Kittinger v. Rossman

112 A. 388, 12 Del. Ch. 276, 1921 Del. Ch. LEXIS 31
CourtCourt of Chancery of Delaware
DecidedJanuary 26, 1921
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 112 A. 388 (Kittinger v. Rossman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Chancery of Delaware primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kittinger v. Rossman, 112 A. 388, 12 Del. Ch. 276, 1921 Del. Ch. LEXIS 31 (Del. Ct. App. 1921).

Opinion

The Chancellor.

The bill is brought by a seller of land against the buyer to compel him to accept a deed and comply with the terms of the sale by paying part of the purchase price and making a mortgage for the balance thereof.

By an agreement in writing dated April, 15, 1920, the complainant sold to the defendant the property in the city of Wilmington known as Nos. 411 and 413 Delaware Avenue, with a frontage on Delaware Avenue of about fifty-three feet, two and three-quarters inches, and a frontage on West Eleventh Street of about fifty-seven feet for sixty-eight thousand dollars. The sum of one thousand dollars was paid as part of the purchase money when the agreement was signed, one thousand dollars more was due May 15, 1920, thirty-three thousand dollars more on the delivery of the deed, and the purchaser to give a mortgage for thirty-three thousand dollars for the balance of the purchase money payable in one year. “Final settlement to be completed on or before June 20> 1920.” The attorney for the purchaser on examining the title found certain objections thereto, and at a conference with the complainant and" her counsel they were pointed out to her. The purchaser paid the sum of one thousand dollars payable on May 15, 1920, and on the same date the agreement was modified in writing so that the purchase money mortgage be made payable in five years instead of one year. A deed was tendered on May 17 and refused. In a letter dated May 17 from the purchaser’s counsel to the complainant three reasons were assigned why the title was considered defective, one befifg the burdensome building restriction imposed on the land by/á prior, owner of it, and on adjoining land, and the other two being as to matters which were decided later by the Chancellor not to constitute defects. Ante p. 228, 110 Atl. 677.

As a result of a conference on May 6, a bill prepared by Ross-man’s solicitor was filed on June 7 by the seller against the buyer for specific performance, simply setting out the contract, the tender [278]*278on May 17 of the deed and the refusal, and alleging that the complainant was ready to perform and defendant had. refused. By an answer filed the same day the defendant set up the three defects mentioned in the letter of May 17 above referred to. By a further answer filed June 16 the defendant alleged that the complainant did not own a strip of land one foot, five and one-half inches wide and running along the whole of the lot fronting on Delaware Avenue, and that the title to the strip was in the city of Wilmington. The case was heard by the Chancellor on June 23 upon the pleadings and some testimony taken before him at the hearing. On July 12 the opinion of the Chancellor was filed sustaining two objections to the title and holding two others insufficient. Kittinger v. Rossman, ante p. 226,110 Atl. 677.

The Chancellor found that a valid building line restriction bound the property in question, and had in fact been violated by the erection of the building now on the premises, and declined to compel the purchaser to take the property with the burden of that restriction. He also found that the complainant did not own the strip of land mentioned above. Afterwards the bill was dismissed.

By an agreement in writing between the parties, dated June 18, the time for performance had been extended to July 20 from June 20. After the decision of the Chancellor the complainant secured certain deeds to discharge the encumbrance of the building restriction, viz. a deed from John E. Torbert, dated July 22, and two from owners of other land abutting on Delaware Avenue for whose benefit the restriction had been imposed, one deed or release being dated July 27, but acknowledged by one of the parties thereto as late as September 25, and the other deed being dated November 29. A deed dated August 3, 1920, was made by the city of Wilmington conveying to the complainant the strip of land above referred to.

On August 4 the complainant filed a second bill setting forth the former litigation and that promptly thereafter, with the approval of the defendant, the complainant undertook to remedy the defects, but was unable to do so until immediately before filing the bill; that though she was led by the defendant to believe that he would accept the title as soon as the defects were cured, [279]*279he refused on July 20 to accept a deed after that date, or to extend the time for performance and demanded a return of the money paid by him as part of the purchase money; that the complainant had been diligent; and that on August 4 she tendered a deed, which was refused by the defendant. At this time the complainant had obtained a deed from the city for the strip of land along the front, but the building restriction remained-unreleased.

On October 1, 1920, a supplemental bill was filed setting forth that a deed had been obtained from Torbert and one from all the owners of land then entitled to the benefit of the building restriction, and had tendered to the defendant a third deed on September 27, and that he refused to accept it. By his answer the defendant averred that he had lost an opportunity to sell the property because the title was defective; that since the making of the agreement the market had declined; and that the property was worth less than the contract price, and denied consenting to any delay in perfecting the title. It was also alleged by a further answer to the supplemental bill that the deed or release from the adjoining landowners referred to in the supplemental bill and dated July 27 was not effective to remove the building restriction, but on the contrary imposed an additional and more burdensome restriction. Thereupon, on November 30, an amendment was filed to the supplemental bill alleging that on November 29 the complainant obtained from the adjoining owners another release. On December 7 a second amendment was made to the supplemental bill, setting forth that on December 6 a deed dated December 3 had been tendered conveying a good title, and the defendant had refused to accept it. By his answer the defendant charged the complainant with loches in perfecting her title, and asserted the hardship to him if he be required to take it.

From the above recital of facts it is uncontradicted that, neither at the time the contract was made, nor when performance on behalf of the seller was due as extended, was the complainant able to convey a “good marketable fee simple title” to the whole of the property. Not earlier than August 3, the date of the deed to her from the city, was her title marketable, for until that date a vitally important part of the land, viz. the strip along the front was owned by the city. It was not until December 3 that the [280]*280building restriction was finally removed, and as to it the defendant was never at any time in .default until December 7, which was about four and one-half months after July 20, the time when according to the contract the seller should have been able to give a good, marketable title.

It is urged that time was not of the essence of the contract, and that in equity there is laxity as to enforcing time limits. There is in the agreement no definite declaration that time is of the essence of the contract, and in the absence of such a declaration in a contract it may be so inferred. An extension of time of performance has been considered to be evidence of such intention. Wiswall v. McGowan, 2 Barb. (N. Y.) 270, 278; Myers v. League, 62 Fed. 654, 10 C. C. A. 571; Agens v. Koch, 74 N. J. Eq. 528, 70 Atl. 348.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
112 A. 388, 12 Del. Ch. 276, 1921 Del. Ch. LEXIS 31, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kittinger-v-rossman-delch-1921.