Knolhoff v. Mark

136 P. 893, 68 Or. 437, 1913 Ore. LEXIS 136
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 16, 1913
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 136 P. 893 (Knolhoff v. Mark) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Knolhoff v. Mark, 136 P. 893, 68 Or. 437, 1913 Ore. LEXIS 136 (Or. 1913).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Ramsey

delivered the opinion of the court.

On November 19, 1910, the defendant herein commenced, in the Circuit Court of Hood River County, an action at law against the plaintiff herein for the recovery of $500 paid by the former to the latter on the purchase price of a 20-acre tract of land in Hood River County. The plaintiff in this suit filed an answer in said action at law and at the same time filed a complaint in equity in the nature of a cross-bill, praying for the reformation of the contract for the sale of the real property and for a decree for the specific performance of said contract, when so reformed.

The contract forming the basis of this suit, and which the plaintiff desires to have reformed and specifically enforced, is in writing and in the following words, to wit

“Memorandum of agreement made this 18th day of July, 1910, between Ferdinand William Knolhoff, party of the first part, and Henry A. Mark, party of the second part, witnesseth: That the party of the first part agrees to sell and convey by good and marketable title a tract of twenty (20) acres of land situate on Upper Hood River, Hood River County, Oregon, being the same land which has been the subject of discussion [439]*439between the parties, for the sum of fifty-five hundred ($5,500) dollars payable as follows: Two hundred and fifty dollars, on the execution of this instrument; two thousand two hundred and fifty dollars on the closing of title as hereinafter provided; three thousand dollars by the party of the second part executing a purchase money bond and mortgage for that amount, bearing interest at the rate of eight per cent per annum payable semi-annually, from September 1,1910, said mortgage to be due in six years from the date thereof, and to contain the privilege of prepayment at any time before maturity, on thirty days’ notice. The title is to close on the 15th day of August, in the year 1910, at the office of H. A. Mark, 135 Broadway, New York City.
“Ferdinand William Knolhoff. [L. S.]
“Henry A. Mark. [L. S.] ”

The plaintiff asks that said contract be so reformed that the 20 acres of land referred to in said contract will be described therein as follows: “The south half of the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter of section 8 in township 1 south, range 10' east of the Willamette meridian, containing 20 acres, according to the the United States government survey thereof, and containing 20 acres, more or less. ’ ’

The complaint alleges that, by inadvertence, oversight and mistake, the scrivener who prepared and wrote said agreement neglected to more fully and particularly describe said land in said agreement.

The defendant paid the plaintiff the sum of $250 at the time that said contract was executed, and on July 20, 1910, he paid $250 more on the purchase price of said land.

The plaintiff alleges that he was at the time of the making and completion of said contract and now is ready, able and willing to convey said land to the defendant by a good and sufficient conveyance thereof, [440]*440and to receive the balance unpaid of the purchase price, and receive and accept a good and sufficient money bond and a mortgage to secure the deferred payments of the purchase price, pursuant to the terms and conditions of said agreement, and that, upon the performance of said agreement on the part of said defendant, , the plaintiff is ready, able and willing to give the defendant possession of said land. The plaintiff alleges also that on the 15th day of August, 1910, at the office of H. A. Mark, 135 Broadway street, New York City, New York, as mentioned in said agreement, the plaintiff duly tendered and offered to deliver to the defendant a good and sufficient deed to said land, and offered to accept the sum of $2,000, the balance of said purchase price, then due and payable, and also offered to accept the said purchase money bond and mortgage, to secure the sum of $3,000, the balance of the said purchase price, and bearing interest at the rate of 8 per cent per annum, payable semi-annually, from" September 1, 1910, and due in six years from the date thereof, and containing the privilege of prepayment at any time before maturity, on 30 days’ notice, and then and there demanded that the defendant pay the balance of said purchase price and execute said bond and mortgage to secure the balance thereof, pursuant to said agreement, but that the defendant then and there and ever since has refused and neglected to accept the said deed, or to pay the balance of said purchase price, or to execute said bond and mortgage according to said agreement. The complaint alleges also that the plaintiff now and hereby brings into this court a good and sufficient deed of conveyance to said lands to the said defendant, executed by the plaintiff and his wife duly joining with him therein, and tenders the same to the defendant, and offers to deposit the same in this court, to be delivered to the defendant upon the payment of [441]*441the balance unpaid on the purchase price of said land and upon the execution and delivery to the plaintiff of a good and sufficient purchase money bond and mortgage to secure the purchase price of said land, to wit, the sum of $3,000 agreeable to the terms and conditions of said agreement and purchase price; the balance of said purchase price, to be paid, as aforesaid, in cash, being the sum of $2,000.

The defendant answered said complaint, denying parts thereof, and setting up facts as to the execution of said contract, and inter alia the answer alleges that, when the plaintiff and the defendant were negotiating for the sale and purchase of said land, the defendant informed the plaintiff that he wanted to purchase only lands already supplied with water for irrigation, and that the plaintiff, well knowing defendant’s said desire, represented to the defendant that he owned just such land as the defendant desired and, for the purpose of inducing him to purchase his said land, did falsely and fraudulently state and represent to the defendant that his said land, which he proposed to’sell to the defendant was “irrigated land,” and that the purchase of the same by the defendant would carry with it and Would thereby convey to the defendant the right to the use of sufficient water to irrigate the same, to wit, 11 inches (miner’s measure) of water, at an annual cost to the defendant of not to exceed $1.75 per inch, which said representations were false, when so made, and were well known to the plaintiff to be false, and were made for the purpose and with the intent of deceiving, defrauding, and inducing him to enter into said contract and paying the money as aforesaid. The answer further alleges that these negotiations were carried on at a great distance from said land, to wit, in the States of New York and New Jersey, and that the defendant had no knowledge, nor the means of obtain[442]*442ing knowledge, of said land, nor water rights, of which the plaintiff well knew, and the defendant was therefore obliged to and did rely exclusively upon the plaintiff ’s said representation concerning said land and the irrigation rights connected therewith, and so relying thereon and believing the same to be true, and being deceived thereby, the defendant did enter into the execution of said contract and paid the said portion of the purchase price hereafter mentioned.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
136 P. 893, 68 Or. 437, 1913 Ore. LEXIS 136, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/knolhoff-v-mark-or-1913.