but not otherwise;

“It is further understood and agreed that in the event of the death of the party of the second part, his legal heirs shall succeed to all of his rights under and by virtue of this agreement, to be exercised pursuant to the terms and conditions hereinbefore set forth.”

It will be noted that in the printed portion of the contract it is said that “the party of the first part agrees, upon reasonable request thereafter made, to give and deliver on said farm, the three fourths of all grains so raised and secured upon said farm ■during said season.” (The words “three fourths” were inserted with the typewriter in the blank space in the printed form when the contract was prepared.) The provisions of the contract which follow and which were written with the typewriter refer to the “proceeds thereof”, that is, the proceeds of the grain.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
48 N.W.2d 90, 77 N.D. 948, 1951 N.D. LEXIS 125, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kern-v-kelner-nd-1951.