Laubengayer v. Rohde

133 N.W. 535, 167 Mich. 605, 1911 Mich. LEXIS 674
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 8, 1911
DocketDocket No. 66
StatusPublished
Cited by26 cases

This text of 133 N.W. 535 (Laubengayer v. Rohde) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Laubengayer v. Rohde, 133 N.W. 535, 167 Mich. 605, 1911 Mich. LEXIS 674 (Mich. 1911).

Opinion

Steere, J.

Defendants have appealed from an order of the trial court overruling the demurrer to complainant’s bill. The bill charges fraud on the part of the defendants in selling certain real estate to the complainant. The demurrer claims want of equity in the bill, and that, complainant has an adequate remedy at law.

Complainant’s bill states: That he is a resident of the township of Scio, in Washtenaw county, and has devoted his life principally to farming; that the defendant Magdalene Rohde is the widow of Louis Rohde, deceased, and William H. L. Rohde is her son; that they both reside in the city of Ann Arbor; the son being engaged in the coal business in that city; that on the 3d day of May, 1909,. complainant bought of the said Magdalene Rohde a certain piece óf real estate in the city of Ann Arbor on which he proposed to engage in the coal business; the property being described as:

“ Commencing on the north line of West Huron street at the west boundary line of the Ann Arbor Railroad [607]*607Company’s right of way, and running from thence west along the north line of Huron street 180 feet to the west bank of the west branch of Allen’s creek, so called; thence along the west bank of Allen’s creek one hundred and sixty-two and eight-tenths (162.8) feet to the center line of block 1 north of Huron street, range 1 east; thence east along said center line 50 feet to the east bank of the east branch of Allen’s creek, so called; thence northerly along said east bank of said creek to the railroad company’s right of way aforesaid; thence southerly along said right of way to the place of beginning; excepting and reserving a strip of land 15 feet wide lying westward of and adjoining said railroad, heretofore conveyed by said Louis Rohde and wife to the said railroad company by deed recorded in Liber 161, p. 74.”

Complainant’s charge of. fraud relates to said strip of land 15 feet wide. He alleges that said William H. Rohde, acting as agent for his mother, took charge of all negotiations leading up to and culminating in the sale, acting for and on behalf of himself and his mother. The manner of perpetrating the fraud is stated in the bill, in substance, as follows: That said land is situated on the north side of said Huron street and west of the viaduct over which the Ann Arbor Railroad tracks cross Huron street; that in construction of said viaduct a cement retaining wall was built at or near the north line of said West Huron street, and was standing at the time of the negotiations and sale of the property; that, in order to induce the complainant to purchase the ground, said William H. Rohde went upon the same with the representatives of said complainant to point out the corners and boundary lines thereof, and while there falsely and fraudulently stated, represented, and pretended that the east line of said land was bounded by a line starting at a point in said retaining wall of said viaduct on the north side of Huron street indicated by a mark and puncture made in said wall, which he then pointed out; that he offered for and in behalf of himself and mother to sell and convey the land he pointed out in accordance with the courses, corners, distances, and directions as he then indicated; that the complainant and [608]*608those representing him had full confidence and faith in the honesty, integrity, and truthfulness of said defendants, and fully believed the representations there made relative to the dimensions of the land and the boundaries thereof, and, relying upon the same, were induced to forego any examination of the record title to said 15-foot strip or any other portion thereof contained between the corners, courses, distances, and lines of said land so pointed out; that on the strength of said representations as to such lines, courses, and distances as then shown, complainant purchased the property and paid defendants the sum of $2,000 therefor, at once proceeding to erect thereon and press to completion as speedily as possible a system, of coal sheds, office buildings, etc., at an expense of $1,766.48; that as a matter of fact the east boundary line of the lands purchased by complainant did not run from the marks made in said retaining wall of said viaduct, and the deed given complainant did not include the strip of 15 feet heretofore mentioned and so pointed out as part of the property purchased; that complainant first learned of this in the fall of 1909, when officials of the Ann Arbor Railroad Company called his attention to it, and proposed to give him a lease of said strip; that he even then supposed that he owned this strip in question, but, upon submitting the same to experts, he was informed that the piece of property was not included in his conveyance from defendants; that he thereupon, immediately after discovering the fraud, tendered a reconveyance of the property to said Magdalene Rohde and demanded a return of the purchase price and money he had expended on the property, which was refused, following which he executed a deed conveying back to said Magdalene Rohde the property which he had purchased and made a tender of said deed, renewing his demand for a return of his money, which she again refused. He alleges that without this 15-foot strip the land covered by his deed is of no value to him for his purposes, and of but little value for any purpose whatever.

[609]*609Complainant asks in his prayer for relief: That said deed hearing date May 3, 1909, from defendant Magdalene Rohde to him, be set aside and declared null and void upon condition that the said defendants, either or both of them, shall pay to him the sum of $3,766.48. That if defendants shall fail to pay to him the amount of money aforesaid and refuse to receive back the conveyance title of the property contained in said deed, he shall recover by the order and decree of this court a judgment against said defendants jointly for the sum of $3,766.48. Or that said defendants shall acquire and convey to him, by full covenant warranty deed, the title to said 15 feet by or before such date as in the judgment of the court shall be deemed proper and equitable. That he may have such further and other relief in the premises as shall be agreeable to equity and good conscience.

The objections to the bill, as specified in defendant’s demurrer, are summarized as follows: It appears from the allegations of the bill that complainant has complete and adequate remedy at law; that he was in no way deceived by said defendants; that by the exercise of reasonable care he would have known the true boundaries of the land sold to him; that he has been guilty of laches and is not entitled to any relief prayed for in said bill.

The trial court, overruling the demurrer, said:

“The specific relief sought in the several prayers for relief contained in the bill of complaint is of doubtful right, but there may be some relief granted under the general prayer therefor.”

Complainant’s rights are to be tested by the allegations in his bill taken as true, rather than by his prayer for relief.

The bill charges, with sufficient allegations, fraud on the part of defendants in representing to complainant that the strip in question was a part of the land he was purchasing; that he relied on the representations then made, and thereby was induced to forego any examination of [610]

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
133 N.W. 535, 167 Mich. 605, 1911 Mich. LEXIS 674, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/laubengayer-v-rohde-mich-1911.