Kofoed v. Gordon

54 P. 1115, 122 Cal. 314, 1898 Cal. LEXIS 579
CourtCalifornia Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 16, 1898
DocketL. A. Nos. 353, 354
StatusPublished
Cited by36 cases

This text of 54 P. 1115 (Kofoed v. Gordon) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kofoed v. Gordon, 54 P. 1115, 122 Cal. 314, 1898 Cal. LEXIS 579 (Cal. 1898).

Opinion

BEATTY, C. J.

These two cases arise out of the same transactions, and the questions involved depend to a great extent upon the same state of facts: They were tried together in the superior court, and were argued and submitted together here. A brief general statement will suffice to show the nature of the main controversy—a more particular statement will be made in connection with the points in which the cases differ.

On the 30th of June, 1891, a judgment was entered and docketed in the superior court of Los Angeles in favor of the defendant Cosby and against the plaintiff John C. Kofoed, for about two thousand five hundred dollars, for which sum a lien thereby attached to all of the real property of said Kofoed in Los Angeles county, consisting of numerous parcels. Kofoed was at that date, and thereafter continued to be, involved and embarrassed in his pecuniary affairs. In this situation he employed the defendant Gordon, an attorney at law, in his professional capacity, to assist him in extricating himself from his difficulties, and authorized him, among other things, to negotiate with Cosby for a compromise and release of his judgment of June 30, 1891.

Gordon seems to have acted in the interest of Kofoed up to the summer of 1892, when he claims to have been discharged from his employment without having been paid for his services. Acting upon the theory that he was no longer bound by any professional obligation to Kofoed, on the 25th of October, 1892, he entered into the following contract with Cosby:

“In the Superior Court of the County of Los Angeles, State of California.
"JAMES F. COSBY,
Plaintiff,
vs.
JOHN" C. KOFOED,
Defendant.
"Judgment in favor of James F. Cosby against John C. Kofoed, June 30, 1891, $2,504.83.
"James F. Cosby and Samuel B. Gordon agree thus: Cosby agrees to sell and Gordon agrees to buy the judgment above named at and for the price of two hundred dollars, to be paid [317]*317out of moneys that shall be collected thereon, and not otherwise, as follows: Collections on said judgment are to be applied thus:
“1. To reimburse Gordon for all cash expenses incurred in. enforcing said judgment, which expenses it is expected will include costs of only one or more abstracts, sheriffs fees and expenses of execution, and costs of advertising, but nothing for Gordon’s services; 2. To pay to Cosby said sum of two hundred dollars, the purchase price of said judgment, to be paid to said Cosby as fast as collected; and 3. The residue of such collections, if any, to belong to Gordon, and to be in full payment of his services in the premises.
“Until paid for as above, Cosby retains the ownership of said judgment, but gives Gordon entire control thereof for all purposes of enforcing the collection thereof. When paid for as above, Cosby is to assign and transfer said judgment, or so much thereof as shall be unpaid, to Gordon. Gordon is to take immediate steps to enforce collection of said judgment and continue the same with energy and diligence, all at his own cost, expense, and labor, to be repaid only as above provided, and without cost, expense or liability to Cosby.
“Dated Los Angeles, October 25, 1892.
“(Signed) J. F. COSBY.
“S. B. GORDON.
“It is also understood and agreed that in case of sale of land or other property on execution on the above judgment, or in case of redemption, by virtue of said judgment, of lands sold on prior judgment or lien, if the same shall be done for the benefit of the parties hereto, the same shall be done in the name of Cosby, who shall hold the same until payment to him of said two hundred dollars, when he shall transfer the same to Gordon, or his order, but all without expense to said Cosby.
“October 25, 1892.
“J. F. COSBY.
“S. B. GORDON.”

Immediately after the date of this contract Gordon caused an execution to issue on the Cosby judgment, which was levied upon a number of parcels of real estate belonging to Kofoed. This property was sold under the execution on December 13, [318]*3181892, and bid in by- Gordon in the name of Cosby. The price bid was credited on the judgment, leaving a balance still unsatisfied.

A short time thereafter an action numbered 19201 was commenced by Kofoed and wife against Cosby and Gordon in the superior court of Los Angeles for the purpose of having Gordon decreed to be a trustee of the plaintiffs as to all rights acquired by him under and by means of the contract of October 25, 1892, whereby the judgment of June 30, 1891, was assigned by Cosby to Gordon, and to compel Cosby to accept from plaintiffs two hundred dollars in full satisfaction of said judgment. On July 25, 1893, a decree was entered in this action, in which it was ordered and adjudged that Gordon was a trustee for plaintiffs, and for their use and benefit, of all the rights or interests he had acquired by the contract of October 25, 1892, and that plaintiffs be subrogated therein in Gordon’s place and stead, provided they paid or tendered to him, on or before the thirty-first day of July, 1893, the sum of seventy-nine dollars and fifty cents, on account of certain expenses incurred by him.

It was further decreed that the defendant Cosby, on payment or tender to him of the sum of two hundred dollars on or before July 31, 1893, should receive the same in full satisfaction of his said judgment, and should convey to John C. Kofoed certain parcels of the land purchased by him at the execution sale of December 13, 1892, and to Lily H. Kofoed, his wife, the remaining parcels so purchased by him, the right to the same having been theretofore assigned to her by her husband.

And it was further specially provided that unless the plaintiffs should pay or tender said sums to Gordon and Cosby on or before the thirty-first day of July, 1893, all their right, title, and interest in and to said contract and premises should cease and determine, and that thereafter neither Coshy nor Gordon should be held as their trustee, or trustee of either of them.

Appeals were afterward taken by the defendants from this decree, and from an order denying their motion for a new trial, but by stipulation these appeals were subsequently dismissed, so that the decree remains in full force, and, so for as it goes, is a final determination of the rights of the parties.

For the purpose of complying with this decree, an assignee of [319]*319plaintiffs on the 31st of July, 1893, made a tender of the proper sums of money to he paid to Gordon and Cosby respectively, but, in tendering the money, presented for execution by both of them an instrument purporting to transfer, release, and assign the Cosby judgment, and to quitclaim the various parcels of land sold under the execution and specified in the decree.

This instrument so presented to Cosby and Gordon for signature at the time of the tender of the money was not such an instrument as they, or either of them, were, by the terms of the decree, required to execute.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
54 P. 1115, 122 Cal. 314, 1898 Cal. LEXIS 579, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kofoed-v-gordon-cal-1898.